The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Mass graves" (Bratskie mogilyi) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

No crosses are placed on mass graves,

And widows don't weep over them,

Someone brings bouquets of flowers to them,

And they light the Eternal Flame.

Here the earth used to rear up,

And now there are granite slabs,

There is not a single personal fate here,

All fates are merged into one.

And in the Eternal Flame you see a tank bursting into flames,

Burning Russian huts,

Burning Smolensk and burning Reichstag,

The burning heart of a soldier.

There are no weeping widows at mass graves,

Stronger people come here,

They don't place crosses on mass graves,

But does it make it any easier?

They don't place crosses on mass graves,

But does it make it any easier?

На братских могилах не ставят крестов, И вдовы на них не рыдают, К ним

кто-то приносит букеты цветов, И Вечный огонь зажигают.

Здесь раньше вставала земля на дыбы, А нынче гранитные плиты, Здес

ь нет ни одной персональной судьбы, Все судьб

ы в единую слиты.

А в Вечном огне видишь вспыхнувший

танк, Горящие русские хаты, Горящий См

оленск и горящий Рейхстаг, Горящее сердце солдата.

У братских могил нет заплаканных вдов, Сюда ходят люди покрепче, На бр

атских могилах не ставят крестов, Но разве от этого легче.

На братских могилах не ставят крестов, Но разве от этого легче.

Vladimir Vysotsky's poem "Common Graves" is a profound reflection on the cost of victory and the memory of those who perished in war. The text contrasts the impersonal nature of mass graves, where "no crosses stand" and "no personal fate exists", with the depth of grief and sacrifice they represent.

The absence of names and individual burials emphasizes the mass casualties and the fact that the war claimed the lives of many people united by a common destiny. Their "fates are merged into one," erasing individuality in the face of tragedy.

The image of the Eternal Flame becomes central to understanding the poem's meaning. It is not just a tribute to the memory but a symbol of ever-present pain, a reflection of the horrors of war: "burning Russian huts," "burning Smolensk and burning Reichstag," "burning soldier's heart."

Vysotsky asks: does the absence of external attributes of grief, such as crosses and weeping widows, make it any less significant? "No crosses stand on common graves, But does it make it any easier?" This rhetorical question emphasizes that the true memory of war lives not in formalities but in the hearts of people who are able to feel the full weight of the loss.

The poem does not provide answers but makes us think about the price of victory, what war brings besides destruction, and how to preserve the memory of the past to prevent the tragedy from happening again.