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The meaning of the lyrics of the song "The Girl from Nagasaki" (Devuschka iz Nagasaki) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

He's a captain and Marseille is his home

He adores arguments, noise and fights

He smokes a pipe, drinks the strongest ale

And loves a girl from Nagasaki

She has leprosy marks on her hands

She has tattooed signs

And in the evenings she dances jigs in taverns

This girl from Nagasaki

She has such small breasts

And lips, lips as red as poppies

The captain is going on a long voyage

And he loves the girl from Nagasaki

Coral as red as blood

And a silk blouse the color of khaki

And ardent, passionate love

He brings to the girl from Nagasaki

The captain returned from afar

And he learned that a gentleman in a tailcoat

One day, having smoked hashish

Stabbed the girl from Nagasaki

She has such small breasts

And lips, lips as red as poppies

The captain is going on a long voyage

Not seeing the girl from Nagasaki

Am

Он капитан и родина его - Марсель

A7 Dm

Он обожает споры, шумы, драки

Dm (Dm6) Am

Он курит трубку, пьет крепчайший эль

E (F) (E7) Am

И любит девушку из Нагасаки

Am

У ней следы проказы на руках

A7 Dm

У ней татуированные знаки

Dm (Dm6) Am

И вечерами джигу в кабаках

E (F) (E7) Am

Танцует девушка из Нагасаки

Am

У ней такая маленькая грудь

A7 Dm

И губы, губы алые как маки

Dm (Dm6) Am

Уходит капитан в далекий путь

E (F) (E7) Am

И любит девушку из Нагасаки

Am

Кораллы алые как кровь

A7 Dm

И шелковую блузку цвета хаки

Dm (Dm6) Am

И пылкую, и страстную любовь

E (F) (E7) Am

Везет он девушке из Нагасаки

Am

Вернулся капитан издалека

A7 Dm

И он узнал, что джентльмен во фраке

Dm (Dm6) Am

Однажды накурившись гашиша

E (F) (E7) Am

Зарезал девушку из Нагасаки

Am

У ней такая маленькая грудь

A7 Dm

И губы, губы алые как маки

Dm (Dm6) Am

Уходит капитан в далекий путь

F E7 Am

Не видев девушки из Нагасаки

The song "The Girl from Nagasaki" by Vladimir Vysotsky is a tragic love story full of contrasts and symbolism. At first glance, it's a simple romantic plot: a sailor falls in love with an exotic dancer, but their happiness is not meant to last. However, a deeper meaning is hidden behind the vivid images.

The Captain, personifying European culture, strength, and passion, falls in love with a girl from Nagasaki, a representative of the East, mysterious and alluring. Her image is ambiguous: on the one hand, "traces of leprosy" and "tattooed marks" hint at a tragic past, possibly related to war and destruction (Nagasaki – a city that survived the atomic bombing). On the other hand, she is full of life, dancing "a jig in taverns," which speaks to her strength of spirit and thirst for life.

The contrast is enhanced by the juxtaposition of the images of the Captain and the "gentleman in a tailcoat." The first is rough, straightforward, but sincerely loving. The second is cold, impersonal ("gentleman in a tailcoat"), immersed in the world of artificial pleasures ("having smoked hashish"). His act – the murder of the girl – symbolizes heartlessness and cruelty that destroy beauty and love.

The ending of the song is tragic. The Captain, returning from his voyage with gifts ("corals red like blood," "a silk blouse the color of khaki"), learns of his beloved's death. He goes back to sea but "without seeing the girl from Nagasaki." This is not just grief for lost love, but also an awareness of the fragility of happiness, the impossibility of escaping the cruelty of the world.

Thus, "The Girl from Nagasaki" is not just a song about love and death. It is a reflection on the clash of cultures, the fragility of life, the confrontation between love and cruelty.

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