The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Formulation" (Formulirovka) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

Up and down I'd roam,

No guards to drag me home.

I'd smoke some weed,

Do a misdeed,

And pinch from those who roam.

For a heist so grand,

A reliable girl in hand.

Then, for a thrill,

Someone I'd chill,

And do a Warsaw's stand.

While they watch and fret,

While they threaten and sweat,

We endure it all with grace.

We've had our fill,

But now a chill,

"Petrovka, 38" we face.

Through orphanage, prison, and shelter I've been,

Never scared of time's cruel hand.

But when they took me to the people's court's scene,

A slight unease began to expand.

Why lie, it's absurd,

"People's Court," I've heard!

But the people, I never saw.

The judge with his might,

And the prosecutor's spite,

Insulted me, breaking the law.

I answered their claims,

But the verdict, it shames,

With confiscation, they decree.

I disagree, it's absurd,

With how they've penned each word,

It's a distortion, I guarantee!

My guilt I won't deny,

Not my first time to comply.

But they wrote that with malice and dread,

I treated people with cruelty instead.

A lie! I'd approach with grace,

Requesting a hundred with a smile on my face.

What knife, what robbery's this?

Change the wording, it's amiss!

Ah, if only a hall I had,

A speech to deliver, I'd be glad.

"Comrades dear, why complain?

You fed me, you kept me sane!

Each one gave without a fuss,

No tears, no threats, no blood, no curse.

A heartfelt thank you for all,

For your generosity, I recall!"

The hall would erupt in applause so grand,

And I, with tears, would lend a hand.

"Thank you," I'd whisper with grace,

"For your presence in this place."

Is it true, is it fair, I plead,

That I'm a skilled thief indeed?

How can I face them, it's absurd,

With this verdict, every word?

Вот раньше жизнь!

И вверх и вниз

Идешь без конвоиров, -

Покуришь план,

Пойдешь на бан

И щиплешь пассажиров.

А на разбой

Берешь с собой

Надежную шалаву,

Потом - за грудь

Кого-нибудь

И делаешь варшаву.

Пока следят,

Пока грозят -

Мы это переносим.

Наелся всласть,

Но вот взялась

"Петровка, 38".

Прошел детдом, тюрьму, приют,

И срока не боялся, -

Когда ж везли в народный суд -

Немного волновался.

Зачем нам врут:

"Народный суд"! -

Народу я не видел, -

Судье простор,

И прокурор

Тотчас меня обидел.

Ответил на вопросы я,

Но приговор - с издевкой, -

И не согласен вовсе я

С такой формулировкой!

Не отрицаю я вины -

Не в первый раз садился,

Но - написали, что с людьми

Я грубо обходился.

Неправда!- тихо подойдешь,

Попросишь сторублевку...

Причем тут нож,

Причем грабеж?-

Меняй формулировку!

Эх, был бы зал -

Я б речь сказал:

"Товарищи родные!

Зачем пенять -

Ведь вы меня

Кормили и поили!

Мне каждый деньги отдавал

Без слез, угроз и крови...

Огромное спасибо вам

За все на добром слове!"

И этот зал

Мне б хлопать стал,

И я б, прервав рыданья,

Им тихим голосом сказал:

"Спасибо за вниманье!"

Ну правда ведь -

Неправда ведь,

Что я - грабитель ловкий?

Как людям мне в глаза смотреть

С такой формулировкой?!

This song by Vladimir Vysotsky, written from the perspective of a lyrical hero and repeat offender, uses bitter irony to expose the hypocrisy of Soviet society and its justice system.

In the very first verses, the hero nostalgically recalls the "past" – a time of reckless criminal life, which is presented with a touch of black humor. "You walk without guards," "you smoke a joint," "you go rob someone," "a reliable prostitute" – this world, although cruel, is simple and understandable, there is no place for falsehood in it.

However, the carefree life comes to an end, the hero is caught by "Petrovka, 38" – a symbol of law enforcement agencies. Having passed through a series of institutions – an orphanage, a prison, a shelter – he finds himself in a "people's court."

It is here that the exposure of the hypocrisy of the system begins. The hero does not deny his guilt, but he is outraged by the wording of the accusation. "It's not true! – You quietly approach, / Ask for a hundred rubles... / What does a knife have to do with it, / What does robbery have to do with it?" – these words contain the bitter truth that people themselves gave him money, "without tears, threats, or blood."

The image of the courtroom is transformed into an imaginary hall where the hero delivers a speech addressed to his "comrades," to those who "fed and watered" him. He thanks them for their "attention," for the fact that by their inaction and indifference they contributed to his criminal activity. The final lines of the song are a cry from the heart, an expression of despair at the injustice. The hero does not deny his guilt, but he does not agree that he is considered the only one to blame. He accuses society of hypocrisy, of turning a blind eye to his crimes and now branding him a villain.

Thus, Vysotsky's song is not just a story about a criminal, it is a reflection on the moral responsibility of society, on how it itself generates crimes and then hypocritically condemns them.