The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Guitar" (Gitara) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

A musician once explained to me at length,

That the guitar has supposedly outlived its age, –

It will be replaced by electric organs,

Electric pianos and electric saws...

The guitar again

Doesn't want to be silent –

It sings on moonlit nights,

Like in my youth,

With its seven

Silver strings!..

I heard yesterday – someone was singing on the boulevard:

His voice was confident, his voice was beautiful, –

But it seems to me – the guitar is tired

Of ringing to his dashing tune.

And yet again

It doesn't want to be silent –

It sings on moonlit nights,

Like in my youth,

With its seven

Silver strings!..

The electric piano, of course, is not for me –

Others will appear with a different song, –

But it seems to me – we won't part with the guitar,

To a deserved and undesirable rest.

The guitar again

Doesn't want to be silent –

It sings on moonlit nights,

Like in my youth,

With its seven

Silver strings!..

Один музыкант объяснил мне пространно,

Что будто гитара свой век отжила, -

Заменят гитару электроорганы,

Элекророяль и электропила...

Гитара опять

Не хочет молчать -

Поет ночами лунными,

Как в юность мою,

Своими семью

Серебряными струнами!..

Я слышал вчера - кто-то пел на бульваре:

Был голос уверен, был голос красив, -

Но кажется мне - надоело гитаре

Звенеть под его залихватский мотив.

И все же опять

Не хочет молчать -

Поет ночами лунными,

Как в юность мою,

Своими семью

Серебряными струнами!..

Электророяль мне, конечно, не пара -

Другие появятся с песней другой, -

Но кажется мне - не уйдем мы с гитарой

В заслуженный и нежеланный покой.

Гитара опять

Не хочет молчать -

Поет ночами лунными,

Как в юность мою,

Своими семью

Серебряными струнами!..

In his song "The Guitar," Vladimir Vysotsky juxtaposes the vibrancy and soulfulness of the guitar against the soulless mechanization of electronic instruments. The lyrical hero encounters the opinion that the guitar's time has passed, that it has been replaced by electric organs, electric pianos, and even compares it to an electric saw, emphasizing the unnaturalness and soullessness of such a replacement.

However, despite claims of its obsolescence, the guitar "doesn't want to be silent." It continues to "sing on moonlit nights," symbolizing eternal values, sincerity, and spiritual closeness, reminding the hero of his youth.

Vysotsky uses a repeating refrain to emphasize the immutability and eternal relevance of the guitar as an instrument capable of conveying the deepest feelings. Even when faced with indifference ("the guitar is tired of ringing to... a dashing tune"), the guitar does not give up, it continues to sing, finding a response in the soul of the lyrical hero.

"The electric piano... is no match" - the hero asserts, realizing that no technical innovations can replace the live sound, warmth, and soulfulness that the guitar provides.

The finale of the song expresses confidence that "we will not retire the guitar to a well-deserved and unwanted rest." For Vysotsky, the guitar is not just an instrument, it is a symbol of loyalty to traditions, a source of inspiration, and a faithful companion throughout life.