The meaning of the lyrics of the song "My Sorrow, My Longing. Variations on Gypsy Themes" (Grust moya, toska moya. Variacii na cyiganskie temyi) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

I walked, I wandered, stepping heel to toe, -

Feeling - I breathe and I'm getting better...

Suddenly a snake-like, green anguish,

Cunningly, jumped on my neck.

I didn't even know it, changing cities, -

And she whispers to me: "How I waited!.."

What now? Where to now? Why and when?

I got involved with her myself, unwillingly.

Walking alone - wherever it led, I still can, -

My own judge, my own master.

I harnessed myself instead of a horse under the yoke, -

Simple in appearance, but insidious inside.

I'm not slandering, like a harmful tick,

I dug myself into myself, shaking my shoulders,

I whip myself and I scourge myself, -

So - no contradictions.

Endow me, fate, or sell it for money!-

I will pay you tribute to the grave.

My sadness, my anguish - a consumptive creature, -

What a tenacious disease!

In the morning it won't squeak - no matter how much you whip it,

At night - bam! - with me on the side.

Spend at least one night with someone else, -

I swear, I won't be jealous!

Шел я, брел я, наступал то с пятки, то с носка, -

Чувствую - дышу и хорошею...

Вдруг тоска змеиная, зеленая тоска,

Изловчась, мне прыгнула на шею.

Я ее и знать не знал, меняя города, -

А она мне шепчет: "Как ждала я!.."

Как теперь? Куда теперь? Зачем да и когда?

Сам связался с нею, не желая.

Одному идти - куда ни шло, еще могу, -

Сам себе судья, хозяин-барин.

Впрягся сам я вместо коренного под дугу, -

С виду прост, а изнутри - коварен.

Я не клевещу, подобно вредному клещу

Впился сам в себя, трясу за плечи,

Сам себя бичую я и сам себя хлещу, -

Так что - никаких противоречий.

Одари, судьба, или за деньги отоварь!-

Буду дань платить тебе до гроба.

Грусть моя, тоска моя - чахоточная тварь, -

До чего ж живучая хвороба!

Поутру не пикнет - как бичами ни бичуй,

Ночью - бац! - со мной на боковую.

С кем-нибудь другим хотя бы ночь переночуй, -

Гадом буду, я не приревную!

In Vladimir Vysotsky's song "My Sadness, My Longing," the author explores the existential themes of loneliness, melancholy, and inner struggle. The lyrical hero, a wanderer, encounters a sudden wave of longing that binds him and changes his life.

From the first lines of the text, we see the hero in motion, moving forward, full of strength and optimism. The feeling of freedom and fullness of life is conveyed through the lightness of his step and the freshness of his breath. But this idyllic picture is shattered by the appearance of "serpentine melancholy, green melancholy," which unexpectedly, like a predator, attacks him.

This image of melancholy is multifaceted. On the one hand, it is associated with something poisonous, dangerous, and constraining, as indicated by the epithet "serpentine." On the other hand, the green color can symbolize not only poison but also something alive, tenacious, inseparable from the hero himself.

Melancholy turns out to be not just a fleeting feeling, but a constant companion of the hero, who has been waiting for him, "changing cities." There is a feeling that melancholy is not an external force, but a part of himself, his inner demon, with which he is forced to coexist.

Realizing his powerlessness before melancholy, the hero enters into a dialogue with it, asking questions that have no answers: "What now? Where to now? Why and when?" He himself admits his involuntary servitude to this feeling: "I got involved with it myself, unwillingly."

Loneliness, which was previously a conscious choice, freedom, now becomes a burden. The hero compares himself to a harnessed horse that has put on the yoke itself. He realizes that he has driven himself into this trap.

The inner struggle with himself is conveyed through the verbs "slander," "dug," "shake," "whip," "lash." The hero is cruel to himself, he does not seek excuses, he accepts his burden.

In the last verse, the image of fate appears, to which the hero is ready to "pay tribute to the grave." Longing is compared to a "consumptive creature" - an incurable disease that slowly kills him. Despite attempts to fight, longing turns out to be stronger, it haunts him day and night, giving him no peace.

The final lines of the song are imbued with bitterness and hopelessness. The hero is even ready for longing to share a bed with someone else, if only he himself could get at least temporary relief.

Thus, the song "My Sadness, My Longing" is a philosophical reflection on the nature of the human soul, the eternal search for oneself, and the inevitability of encountering one's demons.