The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Couplets of the Unclean Force" (Kupletyi nechistoy silyi) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

- I am Baba Yaga,

That's all, not much more to say.

I ride in an unoiled mortar and pestle.

I am not too strict with the Russian spirit:

I love it... boiled in my soup kettle.

Oh, I'm tired of running through the forest,

I've overcooked my potion...

No, our unclean force has completely changed,

It's a real commotion!

- Good day! Good shade!

I'm the Shapeshifter, don't be afraid!

Turned awkwardly yesterday:

Wanted to become a rickety wattle,

But got stuck halfway.

And who I am now - I don't understand, -

Look at me, brothers, I'm all twisted!.

No, our unclean force has completely changed,

It's really quite twisted!

- I am the old and sick

Water One of the lake,

But I'm tired of my watery lair:

I lie under a snag, chilled, angry, and irate,

Because the pool is damp and bare.

I see a drowned man - I grab him! What's this?

He kicks me in the face with his heel!

No, they've completely stopped respecting

Our unclean force, can't you feel?

- That's how it is: Leshy's wife, out of spite,

Deprived me of my Leshy hair,

Kicked me out of the hollow into the frost last night -

She's having an affair with the Water One, it's not fair!

They have begun to drive us out of the world -

They're practically driving us to the grave...

No, they've completely stopped respecting

Our unclean force, it's true, no crave!

- Я - Баба-Яга,

Вот и вся недолга,

Я езжу в немазанной ступе.

Я к русскому духу не очень строга:

Люблю его... сваренным в супе.

Ох, надоело по лесу гонять,

Зелье я переварила...

Нет, что-то стала совсем изменять

Наша нечистая сила!

- Добрый день! Добрый тень!

Я - дак Оборотень!

Неловко вчерась обернулся:

Хотел превратиться в дырявый плетень,

Да вот посередке запнулся.

И кто я теперь - самому не понять, -

Эк меня, братцы, скривило!.

Нет, что-то стала совсем изменять

Наша нечистая сила!

- Я - старый больной

Озорной Водяной,

Но мне надоела квартира:

Лежу под корягой, простуженный, злой,

Ведь омуте - мокро и сыро.

Вижу намедни - утопленник. Хвать!

А он меня - пяткой по рылу!.

Нет, перестали совсем уважать

Нашу нечистую силу!

- Такие дела: Лешачиха со зла,

Лишив меня лешешевелюры,

Вчера из дупла на мороз прогнала -

У ней с Водяным шуры-муры.

Со свету стали совсем изживать -

Прост-таки гонят в могилу...

Нет, перестали совсем уважать

Нашу нечистую силу!

In Vladimir Vysotsky's song "Ditties of the Unclean Force," traditional characters from Russian fairy tales – Baba Yaga, the Shapeshifter, the Water Spirit, and the Leshy – lament the decline of their mystical powers and the loss of former respect. The text is imbued with satire and irony, making one ponder the changing attitude of people towards ancient beliefs and the eternal problems of everyday life.

Each character embodies a certain archetype and faces challenges that reflect changes in the world.

Baba Yaga, once a formidable child-stealer, is now bored from idleness and confesses to a gastronomic weakness for the "Russian spirit." Her phrase "I'm not too strict with the Russian spirit" is ambiguous: either she has become kinder, or she prefers the "spirit" in the form of soup.

The Shapeshifter, a symbol of change and deception, struggles with his abilities. His failed transformation into a wattle fence is a metaphor for life's troubles and loss of self-control.

The Water Spirit, personifying the water element, suffers from everyday inconveniences. Dampness and cold force him to seek a better life, but even a drowned man, seemingly "his own" kind, does not show him due respect.

The Leshy, the forest spirit, becomes a victim of infidelity and is kicked out of the house into the cold. The comicality of the situation emphasizes the absurdity of what is happening: a forest spirit suffers from the cold.

The unifying motif is the lament for the decline of the unclean force and the loss of respect from people. The characters feel forgotten and unnecessary in a changing world. Vysotsky, using fairytale characters, allegorically speaks of how even seemingly eternal things are subject to change.