The meaning of the lyrics of the song "A steam train flies through valleys, over hills..." (Letit parovoz po dolinam, po vzgoryam...) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

The steam train flies through valleys and hills,

It flies to an unknown destination.

The boy called himself a rogue and a thief,

And his life is an eternal prison.

Stop, steam train, don't knock, wheels,

Conductor, hit the brakes...

I'm going to my dear mother, sick and hungry,

I want to show myself to her eyes.

Don't wait for me, mother, a good son.

Wait for me - a rogue, a thief...

The prison mire has sucked me in

And my life is an eternal prison.

And if they put me behind bars -

In prison, I will saw through the bars...

And let the moon shine with its corrupt light,

But I will still run away.

And if the prison guard notices,

Then I, the boy, am gone!

Alarm and a shot, and headfirst

I fell off the prison barge.

I will lie on the prison bed,

I will lie and die...

And you won't come to me, dear mother,

To hug and kiss me.

The steam train flies through valleys and hills,

It flies to an unknown destination.

The boy called himself a rogue and a thief,

And his life is an eternal prison.

Stop, steam train, don't knock, wheels!

Conductor, hit the brakes!

I'm going to my dear mother with my last bow,

I want to show myself to her eyes.

Летит паровоз по долинам по взгорьям,

Летит он неведомо куда.

Мальчонка назвал себя жуликом и вором,

И жизнь его - вечная тюрьма.

Постой, паровоз, не стучите, колеса,

Кондуктор, нажми на тормоза...

Я к матери родной, больной и голодный,

Хочу показаться на глаза.

Не жди меня, мама, хорошего сына.

А жди меня - жулика, вора...

Меня засосала тюремная трясина

И жизнь моя - вечная тюрьма.

А если посадят меня за решетку -

В тюрьме я решетку пропилю...

И пусть луна светит своим продажным светом,

А я все равно же убегу.

А если заметит тюремная стража,

Тогда я, мальчонка, пропал!

Тревога и выстрел, и вниз головою

С баркаса я сорвался и упал.

Я буду лежать на тюремной кровати,

Я буду лежать и умирать...

А ты не придешь ко мне, милая мамаша,

Меня обнимать и целовать.

Летит паровоз по долинам, по взгорьям,

Летит он неведомо куда.

Мальчонка назвал себя жуликом и вором,

И жизнь его - вечная тюрьма.

Постой, паровоз, ну, не стучите, колеса!

Кондуктор, нажми на тормоза!

Я к матери родной с последним поклоном

Хочу показаться на глаза.

Vladimir Vysotsky's song "The Steam Engine Flies Through Valleys and Hills..." unfolds a tragic story of a young man who condemns himself to a life outside the law. The steam engine, rushing into the unknown, becomes a metaphor for the hero's life journey, devoid of purpose and hope.

From the very first lines, a motif of doom is heard: the boy calls himself a "rogue and a thief", and his life - "an eternal prison". This phrase is not just a metaphor, but a terrible sentence passed on by himself. He has already come to terms with the fate of an outcast who has no place in society.

Suddenly, a desire to see his mother flashes in his soul: "Stop, steam engine... I'm going to see my dear mother, sick and hungry, I want to show myself to her eyes". This impulse is like a cry for help, a desperate attempt to break out of the vicious circle. But even at this moment, he does not believe in redemption, warning his mother: "Don't wait for me, mother, a good son. But wait for me - a rogue, a thief..."

The image of the "prison swamp" that has sucked him in emphasizes the hopelessness of his situation. He dreams of escaping ("...I'll saw through the bars... And I'll still run away"), but these dreams are illusory, colored by the romance of courtyard songs. The reality is cruel: "And if the prison guard notices... I fell head over heels from the barge".

The finale of the song is inevitable - death far from home, in solitude. The image of the mother who does not come to her dying son intensifies the tragedy: "And you will not come to me, dear mother, to hug and kiss me".

In the final lines, the song returns to the image of a steam engine rushing to nowhere. This is an eternal escape from oneself, from the law, from love, ending in tragedy. The hero was never able to break the vicious circle, to break out of the imposed role of a "rogue and a thief". His "eternal prison" is not only real walls, but also a prison of his own soul, limited by fear, despair and predestination.