The meaning of the lyrics of the song "A stone lies in the steppe." (Lejit kamen v stepi) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

A stone lies in the steppe,

And water flows under it,

And on the stone is written:

"He who goes to the right -

Will find nothing,

And he who goes straight ahead -

Will get nowhere,

He who goes to the left -

Will understand nothing

And will be lost for a penny".

Before the stone they stand

Without horses and without swords

And they decide: to go or not to go.

One of them was angry,

He went to the right,

He went alone, -

He found nothing -

Neither villages nor hamlets, -

And he came back.

There is no straight path -

There is nowhere to go,

But one did not believe in the curse

And, picking up the floor,

Went straight ahead, -

No matter how much he wandered -

He didn't get anywhere, -

He came back and drank,

He came back.

Well, the third one was a fool,

He didn't know anything anyway,

And he went to the left without fear.

Whether he walked for a long time or a short time -

And he didn't suffer at all,

He drank, walked and rested,

He didn't understand anything, -

He didn't understand anything,

So he walked all his life -

And did not disappear, and did not disappear.

Лежит камень в степи

Артуру Макарову

Лежит камень в степи,

А под него вода течет,

А на камне написано слово:

"Кто направо пойдет -

Ничего не найдет,

А кто прямо пойдет -

Никуда не придет,

Кто налево пойдет -

Ничего не поймет

И ни за грош пропадет".

Перед камнем стоят

Без коней и без мечей

И решают: идти иль не надо.

Был один из них зол,

Он направо пошел,

В одиночку пошел,-

Ничего не нашел -

Ни деревни, ни сел,-

И обратно пришел.

Прямо нету пути -

Никуда не прийти,

Но один не поверил в заклятья

И, подобравши подол,

Напрямую пошел,-

Сколько он ни бродил -

Никуда не добрел, -

Он вернулся и пил,

Он обратно пришел.

Ну а третий - был дурак,

Ничего не знал и так,

И пошел без опаски налево.

Долго ль, коротко ль шагал -

И совсем не страдал,

Пил, гулял и отдыхал,

Ничего не понимал,-

Ничего не понимал,

Так всю жизнь и прошагал -

И не сгинул, и не пропал

Vladimir Vysotsky's song "A Stone Lies in the Steppe" presents an allegory for the journey of life and the choices one makes along the way.

The inscribed stone symbolizes a warning often encountered in life. The three paths indicated on the stone—right, straight ahead, and left—represent different approaches to life and decision-making.

"He who goes to the right will find nothing" is the path of action without purpose, a path of vanity and chasing illusions. The hero who chooses this path returns with nothing, as he had no clear goal.

"He who goes straight ahead will get nowhere" is the path of inaction, the fear of change, and the refusal to fight. The character who chooses this path remains in place, not trying to overcome difficulties.

"He who goes to the left will understand nothing and will be lost for a penny" is the most ambiguous path. At first glance, the hero who chooses it seems frivolous and doomed to failure. He "drank, walked and rested," not thinking about the consequences. However, it is he who "did not perish and did not disappear," unlike the first two.

What is the meaning? Vysotsky invites us to think: what if the real failure is not the absence of a result, but the very pursuit of it? Maybe true happiness lies in living for the sake of life itself, in accepting it as it is, without chasing illusory goals? After all, the other two heroes, striving for something, ended up with nothing: one - disappointed, the other - having wasted time.

The lyrics of the song do not give a definite answer, leaving room for reflection. Each listener is free to decide which path is closer to him. The main thing is not to be afraid to look for your own path, even if it does not fit into the generally accepted framework.