The meaning of the lyrics of the song "To my friends" (Moim druzyam) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

When I stumble in verses,

When the size and rhymes are gone,

Then to my friends I sing about sailors,

Squeezing the fretboard until my fingers turn white.

Chorus:

Despite all my affairs on land,

And in spite of my worries on the ground,

Send a boat for me, sailors,

Raise a glass of vodka on the oar.

Everyone knows: the world is not on three whales,

And everyone knows: the world is not on three people.

I cannot be free in foreign ports, -

But I forgot how to be free in my own!

Chorus.

Every creature, you know, swims the sea,

And the trail behind our food has disappeared.

No one is waiting for me in foreign ports,

They are not waiting for me, especially in my own.

Chorus:

Despite all my affairs on land,

And in spite of my worries on the ground,

Send a boat for me, sailors, -

I will stand all the watches on the ship!

On the ship...

Когда я спотыкаюсь на стихах,

Когда не до размеров, не до рифм,

Тогда друзьям пою о моряках,

До белых пальцев стискивая гриф.

Припев: Всем делам моим на суше вопреки,

И назло моим заботам на земле,

Вы за мной пришлите шлюпку, моряки,

Поднесите рюмку водки на весле.

Известно всем: мир не на трех китах,

И всем известно: мир - не на троих.

Мне вольничать нельзя в чужих портах, -

Да я ж забыл, как вольничал в своих!

Припев.

Любая тварь по морю, знай, плывет,

А за кормою нашей след затих.

Никто меня в чужих портах не ждет,

Не ждут меня, тем более, в своих.

Припев: Всем делам моим на суше вопреки,

И назло моим заботам на земле,

Вы за мной пришлите шлюпку, моряки, -

Я все вахты отстою на корабле!

На корабле...

Vladimir Vysotsky's song "To My Friends" carries a profound meaning of longing for freedom and searching for one's place in the world. The lyrical hero, facing difficulties ("I stumble on verses", "not up to sizes, not up to rhymes"), turns to the image of sailors and the sea as a symbol of freedom, endless expanses, and brotherhood.

The sea for the hero is not just a geographical concept but a metaphor for escaping from life's hardships ("Despite all my affairs on land"), from loneliness and misunderstanding ("Nobody waits for me in foreign ports, They don't wait for me, especially in my own"). He longs to return to his harbor, to his people, but realizes that "the trail behind us has faded," and there is no turning back.

The image of a boat and vodka on an oar is not just a romanticization of sea life, but a plea for help, support, a breath of fresh air in the suffocating world of routine and obligations. The hero is ready to "stand all watches on the ship" just to break free from the clutches of everyday life.

An important detail is the hero's realization that "the world is not on three whales," that is, it is impossible to close oneself off in a narrow circle and abstract oneself from reality. He "cannot be free in foreign ports," but he no longer feels at home in his own.

Thus, the song "To My Friends" is a cry from the soul, a confession of a person who has lost his bearings and is searching for his path, his "promised land."