The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Our ancestors were ignorant and coarse people." (Naschi predki — lyudi tyomnyie i grubyie) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

Our ancestors – a dark and crude bunch,

Having traded blows with one another,

Suddenly saw: enormous and round,

It flew by, leaving them all in wonder.

And in their disputes, guesses, and debates,

They blame the plates for everything:

For energy loss in the States,

And for the bitter taste we're clinging.

Later, a saucer flew over Florence!

And the holy inquisition, with a fright,

Very briskly sold indulgences,

Very quickly burned scientists at night.

And in their disputes, guesses, and debates,

They blame the plates for everything:

For energy loss in the States,

And for the bitter taste we're clinging.

You can't call our lives dull or gray,

With television and radio's sway.

Someone saw a couple of saucers over America,

Someone saw two plates right here today.

And in their disputes, guesses, and debates,

They blame the plates for everything:

For energy loss in the States,

And for the bitter taste we're clinging.

Наши предки – люди темные и грубые

Кулаками друг на дружку помахав

Вдруг увидели: громадное и круглое

Пролетело, всем загадку загадав

А в спорах, догадках, дебатах

Вменяют тарелкам в вину

Утечку энергии в Штатах

И горькую нашу слюну

Позже блюдце пролетело над Флоренцией!

И святая инквизиция под страх

Очень бойко продавала индульгенции

Очень шибко жгла ученых на кострах

А в спорах, догадках, дебатах

Вменяют тарелкам в вину

Утечку энергии в Штатах

И горькую нашу слюну

Нашу жизнь не назовешь ты скучной, серенькой

Телевидение и радио сейчас

Ктой-то видел пару блюдец над Америкой

Ктой-то видел две тарелки и у нас

И в спорах, догадках, дебатах

Вменяют тарелкам в вину

Утечку энергии в Штатах

И горькую нашу слюну

In his satirical song "Our Ancestors - Dark and Rude People," Vladimir Vysotsky mocks people's tendency to seek simple explanations for complex phenomena and their susceptibility to conspiracy theories.

He uses the image of a UFO ("huge and round") that causes bewilderment and controversy. Instead of searching for a rational explanation, the people in the song blame "plates" for various misfortunes: from "energy leakage in the States" to "our bitter saliva." Vysotsky ironically shows how easily people are willing to blame their own failures on some external, incomprehensible factor.

The image of the Inquisition burning scientists at the stake draws a parallel with the past, when ignorance and fear of the unknown led to the persecution of dissenters. Vysotsky hints that modern society, despite technological progress, is not that far removed from its "dark and rude" ancestors in its desire to find simple answers to complex questions.

The repeating refrain "In disputes, guesses, debates / They blame the plates for / Energy leakage in the States / And our bitter saliva" emphasizes the absurdity of the situation and how easy it is to manipulate public opinion by feeding it conspiracy theories.

Thus, Vysotsky's song is a satire on human stupidity, ignorance, and propensity for conspiracy thinking. It calls for critical thinking and the search for rational explanations instead of looking for someone to blame in the form of "plates" or other "external forces."