The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Nat Pinkerton was my childhood hero." (Nat Pinkerton — vot s detstva moy kumir) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

Nat Pinkerton, he's been my idol since I was a kid

No one can compare to him now

But he had such a criminal world

That I sleep badly, and envy gnaws at me

The device and a well-trained eye

And the work goes on effectively

Only I know so much about you

That sometimes I feel sick

You can't hide, because I have no secrets

My method is simple: suspect everyone

Every criminal leaves a trace

And returns to the crime scene

The device and a well-trained eye

And the work goes on effectively

Only I know so much about you

That sometimes I feel sick

Detectives have a gloomy look and a gloomy disposition

Our character deserves reproach

We are dealing with the violation of rights

And only with the dark side of our lives

The device and a well-trained eye

And the work goes on effectively

Only I know so much about you

That sometimes I feel sick

Other people drink to all sorrows

They walk freely through November and May

But I don't sit at the festive table

I walk around and watch through the windows

The device and a well-trained eye

And the work goes on effectively

Only I know so much about you

That sometimes I feel sick

"The world is a stage" - that's what Shakespeare said

I see only characteristic roles

That one is a scoundrel, that one is a rogue, that one is a vampire

And everyone, as Pushkin said: "what more is there?"

The device and a well-trained eye

And the work goes on effectively

Only I know so much about you

That sometimes I feel sick

But there is a name - I repeat it like a password

Don't believe that detectives are invulnerable

She plays the blue role

I need a blue role

The device and a well-trained eye

And the work goes on effectively

Only I know so much about you

That sometimes I feel sick

Нат Пинкертон - вот с детства мой кумир

Сравниться с ним теперь никто не может

Но он имел такой преступный мир

Что плохо спится мне, и зависть гложет

Аппарат и наметанный глаз

И работа идет эффективно

Только я столько знаю про вас

Что подчас мне бывает противно

Не скрыться вам, ведь от меня секретов нет

Мой метод прост: брать всех под подозренье

Любой преступник оставляет след

И возвращается на место преступленья

Аппарат и наметанный глаз

И работа идет эффективно

Только я столько знаю про вас

Что подчас мне бывает противно

У детективов хмурый вид и мрачный нрав

Характер наш достоин укоризны

Имеем дело с попираньем прав

И только с темной стороною нашей жизни

Аппарат и наметанный глаз

И работа идет эффективно

Только я столько знаю про вас

Что подчас мне бывает противно

Другие люди пьют всем горестям назло

Гуляют всласть по Ноябрю и Маю

Я ж не сижу за праздничным столом

Хожу кругом и в окна наблюдаю

Аппарат и наметанный глаз

И работа идет эффективно

Только я столько знаю про вас

Что подчас мне бывает противно

"Мир - как театр" - так говорил Шекспир

Я вижу лишь характерные роли

Тот - негодяй, тот - жулик, тот - вампир

И все, - как Пушкин говорил: "чего же боле?"

Аппарат и наметанный глаз

И работа идет эффективно

Только я столько знаю про вас

Что подчас мне бывает противно

Но имя есть - я повторяю как пароль

Не верь, что детективы нелюдимы

Она играет голубую роль

Мне голубая роль - необходима

Аппарат и наметанный глаз

И работа идет эффективно

Только я столько знаю про вас

Что подчас мне бывает противно

In Vladimir Vysotsky's song "Nat Pinkerton - My Childhood Idol," the lyrical hero is a detective who reflects on his profession and its impact on him. On one hand, he admires the figure of the detective, Nat Pinkerton, seeing him as an ideal of professionalism and efficiency ("My tools are sharp, my vision keen / My work's effective, it is seen"). He is confident in his methods, believing that "every criminal leaves a trace."

However, the profession takes a heavy toll on his personality. He sees only the "dark side of life" around him, suspecting everyone and everything ("My method's simple: suspect them all"). This knowledge of human imperfection fills him with disgust ("But what I know about you all / At times it makes me feel quite ill").

The detective becomes a prisoner of his profession. He is deprived of the opportunity to enjoy life like other people ("Others drink to sorrows, large and small… / But I don't sit at festive tables / I just walk around, watching through windows"). The world for him turns into a theater where everyone plays their assigned role: "That one's a scoundrel, that one's a crook, that one's a ghoul."

The final lines of the song are particularly poignant. The hero, mentioning a certain "blue role," admits that he himself is forced to play, hiding his true essence under the mask of a cynical and insensitive detective. This "blue role" is his way to survive in a world where "detectives are not to be loved," but at the same time, it is a curse that dooms him to loneliness and inner conflict.