The meaning of the lyrics of the song "The Tin Soldiers" (Olovyannyie soldatiki) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

There will be poetry and mathematics,

Honors, debts, and battles fought in vain.

But today the tin soldiers on this map

Stand in line, their formation plain.

Better he'd have kept them in their barracks!

But, since this is war, what can one say -

Soldiers fall in both opposing armies,

Equal numbers every single day.

Devil take their strategies and tactics!

What is there to say, what can one do?

Neutral Norway now has been defeated

By the crowds of tin Egyptians too.

Scandinavia, by his left hand conquered,

Lost its high prestige and its renown,

But his strong and resolute right hand quickly

Has restored the previous status quo!

Maybe it's a lack of education,

Or a lapse in moral fiber's way.

Neither side can win this confrontation,

No matter what they do or what they say.

No matter how the armies may have struggled,

With their counter-strikes, their breaches, and attacks,

On each side, it's clear to every onlooker,

There are equal numbers of toy jacks.

Where are you, you carefree, airy spirits?

Why is it you never can appear?

Where are you, the ones who lost your battles

Simply, and without a single tear?

Or are you the ones who wear the laurels,

Of the fights, the victories, the triumphs, and the graves,

Where are you, you Caesars and Napoleons,

Who came, and saw, and then enslaved?

What a cursed problem for the conscience,

How to avoid the sin against belief?

Here and there, the tin soldiers stand there,

How to choose the ones who'll find relief?

The little commander is tormented,

By the burdens that he has been made to bear,

Elevated to the ranks of general,

My six-year-old Napoleon, standing there.

So to finally stop his torment,

I took half the soldiers in the night

And I painted them all blue - a stroke of genius -

In the morning, all the blue ones lay in light.

I am proud of such a great achievement,

But one thought just won't leave me alone:

How did he decide that the blue soldiers

Would be the ones to die and be overthrown?

Будут и стихи, и математика,

Почести, долги, неравный бой.

Нынче ж оловянные солдатики

Здесь, на старой карте, стали в строй.

Лучше бы уж он держал в казарме их!

Но, ведь на войне, как на войне, -

Падают бойцы в обеих армиях,

Поровну на каждой стороне.

И какая, к дьяволу, стратегия,

И какая тактика, к чертям!

Вот сдалась нейтральная Норвегия.

Толпам оловянных египтян.

Левою рукою Скандинавия,

Лишена престижа своего,

Но рука решительная правая

Вмиг восстановила статус-кво!

Может быть - пробелы в воспитании

Иль в образованьи слабина.

Но не может выиграть кампании

Та или другая сторона.

Сколько б ни предпринимали армии

Контратак, прорывов и бросков,

Все равно, на каждом полушарии

Поровну игрушечных бойцов.

Где вы, легкомысленные гении,

Или вам явиться недосуг?

Где вы, проигравшие сражения

Просто, не испытывая мук?

Или вы, несущие в венце зарю

Битв, побед, триумфов и могил,

Где вы, уподобленные Цезарю,

Что пришел, увидел, победил?

Совести проблеммы окаянные -

Как перед собой не согрешить?

Тут и там солдаты оловянные -

Как решить, кто должен победить?

Мучается полководец маленький,

Ношей непосильной отягчен,

Вышедший в громадные начальники,

Шестилетний мой Наполеон.

Чтобы прекратить его мучения,

Ровно половину тех солдат

Я покрасил синим, - шутка гения, -

Утром вижу - синие лежат.

Я горжусь успехами такими, но

Мысль одна с тех пор меня гнетет:

Как решил он, чтоб погибли именно

Синие, а не наоборот?

In his song "The Tin Soldiers," Vladimir Vysotsky tackles the theme of war, but not the bloody battles of reality, but rather childhood games of war with tin soldiers. This allegory allows the poet to examine the absurdity of war, its senselessness and cruelty, especially highlighting the tragic paradox: there are no winners in war.

Vysotsky creates an image of a merciless yet meaningless game where soldiers "fall in both armies, Equally on each side." It doesn't matter what strategy or tactics are applied, "neither side can win the campaign." Even the intervention of external forces, such as "neutral Norway," does not upset the balance, "instantly restoring the status quo."

The author ironically addresses the "frivolous geniuses," "who lost battles simply, without experiencing torment," and those who "carry in their crown the dawn of battles, victories, triumphs, and graves," comparing them to Caesar. This irony emphasizes that even the greatest military leaders ultimately lose, leaving behind only death and destruction.

The focus is on a little boy, a "six-year-old Napoleon," who is tormented by the dilemma: "How to decide who should win?". This image emphasizes the childish naivety and lack of understanding of the brutal reality of war. In an attempt to resolve this unsolvable question and end the child's suffering, the lyrical hero resorts to a "stroke of genius" - painting half of the soldiers blue.

However, this "joke" turns into an even greater tragedy. Despite the seeming victory, the question of why the blue ones died, and not vice versa, continues to torment the lyrical hero. This final chord emphasizes the main idea of the song: any war is a tragedy, regardless of who wins it. Even in a child's game with tin soldiers, death remains death, and the question of the price of victory remains unanswered.