The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Before the attack" (Pered atakoy) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

When they go to their deaths — they sing

But before that

It’s ok to cry

For the most terrifying hour in battle —

Is the hour you await attack

The snow is torn apart by mines

And blackened by their dust

An explosion —

And a friend lays dead

It means —

Death is passing me by

Now my time will come

For me alone

It hunts

Damn you

Forty-first year —

You, infantry frozen in the snow

It seems to me that I’m a magnet

That I draw the mines

An explosion —

And the lieutenant wheezes

And death once again passes me by

But we

Can no longer wait

And we are led through the trenches

By a hatred gone cold

Piercing throats with bayonets

The battle was short

And after

We downed ice-cold vodka

And I picked out

From under my nails

The blood of strangers

Когда на смерть идут — поют

А перед этим

Можно плакать

Ведь самый страшный час в бою —

Час ожидания атаки

Снег минами изрыт вокруг

И почернел от пыли минной

Разрыв —

И умирает друг

И значит — смерть проходит мимо

Сейчас настанет мой черед

За мной одним

Идет охота

Будь проклят

Сорок первый год —

Ты, вмерзшая в снега пехота

Мне кажется, что я магнит

Что я притягиваю мины

Разрыв —

И лейтенант хрипит

И смерть опять проходит мимо

Но мы уже

Не в силах ждать

И нас ведет через траншеи

Окоченевшая вражда

Штыком дырявящая шеи

Бой был короткий

А потом

Глушили водку ледяную

И выковыривал ножом

Из-под ногтей

Я кровь чужую

Vladimir Vysotsky's poem "Before the Attack" is a poignant reflection on fear, courage, and the inevitability of death in war. The lyrical hero, a soldier awaiting an offensive, is caught between life and death, experiencing the most difficult moments - the agonizing minutes of anticipation.

"When they go to their death, they sing" – this first line sets the tragic tone for the entire poem. Singing before a battle is an ancient ritual, an attempt to overcome the fear of death, to unite in the face of a common enemy. "But before that, you can cry" – this line is not a call to weakness; on the contrary, the author emphasizes that tears are a natural reaction to the horror of war, there's no shame in them.

"The most terrifying hour in battle is the hour of waiting for the attack" – this phrase concentrates the entire horror of uncertainty. The soldier is no longer in control of his own destiny, he can only wait and wonder if he will live to see the next minute. The surrounding world, disfigured by war, only intensifies the oppressive impression: "The snow is pockmarked with mines, blackened by their dust."

Each explosion signifies death passing by, but at the same time, claiming the lives of comrades. Death is perceived by the hero as a force that is on the "hunt". He feels like a target, a magnet attracting death. "Damn you, forty-one, you infantry frozen in the snow", – these lines express the pain and despair directed at the war that cripples destinies and takes lives.

Despite the fear and losses, the heroes of the poem do not give up. The thirst for life and a sense of duty force them to move forward: "But we are no longer able to wait, and we are led through the trenches by a frozen enemy". The short battle, the outcome of which is unknown, ends with a picture, terrifying but familiar to war: "We drowned our sorrows in icy vodka, and I picked out the alien blood from under my nails with a knife".

Vysotsky's poem does not provide answers, it makes you think about the price of victory, the fragility of human life, and that war is always a tragedy.