The meaning of the lyrics of the song ""Song about rumors" would be a valid translation, but it lacks the specificity of the Russian. Here are a few options, each with a slightly different nuance: The Little Song of Rumors (emphasizes the dimi" (Pesenka o sluhah) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

How many rumors our ears are struck by,

How many gossips eat away like moths!

Rumors fly around as if everything will become more expensive,

Absolutely everything,

Especially pants and alcohol!

Like flies, here and there,

Rumors are spreading through homes,

And toothless old women

Are spreading them through minds!

"Listen, have you heard? They're building a city underground,"

They say, in case of a nuclear war!

"Have you heard? Soon all the bathhouses will be closed -

Everywhere,

Forever - and this information is accurate!"

Like flies, here and there,

Rumors are spreading through homes,

And toothless old women

Are spreading them through minds!

"Did you know? They're removing Mamykin

For his debauchery, drunkenness, and hooliganism!

"By the way, they're taking your neighbor away,

That scoundrel,

Because he looks like Beria!

Like flies, here and there,

Rumors are spreading through homes,

And toothless old women

Are spreading them through minds!

"Oh, what's happening! Yesterday they were digging a trench,

And unearthed two streams of cognac!

"They say spies poisoned the water

With moonshine!

And now the bread is made of fish scales!"

Like flies, here and there,

Rumors are spreading through homes,

And toothless old women

Are spreading them through minds!

Hardened in many a turmoil,

Rumors spread, knowing no bounds,

Gossip travels that there will be no more rumors -

Absolutely none.

Rumors spread that gossip will be banned!

Like flies, here and there,

Rumors are spreading through homes,

And toothless old women

Are spreading them through minds!

Сколько слухов наши уши поражает,

Сколько сплетен разъедает, словно моль!

Ходят сухи, будто все подорожает -

абсолютно, -

А особенно - штаны и алкоголь!

Словно мухи, тут и там

Ходят слухи по домам,

А беззубые старухи

Их разносят по умам!

- Слушай, слышал? Под землею город строют, -

Говорят - на случай ядерной войны!

- Вы слыхали? Скоро бани все закроют -

повсеместно -

Навсегда, - и эти сведенья верны!

Словно мухи, тут и там

Ходят слухи по домам,

А беззубые старухи

Их разносят по умам!

- А вы знаете? Мамыкина снимают -

За разврат его, за пьянство, за дебош!

- Кстати, вашего соседа забирают,

негодяя, -

Потому что он на Берию похож!

Словно мухи, тут и там

Ходят слухи по домам,

А беззубые старухи

Их разносят по умам!

- Ой, что деется! Вчерась траншею рыли -

Так откопали две коньячные струи!

- Говорят, шпионы воду отравили

самогоном.

Ну а хлеб теперь - из рыбной чешуи!

Словно мухи, тут и там

Ходят слухи по домам,

А беззубые старухи

Их разносят по умам!

Закаленные во многих заварухах,

Слухи ширятся, не ведая преград, -

Ходят сплетни, что не будет больше слухов

абсолютно.

Ходят слухи, будто сплетни запретят!

Словно мухи, тут и там

Ходят слухи по домам,

А беззубые старухи

Их разносят по умам!

In "The Little Song About Rumors", Vladimir Vysotsky uses biting irony to depict the phenomenon of absurd rumors spreading through Soviet society.

From the first lines, the author uses metaphors ("rumors strike", "gossip eats away") to show the persistence and pervasive nature of rumors. He ridicules the absurdity of their content ("alcohol and pants will become more expensive", "they are building an underground city"), emphasizing that even the most unbelievable stories find their listeners.

The image of "toothless old women" spreading gossip is collective and exaggerated. It embodies the narrow-mindedness, penchant for speculation, and uncritical perception of information characteristic not only of elderly women but also of many members of Soviet society.

Vysotsky mocks not only the content of the rumors but also the atmosphere of general suspicion ("they are taking your neighbor away... because he looks like Beria"). Any fact, even the most innocent, is overgrown with speculation and becomes a reason for gossip.

The culmination of the song is the rumor that "gossip will be banned." This absurd twist demonstrates the ineradicability of the rumor phenomenon, its ability to self-replicate even under total control.

"The Little Song About Rumors" is a satirical portrait of Soviet society, driven into the framework of censorship and forced to seek an outlet in spreading rumors. Vysotsky not only mocks the absurdity but also makes one think about the nature of human rumor, about how easily information is distorted and takes on grotesque forms.