The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Parody song about a bad detective story" (Pesnya-parodiya na plohoy detektiv) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

Fearing counterintelligence, avoiding social life,

Under the English pseudonym "Mr. John Lancaster Peck",

Always in leather gloves - so as not to leave fingerprints, -

Lived in the hotel "Sovetskaya" a non-Soviet man.

John Lancaster alone, mostly at night,

He clicked something, in which an infrared lens was hidden, -

And then in normal light appeared in black

What we appreciate and love, what the team is proud of.

The club on Nagornaya Street has become a public toilet,

Our dear Central Market has become like a dirty warehouse.

Distorted by microfilm, GUM became a small hut,

And it’s already indecent to remember what the Moscow Art Theater turned out to be.

But to work without helpers - maybe sad, maybe boring.

The enemy thought, the enemy guessed right - he wrote a fictitious check.

And somewhere in the wilds of the restaurant of citizen Epifan

He led astray and bewildered the non-Soviet man.

Epifan seemed greedy, cunning, intelligent, carnivorous,

He did not know and did not want measures in women and beer.

In general, this is it: John's assistant was a godsend for a spy.

This can happen to anyone if they are drunk and soft-bodied.

- Here is the first task: at three fifteen, near the bath,

Maybe earlier, maybe later - a taxi will stop.

You have to sit down, tie up the driver, play a simple thief,

And then about this case will be trumpeted on the BBC.

And further. Dress up fresh, and at the exhibition in the Manege

A man with a suitcase will approach you. He will say:

"Would you like some cherries?" - You will answer: - Of course. -

He will give you a briefcase with explosives - bring me the briefcase.

And for this, my drunken friend, - he said to Epifan, -

There will be money, a house in Chicago, many women and cars...-

The enemy did not know, you fool, - the one to whom he entrusted everything,

He was a Chekist, a major in intelligence and a wonderful family man.

Yes, this same John Lancaster is a master at these tricks.

But the notorious Mr. Peck miscalculated cruelly.

He was neutralized, and even he was sheared and imprisoned.

And a peaceful Greek settled in the Sovetskaya Hotel.

Опасаясь контрразведки, избегая жизни светской,

Под английским псевдонимом "мистер Джон Ланкастер Пек",

Вечно в кожаных перчатках - чтоб не делать отпечатков, -

Жил в гостинице "Советской" несоветский человек.

Джон Ланкастер в одиночку, преимущественно ночью,

Чем-то щелкал, в чем был спрятан инфракрасный объектив, -

А потом в нормальном свете представало в черном цвете

То, что ценим мы и любим, чем гордится коллектив.

Клуб на улице Нагорной стал общественной уборной,

Наш родной Центральный рынок стал похож на грязный склад.

Искаженный микропленкой, ГУМ стал маленькой избенкой,

И уж вспомнить неприлично, чем предстал театр МХАТ.

Но работать без подручных - может, грустно, может - скучно.

Враг подумал, враг был дока, - написал фиктивный чек.

И где-то в дебрях ресторана гражданина Епифана

Сбил с пути и с панталыку несоветский человек.

Епифан казался жадным, хитрым, умным, плотоядным,

Меры в женщинах и в пиве он не знал и не хотел.

В общем, так: подручный Джона был находкой для шпиона.

Так случиться может с каждым, если пьян и мягкотел.

- Вот и первое заданье: в три пятнадцать, возле бани,

Может, раньше, может, позже - остановится такси.

Надо сесть, связать шофера, разыграть простого вора,

А потом про этот случай раструбят по Би-Би-Си.

И еще. Оденьтесь свеже, и на выставке в Манеже

К вам приблизится мужчина с чемоданом. Скажет он:

-Не хотите ли черешни?- Вы ответите: - Конечно. -

Он вам даст батон с взрывчаткой - принесете мне батон.

А за это, друг мой пьяный, - говорил он Епифану, -

Будут деньги, дом в Чикаго, много женщин и машин...-

Враг не ведал, дурачина, - тот, кому все поручил он,

Был чекист, майор разведки и прекрасный семьянин.

Да, до этих штучек мастер этот самый Джон Ланкастер.

Но жестоко просчитался пресловутый мистер Пек.

Обезврежен он, и даже он пострижен и посажен.

А в гостинице "Советской" поселился мирный грек.

Vladimir Vysotsky's song "Song-Parody of a Bad Detective Story" mocks clichéd spy movies and their implausible plots.

The song's plot is absurd and deliberately exaggerated:

The Incompetent Spy: John Lancaster Peck, an undercover spy, is presented as clumsy and predictable. He lives in the "Soviet" hotel, which is ironic in itself, and his espionage activities are laughable. He photographs landmarks, passing them off as secret objects, and recruits the first drunkard he comes across.

Unbelievable Missions: The tasks Peck gives to Epifan are both ridiculous and dangerous. Hijacking a taxi and simulating a robbery, and receiving a loaf of bread with explosives at an exhibition are more like parodies of spy operations.

Predictable Ending: The ending is also predictable: the hapless spy is exposed. It turns out that Epifan is a counterintelligence officer. Peck is neutralized and punished, and a peaceful Greek man moves into his hotel room, highlighting the absurdity of the situation.

The meaning of the song: Vysotsky ridicules the propaganda clichés about Western spies, portraying them as stupid and unprofessional. The song makes fun of the genre's tropes, highlighting the absurdity of portraying the West as a hostile force obsessed with undermining the Soviet way of life.