The meaning of the lyrics of the song "The Mouse's Song" (Pesnya Myischi) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

Help! Help! Oh, horror, oh, horror!

I will not resurface if I dive, -

I will swim a little, I will strain a bit,

But my strength will leave me - and I will drown.

Could you tell me in secret:

Am I a fish mouse or a mouse fish?

I was lying quietly in a cozy burrow -

Reading, dreaming and eating mashed potatoes.

And suddenly - this sea is near,

As if the cat had cried, -

I'm soaked in it, like a mouse,

Chilled to the bone, like a dog...

Save me, save me! I want, as before,

To the burrow, to the sofa made of dry reeds.

Here girls swim in their outerwear,

Who really don't like mice.

And so I tremble from the boats to the palms -

And they tell me about terriers and cats!

What if a sperm whale attacks me,

Having decided by mistake that I am a mouse whale!

Well, here - I clattered my teeth

From the cold and from fear, -

I'm soaked here like a mouse,

Chilled to the bone, like a dog.

Спасите! Спасите! О ужас, о ужас!

Я больше не вынырну, если нырну, -

Немного проплаваю, чуть поднатужусь,

Но силы покинут - и я утону.

Вы мне по секрету ответить смогли бы:

Я - рыбная мышь или мышная рыба?.

Я тихо лежала в уютной норе -

Читала, мечтала и ела пюре.

И вдруг - это море около,

Как будто кот наплакал, -

Я в нем, как мышь, промокла,

Продрогла, как собака...

Спасите, спасите! Хочу я, как прежде,

В нору, на диван из сухих камышей.

Здесь плавают девочки в верхней одежде,

Которые очень не любят мышей.

И так от лодыжек дрожу до ладошек -

А мне говорят про терьеров и кошек!

А вдруг кошкелот на меня нападет,

Решив по ошибке, что я - мышелот!.

Ну вот - я зубами зацокала

От холода и от страха, -

Я здесь, как мышь, промокла,

Продрогла, как собака.

In Vladimir Vysotsky's song "The Mouse's Song," we are presented with a funny and somewhat absurd situation full of hyperbole and wordplay. The lyrical heroine, a mouse, unexpectedly finds herself in the water ("the sea is near") and panics.

The text is built on the contrast between the familiar, cozy world of the mouse ("I read, I dreamed, and I ate mashed potatoes") and the frightening unknown of the water element. The mouse is completely unfit for this environment ("I'm soaked to the bone like a mouse"), which is emphasized by the repetition of the phrase "chilled to the bone like a dog" – a comparison that underlines the comical nature of the situation.

The humor is enhanced by the play on words ("mouse fish" – "fish mouse," "mouse whale"). Fear of the unknown makes the heroine exaggerate the dangers: for example, ordinary bathers turn into a threat in her eyes, and a harmless sperm whale appears to be a terrible predator.

However, behind the comicality of the situation lies an important message about the fear of the unknown, about how easy it is to step outside your comfort zone and find yourself helpless in unfamiliar conditions. The mouse, accustomed to the safety of its burrow, is confronted with a world where its usual landmarks do not apply, and familiar things seem dangerous.

Thus, "The Mouse's Song" is not just an amusing story but also an allegory about human fears, insecurities, and unpreparedness for change.