The meaning of the lyrics of the song ""Hospital Song"" (Pesnya o gospitale) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

I lived with my mom and dad

On Arbat Street, life was grand.

Now I'm stuck in a hospital bed,

All bandaged up, full of dread.

What good is fame, or Nurse Klava's grace,

Or the world outside this dreary place?

My neighbor on the right has passed away,

The one on the left still sees the day.

And once, as if in a drunken haze,

My left-side neighbor, to my amaze,

Said, "Listen up, my friend, it's true,

You don't have a leg, it's gone from you."

"That can't be right!" I cried in despair,

"He must be joking, I swear!"

"We'll only take your toes," the doctor said,

Or so I heard, inside my head.

But my neighbor on the left, he just laughed,

Mocking my pain, he had the last gaff.

Even in his feverish, delirious state,

He'd ramble on about my missing mate.

He'd taunt me, saying, "You'll never rise,

You'll never gaze into your lover's eyes.

Take a good look, my friend, if you dare,

At the sorry sight you are, I swear."

If I weren't broken, if I could stand,

I'd leap from this bed, I'd take a stand.

I'd silence that voice on my left side,

I'd tear his throat out, with nowhere to hide.

I begged dear Nurse Klava, with a plea,

"Show me how I look, let me see!"

If only my right-side friend was near,

He'd tell me the truth, I'd have nothing to fear...

Жил я с матерью и батей

На Арбате, - век бы так.

А теперь я в медсанбате

На кровати, весь в бинтах.

Что нам слава, что нам Клава-

Медсестра и белый свет!

Помер мой сосед, что справа,

Тот, что слева - еще нет.

И однажды - как в угаре -

Тот сосед, что слева, мне

Вдруг сказал: - Послушай, парень,

У тебя ноги-то нет.

Как же так! Неправда, братцы!

Он, наверно, пошутил?

- Мы отрежем только пальцы, -

Так мне доктор говорил.

Но сосед, который слева,

Все смеялся, все шутил.

Даже если ночью бредил -

Все про ногу говорил,

Издевался: мол, не встанешь!

Не увидишь, мол, жены!

Поглядел бы ты, товарищ,

На себя со стороны.

Если б был я не калека

И слезал с кровати вниз,

Я б тому, который слева,

Просто глотку перегрыз!

Умолял сестричку Клаву

Показать, какой я стал.

Был бы жив сосед, что справа, -

Он бы правду мне сказал...

Vladimir Vysotsky's "Song about the Hospital" tells a tragic story of a lyrical hero who finds himself hospitalized after a severe injury. The lyrics are imbued with fear, despair, and bitter irony.

From the very first lines, we see a stark contrast between the hero's past life ("I lived with my mother and father on Arbat Street, - I wish it could be like that forever") and his current state ("in the hospital bed, all bandaged up"). Everyday joys have faded into the background, replaced by existential questions of life and death. Death becomes commonplace in the hospital: the neighbor on the right is already gone, and the one on the left is teetering on the brink.

In this oppressive environment, the joke of the neighbor on the left about the hero having no legs sounds especially cruel. Despite the doctor's assurances that only his toes will be amputated, the neighbor's words sow seeds of doubt and amplify the fear of the unknown. The incessant mockery traumatizes the hero, turning his life into a living hell.

The final lines of the song are filled with bitterness and helpless rage. The lyrical hero cannot look at himself and learn the truth; he is deprived of the opportunity to confront his neighbor's bullying. The only ray of light in this realm of pain and despair would be the truth, but alas, the neighbor on the right, who could confirm or deny it, is already dead.

The song leaves a heavy feeling. Vysotsky, with ruthless directness, shows the horrors of war, which cripple not only the body but also the human soul.