The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Song About My Sergeant Major" (Pesnya o moem starschine) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

I remember the draft board's laughter:

“Not fit for Airborne, little brother!

We’ve got no use for your kind here…”

They scoffed, “What sort of soldier would you make?

Send you straight to the medical unit, for goodness sake!”

But I’m a soldier like any other, it’s clear.

At war, as it is in war’s way,

And for me, doubly so, I’d say,

My tunic clung like sweat to my spine.

I lagged behind, messed up the line,

But once, in battle, I don't know how,

I caught my sergeant's eye somehow.

…The battle-smoked comrades would roar,

“Hey student, what’s two times two, once more?”

“Hey, single guy, tell me true, was Tolstoy a count?”

“And who was his wife, can you recount?”

But then my sergeant would appear,

“Go get some sleep - you’re not a saint, and there’s fighting to do here!”

Just once, as I stood tall and straight,

He said to me, “Get down! It’s not great…

Why have two holes in your head?” - a phrase brief and blunt,

Then suddenly asked, “What’s Moscow like, upfront?

Are there really buildings five stories high?”

Shells screamed above! He groaned in pain -

A shard of metal lodged in his brain.

I couldn’t answer, words wouldn’t come.

Five steps away he fell, death’s drum…

Five nights, five dreams, now gone from sight -

Face to the West, feet to the East, in eternal night.

Я помню райвоенкомат:

"В десант не годен — так-то, брат.

Таким как ты там невпротык..." И дальше — смех:

Мол, из тебя какой солдат?

Тебя — хоть сразу в медсанбат!..

А из меня — такой солдат, как изо всех.

А на войне, как на войне,

А мне — и вовсе, мне — вдвойне,

Присохла к телу гимнастёрка на спине.

Я отставал, сбоил в строю,

Но как-то раз в одном бою —

Не знаю чем — я приглянулся старшине.

...Шумит окопная братва:

"Студент, а сколько дважды два?",

"Эй, холостой, а правда, графом был Толстой?",

"А кто евонная жена?.."

Но тут встревал мой старшина:

"Иди поспи — ты ж не святой, а утром — бой".

И только раз, когда я встал

Во весь свой рост, он мне сказал:

"Ложись!.. — и дальше пару слов без падежей. —

К чему две дырки в голове!"

И вдруг спросил: "А что в Москве,

Неужто вправду есть дома в пять этажей?.."

Над нами — шквал! Он застонал —

И в нём осколок остывал,

И на вопрос его ответить я не смог:

Он в землю лёг — за пять шагов,

За пять ночей и за пять снов —

Лицом на запад и ногами на восток.

Vladimir Vysotsky's poem "Song about my Sergeant" is a poignant reflection on war, heroism, and simple human relationships in the face of mortal danger.

The opening stanzas contrast the speaker with the image of an "ideal soldier," a category he was excluded from even at the recruitment office. The lyrical hero is not physically strong; he "falters in formation" and "falls behind." However, it is in the midst of war, amidst the chaos and fear, that he finds support and understanding in the person of his sergeant.

The sergeant in the poem is a complex figure. On the one hand, he is rough around the edges, doesn't mince words, and lacks a broad worldview (judging by his question about five-story buildings in Moscow). On the other hand, he cares for his subordinates, protects them from ridicule, and tries to keep them alive. The phrase "Go get some sleep — you're not a saint, and there's a battle in the morning" sounds like an order, but at the same time, one can hear a fatherly concern in it.

The climax of the poem is the scene where the sergeant saves the lyrical hero's life by shielding him from shrapnel. This act becomes a symbol of self-sacrifice and true heroism. The final lines of the poem are filled with grief and bitterness. The sergeant's death turns the lyrical hero's inner world upside down, forcing him to rethink the value of life and the price of human sacrifice.

The final image — "face to the west and feet to the east" — is traditionally interpreted as a symbol of fighting the enemy to the bitter end. Vysotsky's poem is not just a story about war; it is a hymn to courage, self-sacrifice, and simple human values that take on special significance in the face of death.