The meaning of the lyrics of the song "The Song of the Old House" (Pesnya o starom dome) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

That house stood, familiar to all residents, -

Napoleon himself had seen it, they say, -

But now it was marked for demolition,

The residents had long since moved away,

But the house still stood...

Cold, cold, cold in the house.

The front door had not been opened for a long time,

The boys had already broken the windows,

And the plaster was crumbling everywhere, -

But something in this house remained

On the third floor...

Groaning, sighing, moaning in the house.

And the children often complained to their mothers

And avoided that house.

Uniting with the neighboring courtyards,

Armed with shovels, crowbars,

They entered there in a crowd

Janitors, janitors, janitors quietly.

They stand and are perplexed,

They hurry back, not hiding their fear, -

Suddenly, the spirit of Napoleon lives there

Or maybe it's just an auditory

Hallucination?.

Scary, scary, scary for the janitors.

But finally, the order about the house came out,

And now the worker - the one who demolished the house -

Hit the roof with a weight,

And then swore that he seemed to hear

Someone groan

Pitifully, pitifully, pitifully in the house.

...The children are no longer shaking with fear -

There is no house that has stood for two centuries,

And soon, according to the reconstruction plan,

Tens of floors will rise here -

Concrete, glass, metal...

Cheerful, great, colorful it will be

Стоял тот дом, всем жителям знакомый, -

Его еще Наполеон застал, -

Но вот его назначили для слома,

Жильцы давно уехали из дома,

Но дом пока стоял...

Холодно, холодно, холодно в доме.

Парадное давно не открывалось,

Мальчишки окна выбили уже,

И штукатурка всюду осыпалась, -

Но что-то в этом доме оставалось

На третьем этаже...

Ахало, охало, ухало в доме.

И дети часто жаловались маме

И обходили дом тот стороной.

Объединясь с соседними дворами,

Вооружась лопатами, ломами,

Вошли туда гурьбой

Дворники, дворники, дворники тихо.

Они стоят и недоумевают,

Назад спешат, боязни не тая, -

Вдруг там Наполеонов дух витает

А может, это просто слуховая

Галлюцинация?.

Боязно, боязно, боязно дворникам.

Но наконец приказ о доме вышел,

И вот рабочий - тот, что дом ломал, -

Ударил с маху гирею по крыше,

А после клялся, будто бы услышал,

Как кто-то застонал

Жалобно, жалобно, жалобно в доме.

...От страха дети больше не трясутся -

Нет дома, что два века простоял,

И скоро здесь по плану реконструкций

Ввысь этажей десятки вознесутся -

Бетон, стекло, металл...

Весело, здорово, красочно будет

The song "Song of the Old House" by Vladimir Vysotsky is not just about the demolition of an old building, but about deeper things - the loss of history, memory, and the soullessness of progress.

The house that "Napoleon himself had seen" is a symbol of the past, a repository of history and human destinies. Despite its dilapidation and desolation, there was "something… still left" in it, a certain aura of the past that evokes fear and superstitious awe.

Children are afraid of the house, sensing the presence of something otherworldly. The janitors, faced with something inexplicable, prefer to flee, attributing everything to hallucinations.

Even the workers who demolish the house experience fear in the face of destroying the old. The blow of a weight on the roof causes a "plaintive" groan, as if the house itself is saying goodbye to life.

The finale of the song contrasts with the previous images. In place of the old house, faceless "tens of floors" of concrete, glass, and metal will rise. Progress ruthlessly erases the past, leaving no room for memory or history. "Merry, great, colorful" - sounds false and cynical against the backdrop of the destroyed house, which was a silent witness to entire epochs.