The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Letter from Tambov Workers to Chinese Leaders" (Pismo tambovskih rabochih kitayskim rukovoditelyam) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

The weather's grim in far Beijing...

Here in Tambov, it's our factory break—

From Tambov's plant, we write this thing,

Lovers of ventures bold and great!

You've caused the nations pain and strife,

By not signing the pact we hold dear.

Twisting the truth with all your might,

You've shown de Gaulle is all you hold near.

Each day for us is precious, bright,

But even when we recall times of old,

It was you who invented gunpowder's might,

And built the Wall, stories often told.

We understand, your numbers are vast,

Three hundred million souls you could destroy.

But we are certain, Comrade Mao at last,

By God, holds dear his life and its employ.

When you ate rice with water thin and plain,

We showed the world our international zeal.

Yet, when you tasted bread from our domain,

You didn't speak of opportunism, we feel!

You need no bombs, no shells that pierce and maim,

Don't fan the flames of war, we urge you cease—

If need be, we will answer, it's no game,

With a thermonuclear strike, bring you to peace.

And if you're bored, find purpose, don't despair,

You have enough tasks, let your efforts flow:

Squash flies, bring down your birth rate, we don't care,

Annihilate your sparrows, lay them low!

And don't you pry into our lives and ways,

We know what's what, where things belong, it's true.

As our Central Committee's letter says,

We all approve the line they pursue!

В Пекине очень мрачная погода...

У нас в Тамбове на заводе перекур —

Мы пишем вам с тамбовского завода,

Любители опасных авантюр!

Тем, что вы договор не подписали,

Вы причинили всем народам боль

И, извращая факты, доказали,

Что вам дороже генерал де Голль.

Нам каждый день насущный мил и дорог.

Но если даже вспомнить старину,

То это ж вы изобретали порох

И строили Китайскую стену.

Мы понимаем — вас совсем не мало,

Чтоб триста миллионов погубить,

Но мы уверены, что сам товарищ Мао,

Ей-богу, очень-очень хочет жить.

Когда вы рис водою запивали —

Мы проявляли интернационализм.

Небось когда вы русский хлеб жевали,

Не говорили про оппортунизм!

Вам не нужны ни бомбы, ни снаряды —

Не раздувайте вы войны пожар, —

Мы нанесём им, если будет надо,

Ответный термоядерный удар.

А если зуд — без дела не страдайте,

У вас ещё достаточно делов:

Давите мух, рождаемость снижайте,

Уничтожайте ваших воробьёв!

И не интересуйтесь нашим бытом —

Мы сами знаем, где у нас чего.

Так наш ЦК писал в письме закрытом —

Мы одобряем линию его!

Vladimir Vysotsky's song "A Letter from Tambov Workers to Chinese Leaders" uses biting satire and irony to criticize the ideological disagreements between the USSR and China that arose in the 1960s.

The workers supposedly address the Chinese leaders, reproaching them for breaking off relations with the Soviet Union. Vysotsky employs crude, colloquial language to create the image of uneducated but party-loyal workers who blindly repeat Soviet propaganda slogans.

For instance, the phrase "By not signing the treaty, you have caused pain to all peoples" mocks the pompous statements of the Soviet press about "brotherhood" with China, which concealed the real political differences. "And, distorting the facts, you have proven that General de Gaulle is dearer to you" alludes to China's rapprochement with the West, which was interpreted in the USSR as a betrayal.

Reproaches towards China are interspersed with absurd statements emphasizing the ignorance of the "authors of the letter": "After all, it was you who invented gunpowder and built the Great Wall of China." The phrase "But we are sure that Comrade Mao himself, by God, really, really wants to live" sounds like a blatant threat, ridiculing the militaristic rhetoric of the time.

Vysotsky ironically portrays the "internationalism" of Soviet workers who "displayed" it while the Chinese "drank their rice with water." As soon as they started "eating Russian bread," they were immediately accused of opportunism.

The culmination of the song is the threat of a nuclear strike: "We will deliver, if necessary, a retaliatory thermonuclear strike." This phrase, uttered on behalf of ordinary workers, exposes the absurdity and danger of the arms race.

In the final part, the workers advise the Chinese leaders on how to manage their country: "Squash flies, reduce the birth rate, exterminate your sparrows!" The concluding lines "That's what our Central Committee wrote in a closed letter – we approve of its line!" emphasize that the workers are not acting on their own volition but blindly following the party's instructions.

Thus, the song "A Letter from Tambov Workers to Chinese Leaders" is a vivid example of political satire, exposing the hypocrisy and absurdity of the ideological clichés of the Soviet era.