The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Fellow traveler" (Poputchik) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

Not a single cloud, not a single speck

On my horizon this year, you see,

But then one day I met a fellow traveler –

Let me tell you about him, meet him, if you please.

He asked: "Where are you headed?" – "To Vologda." –

"Well, Vologda –

that's only half the trouble."

My suitcase was bursting with vodka –

I offered, as one should:

"Maybe we should have a drink – get acquainted,

See who breaks down faster!.."

He said: "We're getting off in Vologda,

Well, and Vologda –

that's way over there!.."

I don't remember who broke down first –

I remember him pouring,

agreeing with everything,

My tongue, like a shoelace, came undone:

I was cursing someone,

lamenting someone...

And I woke up in the city of Vologda,

But – strike me dead – I don't remember where.

And then they slapped a case on me

Under an article of the Criminal Code,

They reassured me: "Everything will be alright,"

They gave me a sentence – didn't give me time to come to my senses.

And I stayed in the city of Vologda,

Well, and Vologda –

that's way over there!.."

They gave me Article 58,

They said: "Don't worry, you're so young..."

If only I knew who I was traveling with, who I was drinking vodka with –

He wouldn't have made it to Vologda!

He lives for himself in the city of Vologda,

And I'm in the North, and the North – that's way over there!

...All my grudges have been erased by the years,

But now I live as if in handcuffs:

I need to meet that fellow traveler

To the point of pain,

to the point of a lump in my throat!

But he lives in the city of Vologda,

And I'm in the North, and the North – that's way over there!

Хоть бы облачко, хоть бы тучка

В этот год на моём горизонте,

Но однажды я встретил попутчика —

Расскажу про него, знакомьтесь.

Он спросил: "Вам куда?" — "До Вологды". —

"Ну, до Вологды —

это полбеды".

Чемодан мой от водки ломится —

Предложил я, как полагается:

"Может, выпить нам — познакомиться,

Поглядим, кто быстрей сломается!.."

Он сказал: "Вылезать нам в Вологде,

Ну, а Вологда —

это вона где!.."

Я не помню, кто первый сломался, —

Помню, он подливал,

поддакивал,

Мой язык, как шнурок, развязался:

Я кого-то ругал,

оплакивал...

И проснулся я в городе Вологде,

Но — убей меня — не припомню где.

А потом мне пришили дельце

По статье Уголовного кодекса,

Успокоили: "Всё перемелется",

Дали срок — не дали опомниться.

И остался я городе Вологде,

Ну, а Вологда —

это вона где!..

Пятьдесят восьмую дают статью,

Говорят: "Ничего, вы так молоды..."

Если б знал я, с кем еду, с кем водку пью, —

Он бы хрен доехал до Вологды!

Он живёт себе в городе Вологде,

А я — на Севере, а Север — вона где!

...Все обиды мои годы стёрли,

Но живу я теперь, как в наручниках:

Мне до боли,

до кома в горле

Надо встретить того попутчика!

Но живёт он в городе Вологде,

А я — на Севере, а Север — вона где!

In Vladimir Vysotsky's song "Fellow Traveler", the story unfolds about a fateful encounter between the lyrical hero and a fellow traveler, which turns into a prison sentence for the former.

At the beginning of the song, the hero appears before us in high spirits, anticipating a trip to Vologda. He invites his new acquaintance, a fellow traveler, to drink vodka with him to while away the time on the journey. At this moment, the hero seems carefree and unaware of the coming changes.

However, after the drinking binge, the hero wakes up in Vologda, not remembering how he got there. This is followed by a rapid chain of events: the hero is accused of a crime under the Criminal Code and sentenced to prison.

Over time, the hero realizes that he has become a victim of deception or provocation by his fellow traveler. He is tormented by thoughts of revenge and wants to find the offender, who, as it turns out, remained living in Vologda.

At the end of the song, the hero, finding himself in the North, expresses his pain and despair at the impossibility of revenge. The phrase "and the North – that's where it is!" emphasizes the hopelessness of the hero's situation and the huge gulf separating him from Vologda and his offender.

The song is filled with bitter irony and makes you think about the accidents that can turn your life upside down and the price of gullibility.