The meaning of the lyrics of the song ""You starved us, VOKhR guards, starved us..."" (Primorili, VOHRyi, primorili…) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

They tortured, the VOKhR, tortured me

They destroyed my free will

My raven curls turned grey

And I stand at the edge of the abyss

The chords cried out plaintively

As we walk across the scorched steppe

And the one you took so proudly

You cannot show that pride

There, a son guards his father

Whoever doesn't know the North well

He must shoot at the fugitive

He shoots at his own brother

But they tortured, the bastards, tortured me

They destroyed my free will

My raven curls turned grey

And I stand at the edge of the abyss

VOKhR - (Вооружённая охрана лагерей) - The armed guards of the Gulag camps

Приморили, ВОХРы, приморили

Загубили волюшку мою

Вороные кудри поседели

И я у края пропасти стою

Зарыдали жалобно аккорды

А мы идем по выжженной степи

И того, кто взят тобою гордо

Показать ту гордость не моги

Там сын стережет отца

Кто Севера плохо не знает

Он должен стрелять в беглеца

Он в брата родного стреляет

Но приморили, суки, приморили

Загубили волюшку мою

Вороные кудри поседели

И я у края пропасти стою

The song "They've Broken Me, the Gulag Guards, They've Broken Me" by Vladimir Vysotsky encapsulates the profound tragedy of an individual caught in the grip of a repressive system. The lyrical hero, whose "raven curls have turned grey," embodies a victim of injustice, stripped of freedom and will.

"ВОХР" (Armed Guards) in the context of the song symbolizes the repressive apparatus that ruthlessly suppresses any manifestation of individuality and free thought. The hero is broken, standing "at the edge of the abyss," which can be interpreted as a metaphor for hopelessness and despair.

The image of the "scorched steppe" reinforces the feeling of hopelessness and devastation. The "mournful chords" are not only a musical image but also a metaphor for the suffering and pain experienced by the hero.

Particularly tragic is the image of a fratricidal war, where "a son guards his father," and "the one you took with pride" (perhaps fighting for an idea) is doomed.

The song sounds the motif of betrayal: "He shoots his own brother." This indicates the destructive power of the system, which forces people to renounce their loved ones.

The repeating phrase "They've broken me, the Gulag Guards, they've broken me" is a cry from the soul, an expression of pain and despair of a person crushed by the system.