The meaning of the lyrics of the song "The Tale of the Disarmament Formula" (Rasskaz o formule razorujeniya) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

...And you know... he thought up — what's it called? — a formula for disarmament! He was studying — he had returned from imprisonment and was in the eighth grade of a school for working youth. And he created some kind of formula for disarmament from algebra, from literature, from Russian language, from syntax — can you imagine? — and he was trying to promote it...

So, first, he went to the Kremlin and said that he had invented a formula and that they needed to let him through... They told him:

— What for? — they said. — You — there's no need... You should go to the State Security Committee, it's — easier there.

He went! He went... Well, of course, they kicked him out of there. And they immediately found out who he was and what he was about. And an ambulance came for him.

And when they came a few times... the orderlies came, and he would always — lock the door, or something... But this time they left the door open on purpose. Two healthy lugs like that came in, and a doctor — a very nice woman.

He says:

— Hello!

They say:

— Hello, we're from the Chekhov House, — she told him.

He says:

— Please, have a seat, please have a seat... Who's this? — pointing at the... at the wall, at the portrait.

And she says:

— Well, probably Herzen...

He says:

— You're mistaken. And who's this? — pointing to another one, and another one...

And what did she do? — she named someone else. He says:

— No, that's Pavlov, in his youth... — And he looks at them like that, at these people. Then he says:

— I understand everything. You're probably not from the Chekhov House!

And then, she made a sign, and one of the lugs went: boom!

He screamed:

— Scum! For science!... — he shouted as they carried him downstairs.

They took him away.

But by the time he arrived at the hospital, he was lying there... And he quickly came to his senses. Terrorized the whole ward! Because he was a hardened criminal, as you understand. They brought him food and told him it wasn't from home. He wouldn't take it, he wanted to establish new rules there. And they divided all his food parcels among the whole ward. And he wrote — saying: "Mother, I've established order here. Now they give us all sausage, two slices each, but I will achieve more..." He was fighting there! — you see? He established his own order...

I lost track of him after that, he was such a funny guy. He invented a formula for disarmament... [Did he fight by the formula of disarmament?] Yeah, probably... Can you imagine? — he composed — there was algebra: x squared plus, there, sine, such and such, there, more... with all sorts of division, equals — disarmament...

(February 28?) 1972, at A. Skosyrev's

…И он, значит… он придумал — как называется? — формулу разоружения! Он учился — он вернулся из заключения и учился в восьмом классе школы рабочей молодежи. И он из алгебры, из литературы, там, из русского языка, из синтаксиса составил формулу разоружения какую-то — понимаете? — и добивался…

Значит, пришел он сначала в Кремль и сказал, что, вот, он придумал формулу и что, мол, — надо пропустить… Ему говорят:

— Зачем? — говорят. — Вы — не надо… Вы пойдите в Комитет госбезопасности, там — проще.

Он пошёл! Он — пошёл… Ну, значит, его оттуда, конечно, выгнали. И сразу же выяснили, кто он такой и что. И за ним приехала машина, значит, — «скорая помощь».

А когда приезжала несколько раз… приезжали санитары, он, значит, всё время — то запрёт дверь, то ещё чего… А тут оставили дверь открытой, нарочно. Вот вошли здоровых два таких амбала, значит, и врач — очень милая женщина.

Он говорит:

— Здравствуйте!

Они говорят:

— Здрасьте, мы из домика Чехова, — она ему сказала.

Он говорит:

— Садитесь, пожалуйста, садитесь, пожалуйста… Кто это? — на порт{рет}… на стену, на портрет.

А она говорит:

— Ну, вероятно, это Герцен…

Он говорит:

— Вы ошибаетесь. А это кто? — там ещё, там ещё-ещё…

И что она? — ещё кого-то она назвала. Он говорит:

— Нет, это Павлов, в молодости… — И так смотрит на них, на этих людей. Потом говорит:

— Я всё понял. Вы, вероятно, не из домика Чехова!

И тута, значит, она сделала знак, и один амбал взял так: бум-м-м!…

Он кричал:

— Сволочи! За науку!.. — кричал он, когда его выносили вниз.

Его унесли.

Но пока он приехал, значит, в больницу, там лежал он… И он очень быстро пришёл в себя. Затерроризировал всю палату! Потому что он приблатнённый, как ты понимаешь, человек. Ему приносили, значит, еду и говорили, что не из дому. Он не принимал, он хотел там новые порядки установить. И все его передачи разделяли на всю палату. И он писал — говорит: «Мать, я тут навёл порядок. Теперь нам всем дают колбасу, всем по два кусочка, но я добьюсь и боль{ше}…» Он там воевал! — понимаешь? Он там установил свои порядки….

Я его потом утерял из виду, он смешной такой человек был. Формулу разоружения он придумал… [По формуле разоружения воевал-то?] Да, наверное… Ну представляешь? — он составил — там алгебра была: икс квадрат плюс, там, синус, там такой-то, там, ещё… с делением со всевозможным, равняется — разоружение…

(28?) февраля 1972 г., у А. Скосырева

In Vladimir Vysotsky's "The Story of the Disarmament Formula," we encounter an individual utterly convinced of his genius and ability to change the world. He develops a "disarmament formula," attempting to combine the seemingly incompatible: algebra, literature, and the Russian language.

The absurdity of a formula derived from school subjects immediately sets an ironic tone. The character is so naive and detached from reality that he genuinely believes in the effectiveness of his invention and tries to present it to the highest authorities, starting with the Kremlin.

Naturally, his endeavor is met with incomprehension: he is sent to the Committee for State Security, where he apparently gives the impression of someone not entirely sane. An "ambulance" is dispatched for him, but even then, the hero does not give up, locking himself away from the orderlies.

The climax of the story is the scene where the orderlies gain access to him under the guise of employees of the "Chekhov House." The hero, convinced of his own genius, subjects them to an impromptu exam on literature and history, trying to expose them. The moment of recognition, when the character realizes that they are not who they claim to be, is full of tragedy and doom.

The ending of the story leaves a feeling of bitterness and sympathy. The "disarmament formula" proves untenable in a world ruled by force and indifference. Despite the tragedy of the situation, Vysotsky does not deprive his hero of hope: he continues to "fight" for his ideas even in the hospital, trying to establish "new orders" there.