The meaning of the lyrics of the song "So there I was, on lookout..." (Stoyu ya raz na stryome...) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

I was standing on the lookout, hand in my pocket,

When a stranger buddy came up to me.

He whispered to me, "Where should we go,

To have a wild time?"

And I answered him, "That's the thing -

The cops busted our last raspberry."

And he says, "In Marseille, there are such cabarets,

What kind of girls there are, what kind of brothels!

There girls dance naked, there are ladies in sables,

Footmen carry wines, and thieves wear tailcoats."

He offered me money and a glass of pearls,

To give him the plans of a Soviet factory.

We turned that sucker over to the NKVD,

Since then, I haven't met him in any prisons.

The authorities thanked me, the prosecutor shook my hand,

And then put me under heavy surveillance.

Since then, friends and brothers, I have one goal -

To somehow get to this sunny Marseille,

Where girls dance naked, where ladies are in sables,

Footmen carry wines, and thieves wear tailcoats.

Стою я раз на стреме, держуся за карман,

И вдруг ко мне подходит незнакомый мне друган.

Он говорит мне тихо: "Куда бы нам пойти,

Где можно было б лихо нам время провести?"

А я ему отвечаю: такие, мол, дела -

Последнюю малину забили мусора.

А он говорит: "В Марселе такие кабаки,

Какие там девчонки, какие бардаки!

Там девочки танцуют голые, там дамы в соболях,

Лакеи носят вина, а воры носят фрак."

Он предложил мне денег и жемчуга стакан,

Чтоб я ему передал советского завода план.

Мы сдали того субчика властям НКВД,

С тех пор его по тюрьмам я не встречал нигде.

Меня благодарили власти, жал руку прокурор,

А после посадили под усиленный надзор.

С тех пор, друзья и братцы, одну имею цель -

Чтоб как-нибудь пробраться в этот солнечный Марсель,

Где девочки танцуют голые, где дамы в соболях,

Лакеи носят вина, а воры носят фрак.

Vladimir Vysotsky's song "Stoyu ya raz na streme" ("Standing on the Lookout") offers a satirical commentary on Soviet reality and the allure of the "good life," fueled by rumors and unattainability for the average citizen.

The song's lyrical hero is a petty criminal "standing on the lookout." A stranger approaches him with a tempting offer: to have a good time in the inaccessible "Marseilles" - a symbol of luxury, freedom, and unrestrained pleasure, where "girls dance naked, ladies in sables, lackeys carry wines, and thieves wear tailcoats." "Marseilles" stands in stark contrast to the gray Soviet reality, where "even the last raspberry was seized by the cops."

However, behind the stranger's alluring words lies a trap. He offers the hero a deal: wealth ("money and a glass of pearls") in exchange for state secrets ("plans of a Soviet factory"). The hero faces a choice: easy money and a possible path to the coveted "Marseilles," or loyalty (albeit not entirely conscious) to the Soviet regime.

The hero's choice is ambiguous: he turns the "snitch" over to the authorities. On the one hand, he seemingly does the "right" thing. But his motives are far from ideological: he expects a reward, recognition. Instead, he gets "increased surveillance" and the bitter realization that he has become a pawn in someone else's game.

The ending of the song is ironic: the hero, having experienced the system's grip from both sides, dreams of the inaccessible "Marseilles," where, as he believes, true freedom and abundance reign.

The song ridicules the hypocrisy of the system, where a ostentatious fight against "enemies" hides indifference towards the common man. At the same time, it criticizes the common man's yearning for the "good life," the willingness to betray and sell anything for the sake of a pipe dream.