The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Your eyes are like knives." (U tebya glaza — kak noj) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

Your eyes are like a knife,

If you look straight at me,

I forget who I am and where I belong.

And if you look sideways,

It’s like slicing my heart

With a cold, sharp, grey cleaver.

I'm healthy, why hide it!

I can bend coins with my bare hands!

I recently killed a bull with my head!

But to spend my life with you -

Is not like bending horseshoes,

To crush you morally - I have no strength!

Remember, was there ever a time

When I ran away from home?

Well, when will you get tired of walking the streets?

I come home from the garage,

I bite my tongue,

And run around the city looking for you.

I wore out all my shoes,

Bought myself a bicycle

To ease my suffering.

But I crashed into a truck,

Ended up in Sklifosovsky hospital,

You didn't even come to visit me.

And the surgeon, an old man -

He was all soaked with sweat and seemed to have shrunk -

He spent six days stitching up my wound.

And when the anesthesia wore off,

The pain brought tears to my eyes,

For whom did I risk my life?

Don't rejoice, you serpent!

They’ll discharge me soon!

Then I will take my revenge without any schemes.

I'm telling you for sure,

I will sharpen a razor,

And shave your head completely bald!

У тебя глаза как нож

Если прямо ты взглянешь

Я забываю, кто я есть и где мой дом

А если косо ты взглянешь -

Как по сердцу полоснешь

Ты холодным острым серым тесаком

Я здоров, к чему скрывать!

Я пятаки могу ломать

Я недавно головой быка убил

Но с тобой жизнь коротать -

Не подковы разгибать

А прибить тебя морально - нету сил!

Вспомни, было ль хоть разок

Чтоб я из дому убег?

Ну когда же надоест тебе гулять?

С гаражу я прихожу

Язык за спину заложу

И бежу тебя по городу шукать

Я все ноги исходил

Велосипед себе купил

Чтоб в страданьях облегчения была

Но налетел на самосвал

К Склифосовскому попал

Навестить меня ты даже не пришла

И хирург, седой старик, -

Он весь обмяк и как-то сник, -

Он шесть суток мою рану зашивал

А как кончился наркоз

Стало больно мне до слез

Для кого ж я своей жизнью рисковал?

Ты не радуйся, змея

Скоро выпишут меня!

Отомщу тебе тогда без всяких схем

Я те точно говорю

Остру бритву навострю

И обрею тебя наголо совсем

Vladimir Vysotsky's song "Your eyes are like a knife" depicts a lyrical hero tormented by unrequited, perhaps even unreturned, love. He is completely consumed by his feelings for a woman who seems indifferent to him. Her indifference wounds him more deeply than any physical pain.

The lyrics employ vivid, hyperbolic metaphors to emphasize the depth of his suffering. His beloved's eyes are likened to a knife, her glance to a blow from a cleaver. This highlights his vulnerability to her and how deeply her indifference cuts him.

The hero tries to appear strong and independent. He boasts of his physical strength: he can bend coins and even kill a bull. But all these "feats" pale in comparison to his love for this woman. He confesses to being emotionally broken, unable to resist her allure.

The song illustrates the hero's willingness to go to any lengths for his beloved's attention. He searches for her throughout the city, buys a bicycle to make his search easier, and even gets into an accident. But even his injuries and suffering fail to evoke any emotion from her.

In the final stanza, enraged by his beloved's indifference, the hero threatens her with revenge. However, this threat sounds more pathetic than frightening. It only emphasizes his helplessness and despair.

The image of a "serpent" at the end of the song symbolizes the beloved's treachery and heartlessness. This woman toys with his feelings without giving anything in return.