The meaning of the lyrics of the song "There used to be heavy drinking in this big house." (V etom dome bolschom ransche pyanka byila) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

In this big house, there used to be drinking sprees

For many days, many days,

After all, the first house on the corner of Karetny Row -

Is for friends, for friends.

Behind drinking sprees and carousing,

Behind jars and half-jars,

Behind arguments, quarrels, and discord,

You stand your ground,

That this house -

Whether night or day -

Is always your home,

And here they don't look at you with reproach.

And even if sometimes the wife is unhappy -

But God be with her, God be with her! -

We have something more than a glass of wine -

We have friends, friends.

Behind drinking sprees and carousing,

Behind jars and half-jars,

Behind arguments, quarrels, and discord,

You stand your ground,

That this house -

Whether night or day -

Is always your home,

And here they don't look at you with reproach.

В этом доме большом раньше пьянка была

Много дней, много дней,

Ведь в Каретном ряду первый дом от угла -

Для друзей, для друзей.

За пьянками, гулянками,

За банками, полбанками,

За спорами, за ссорами, раздорами

Ты стой на том,

Что этот дом -

Пусть ночью, днем -

Всегда твой дом,

И здесь не смотрят на тебя с укорами.

И пускай иногда недовольна жена -

Но бог с ней, но бог с ней! -

Есть у нас нечто больше, чем рюмка вина, -

У друзей, у друзей.

За пьянками, гулянками,

За банками, полбанками,

За спорами, за ссорами, раздорами

Ты стой на том,

Что этот дом -

Пусть ночью, днем -

Всегда твой дом,

И здесь не смотрят на тебя с укорами.

Vladimir Vysotsky's song "There used to be drinking in this big house" uses boisterous merriment and bravado to mask a deep longing for genuine, sincere human connection. The lyrical hero, addressing a friend, idealizes a bygone era when their company gathered in a house "on Karetny Ryad". "Drinking", "merrymaking", "arguments", and "quarrels" – all were manifestations of vibrant, emotional interaction, an atmosphere of brotherhood and unity.

The house in the song is not just a place, but a symbol of unconditional acceptance, where one can be oneself without fear of judgment ("And here they don't look at you with reproach"). The hero yearns for this feeling of security and belonging that his friends provided. Even the wife's disapproval, probably caused by his frequent absences, cannot overshadow the joy of these gatherings: "We have something more than a glass of wine - With friends, with friends".

The repeating lines of the chorus, like an incantation, affirm the immutability of this house as a symbol of friendship. However, the increasing sadness with each verse and the past tense of the verb "was" in the first line reveal the illusory nature of this idea. The house has remained the same only in the lyrical hero's memory, becoming an image of a lost paradise, an unattainable ideal of true brotherhood.