The meaning of the lyrics of the song "I was the life and soul of bad company." (Ya byil duschoy durnogo obschestva) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

I'm not yet in the frenzy,

Haven't settled into the role.

How will you know in the hangar,

Who's the slave, who's the king,

Who's stronger, who's weaker, who's bad, who's good,

Who will get to whom,

Interrogate, crush:

Will the plane fly

Or vice versa? -

On the ground, the machine pretends to be a saint.

Tomorrow I will tempt

Fate, but for now -

I caress the machine's

Steep sides.

We are equal on the ground, but are we equal in flight?

Under my hand, I won't hide,

A chill touches me, -

I don't build illusions -

I'm an old rider:

The plane is an unbroken devil in the flesh.

I know, the morning will strengthen me,

And my horse is good even now, -

He decides: will he or won't he

Work for us under duress.

You, from the blueprints,

Like from swaddling clothes, are familiar to me,

You didn't know turns -

You just went straight ahead,

Sailed under the "Secret" stamp on the waves of science.

The General Designer

Indulged you -

And you got out of hand

In the design bureau, in quality control, -

But today you've fallen into the hands of a test pilot!

Here things will get tougher, -

You'll have to pay now,

And it's better -

Without unnecessary losses:

In our business, losses are not very pleasant.

You've had your fun

To the very last line,

But I've also flown

On ones like you, -

So it's a sin for both of us to back down.

Sometimes doubt gnaws at me:

What if the machine won't give me its all,

What if it malfunctions, refuses

To work for us under duress!

Я еще не в угаре,

не втиснулся в роль.

Как узнаешь в ангаре,

кто - раб, кто - король,

Кто сильней, кто слабей, кто плохой, кто хороший,

Кто кого допечет,

допытает, дожмет:

Летуна самолет

или наоборот? -

На земле притворилась машина - святошей.

Завтра я испытаю

судьбу, а пока -

Я машине ласкаю

крутые бока.

На земле мы равны, но равны ли в полете?

Под рукою, не скрою,

ко мне холодок, -

Я иллюзий не строю -

я старый ездок:

Самолет - необъезженный дьявол во плоти.

Знаю, утро мне силы утроит,

Ну а конь мой - хорош и сейчас, -

Вот решает он: стоит - не стоит

Из-под палки работать на нас.

Ты же мне с чертежей,

как с пеленок, знаком,

Ты не знал виражей -

шел и шел прямиком,

Плыл под грифом "Секретно" по волнам науки.

Генеральный конструктор

тебе потакал -

И отбился от рук ты

в КБ, в ОТК, -

Но сегодня попал к испытателю в руки!

Здесь возьмутся покруче, -

придется теперь

Расплатиться, и лучше -

без лишних потерь:

В нашем деле потери не очень приятны.

Ты свое отгулял

до последней черты,

Но и я попетлял

на таких вот, как ты, -

Так что грех нам обоим идти на попятный.

Иногда недоверие точит:

Вдруг не все мне машина отдаст,

Вдруг она засбоит, не захочет

Из-под палки работать на нас!

Vladimir Vysotsky's song "I Was the Soul of a Bad Company" uses the imagery of a test pilot and his relationship with his aircraft to explore profound philosophical themes of man versus fate, freedom versus determinism, daring versus humility.

The lyrical hero, an experienced test pilot, prepares for another flight. He's aware of the risks involved, but embraces the challenge as an inevitable duel with destiny. The aircraft is not just a machine to him, but a living being, "an unbroken devil in the flesh", that he must confront. He acknowledges the power and might of the machine, yet refuses to submit; he yearns to tame it, to assert his dominance.

The image of the plane, "sailing under the stamp 'Secret'", symbolizes not only technological progress but also an unknown future, full of both opportunities and dangers. The test pilot, like a pioneer, challenges the unknown, striving to conquer and harness it.

The song contrasts the earth and the sky. On the ground, man and machine are equals, but everything changes in the air. Flight becomes a metaphor for freedom, transcending the ordinary, but simultaneously a symbol of risk and uncertainty.

The final lines of the song, where the hero acknowledges the possibility of the machine's disobedience ("suddenly the machine won't give me everything"), add a note of tragedy. The man who dared to challenge fate faces his own vulnerability. He realizes that the outcome of the duel isn't always within his control or skill.