The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Fighter Yak" (Yak-istrebitel) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

I am a Yak fighter,

My engine sings,

The sky is my home,

But the one who sits inside me,

Thinks he's the fighter.

In this battle, I shot down a Junkers -

I did with him what I wanted.

And the one who sits inside me,

Has gotten quite tiresome.

In the last battle, I was pierced through,

The mechanic patched me up,

But the one who sits inside me,

Is forcing me into a "tailspin" again.

A bomb from the bomber carries

Death to the airfield,

But it seems like the stabilizer sings:

"Peace to your home!"

Here comes a Messerschmitt from behind.

I'll leave - I'm tired of wounds,

But the one who sits inside me,

I see - has decided on a ramming attack!

What is he doing, there will be an explosion now!

But I won't burn on the sand -

Overcoming all limits and speeds,

I'm pulling out of the dive.

I'm in charge, and from behind, damn him! -

Where is he, my wingman?

There he is, smoking, nodded and sang:

"Peace to your home!"

And the one who was inside my skull,

Was left alone and stuck.

He misled me into a dive -

Right from a loop-the-loop.

He's pushing me too hard, double the load.

Oh, what an ace pilot he is!

And again, I have to obey me,

But this is the last time.

I won't be submissive anymore, I swear!

I'd rather lie on the ground.

Why can't he hear my heart racing!

Fuel - my blood - is at zero.

A machine's patience has its limits,

And his time is up.

But the one who was sitting inside me,

Suddenly hit his face on the glass.

Dead! Finally, I'm flying light,

Burning my last strength.

But... what's this, what?! I'm in a steep dive

And I can't pull out!

It's a shame that I myself achieved little,

But may luck be with another.

It turns out that I, too, sang in the end:

"Peace to your home!"

Я - "Як"-истребитель,

Мотор мой звенит,

Небо - моя обитель,

Но тот, который во мне сидит,

Считает, что он - истребитель.

В этом бою мною "юнкерс" сбит, -

Я сделал с ним, что хотел.

А тот, который во мне сидит,

Изрядно мне надоел.

Я в прошлом бою навылет прошит,

Меня механик заштопал,

Но тот, который во мне сидит,

Опять заставляет - в "штопор".

Из бомбардировщика бомба несет

Смерть аэродрому,

А кажется, стабилизатор поет:

"Мир вашему дому!"

Вот сзади заходит ко мне "мессершмитт".

Уйду - я устал от ран,

Но тот, который во мне сидит,

Я вижу - решил на таран!

Что делает он, ведь сейчас будет взрыв!.

Но мне не гореть на песке -

Запреты и скорости все перекрыв,

Я выхожу из пике.

Я - главный, a сзади, ну чтоб я сгорел!-

Где же он, мой ведомый?

Вот он задымился, кивнул и запел:

"Мир вашему дому!"

И тот, который в моем черепке,

Остался один и влип.

Меня в заблуждениье он ввел и в пике -

Прямо из "мертвой петли".

Он рвет на себя, и нагрузки - вдвойне.

Эх, тоже мне летчик-ас!

И снова приходится слушаться мне,

Но это в последний раз.

Я больше не буду покорным, клянусь!

Уж лучше лежать на земле.

Ну что ж он не слышит, как бесится пульс!

Бензин - моя кровь - на нуле.

Терпенью машины бывает предел,

И время его истекло.

Но тот, который во мне сидел,

Вдруг ткнулся лицом в стекло.

Убит! Наконец-то лечу налегке,

Последние силы жгу.

Но... что это, что?! Я в глубоком пике

И выйти никак не могу!

Досадно, что сам я немного успел,

Но пусть повезет другому.

Выходит, и я напоследок спел:

"Мир вашему дому!"

Vladimir Vysotsky's song "Yak-Fighter" carries a profound philosophical meaning conveyed through the metaphor of aerial combat. The lyrical hero is a Yak fighter jet, but not just a machine, but rather a symbol of a human being, his soul, torn between duty and the instinct of self-preservation.

"The one who sits inside me" is an allegory for the inner voice, instincts, fear of death that push the hero to reckless actions that contradict reason and experience. He is tired of wounds, wants to escape from battle, but his inner voice drives him forward, to ram, to meet death.

The juxtaposition of the recurring phrase "Peace to your home" - a seemingly peaceful greeting - and the realities of brutal aerial combat intensifies the tragedy of the situation. "The stabilizer sings," "the wingman nodded and sang" - the planes are likened to people, creating an eerie contrast with the ruthlessness of war.

The culmination comes when the lyrical hero finds freedom, but at the cost of his own life. "The one who was sitting inside me" dies, leaving the hero alone with the tragic predestination.

The final lines of the song are the last breath of a dying plane, which sounds a desperate hope that his sacrifice will not be in vain, that "another" will be luckier. In these words - all the tragedy of the human destiny, doomed to struggle, suffering and death for the sake of peace and life of future generations.