Vladimir Vysotsky

Selected Works

Vladimir Vysotsky, John Farndon, Olga Nakston

• Publisher: Glagoslav Publications B.V. (N)
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781914337659
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music

Legendary singer, songwriter and poet Vladimir Vysotsky (1938-1980) is loved and admired like no other. A recent survey placed him as the most important cultural figure of twentieth century, and some say he is the greatest Russian poet since Pushkin; others talk of him as the Russian Bob Dylan, or Jacques Brel.

His songs championed the underdog, and even today, forty years after his death at a tragically young age, people in countries as far apart as Bulgaria and Kazakhstan weep at the mere mention of his name. Yet remarkably this is the first landmark collection of his lyrics and poetry in English.

The translators set themselves the hard task of translating Vysotsky's songs as first of all songs, not poetry, enabling readers to perform them in English. This collection of lyrics also includes sample sheet music for six Vysotsky's songs.

Vysotsky himself used the seven string guitar; the songs are adapted here to the western six string classical guitar by John Farndon and West-End singer Anthony Cable.

Selected Works

Stubborn Horses

Stubborn¹ Horses²

---

Along the edge of a rocky ledge,

A steep precipice on hell’s abyss,

I lash my horses through the mist,³

The whip sings its stinging, vicious hiss!

The thin air makes me dizzy,

I gulp the wind, I drink the mist!

And now I feel a deathly bliss –

I’m lost in this, I’m lost in this!

---

Take it easy now, you horses,

Take it easy will you now!

Take no notice of the hissing whiplash sting!

But these stubborn horses will take me,

They will take me to the brow

And I’ve no time to live on,

And no time to sing!

---

I will make these horses drink!

I will sing this final song!

I will make this moment last long

As I stand there on the brink!

---

I will perish like a ball of fluff

Blown off the hand by storm,

And they’ll bear me away swiftly

On a sleigh through the snowy dawn

Slow down a little, you horses,

Slacken off your pace –

Just give me a little time, please,

Until my resting place.

---

Take it easy now, you horses,

Take it easy will you now!

Take no notice of the hissing whiplash sting!

But these stubborn horses will take me,

They’ll take me to the brow

And I have no time to live on,

No time to sing!

---

I will make these horses drink!

I will sing this final song!

I will make this moment long

As I stand there, on the brink.

---

We’re here right on time –

You can’t be late for God, of course

So why are the angels singing

With such angry force?

Or is it the sleigh bells sobbing,

Sobbing on the horses?

Or is just me yelling

Slow down to those horses?

---

Take it easy now, you horses,

I beg you slow down now!

Just ignore the whiplash sting!

But these stubborn horses will take me,

They’ll take me to the brow

Please let me live on a little,

Oh please let me sing!

---

I will make these horses drink!

I will sing this final song!

I will make this moment long –

I will stand here, pausing on the brink.

---

1972

A City Romance

I was strolling the streets of the city

And by chance beat up two passers-by,

But when the cops came to arrest me –

At th...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• About This Book
• Translating Vladimir Vysotsky
• Selected Works
• About the Translators
• Appendix. Sheet music
• Notes