MIA: History: Soviet History: Sounds of the Soviet Union: Lyrics
Дубинушка (Dubinushka) / Little club
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Много песен слыхал я в родной стороне |
I have heard many songs all around the land |
Mnogo pesen slykhal ia v rodnoj storone |
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В них про радость, про горе мне пели, |
They have told me of blithe and of woe |
V nikh pro radost, pro gore mne peli, |
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Но из песен одна в память врезалась мне |
But my memory holds just one song of them all |
No iz pesen odna v pamiat vrezalas mne |
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Это песня рабочей артели. |
That's the song of the body of workers. |
Ehto pesnia rabochej arteli. |
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Припев: |
Refrain: |
Pripev: |
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Эх, дубинушка, ухнем! |
Hey, Dubina, the green one! |
Ehkh, dubinushka, ukhnem! |
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Эх, зеленая сама пойдет! |
Hey, you, help us do the labor hard, the labor hard! |
Ehkh, zelenaia, sama pojdet, sama pojdet! |
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Подернем, подернем, |
We pull it, and pull it, |
Podernem, podernem, |
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Да ухнем! |
And move it! |
Da ukhnem! |
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Anglichanin, khitrec, chtob rabote pomoch', |
Canny Englishmen did tons of gadgets invent |
Izobryol za mashinoj mashinu. |
As to do all the labors routinely. |
A rossijskij muzhik, kol' rabotat' nevmoch', |
Russian men strive with hands till they're tired to death |
Tak zatyanet rodnuyu "Dubinu". |
Then they sing their hearts with "Dubina"! |
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No nastanet pora, i prosnyotsya narod, |
Oh, new times, come to us! When the workers wake up, |
Razognyot on moguchuyu spinu. |
When they straighten the backs from the labor. |
I na bar, na boyar i na prochikh gospod |
When they crush all who suck their strength, their blood |
On podnimet rodnuyu dubinu! |
Crush with their beloved Dubina! |
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"Dubina" (pronounced doo-bee-nah) means "the wooden club". "Dubinushka" (pronounced doo-bee-noosh-kah) is a diminutive form of the same word (note the suffix "-ushk-"). The song is a work song, sung by workers doing hard manual labor, helping them to keep the rythm of their collective efforts. As opposed to the American "Yo-ho-ho, and the bottle of rum", sung by the seamen moving the capstan.
Translated: by Raymond Wickham
Transcription/Markup: Raymond Wickham / Liviu Iacob,
2005