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Poems and Songs of Vladimir Vysotsky. A Song about Friendship.
Commentary. Original. Back. Forward.
A Song about a Friend.
If ye’ve found someone new
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near you,
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And what hides in his chest
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can’t guess,
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If it’s hard to decide
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at once
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Good or bad is this one —
Take a risk — walk uphill
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with him,
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Think him from the word go
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a bro:
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Let one rope join you both
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henceforth,
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And ye’ll know his real worth.
If the hills make him feel
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quite ill,
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If he can only fail
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and wail,
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Having stumbled on the ice,
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he cries,
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And his fortitude dies —
Then this one can’t be near —
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it’s clear,
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Send him on the straight way
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away:
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Such a one shouldn’t be brought
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along,
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Nor deserves he a song.
But if he neither howled
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nor growled,
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Let at times he was tough
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and rough,
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Yet when ye worked down on
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the stones,
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He looked wan, but held on,
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If he fought to break through
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with you
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To the top which is shining blue —
Then ye can altogether rely
Upon your friend nearby!
If he fought to break through
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with you
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To the top which is shining blue —
Then ye can altogether rely
Upon your friend nearby!
1966.
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