Tachanka (song)

"Tachanka" (Russian: Tачанка), sometimes labelled "Song of the Tachanka" (Russian: Песня о Тачанке, romanized: Pesnya o Tachanke) is a Soviet revolutionary song from the late interwar period, composed by Konstantin Listov and written by Mikhail Ruderman in 1937.[1] It describes an unnamed battle in the Russian Civil War and the Tachankas, or machine-gun carts, that were used by the Red Army at the time. The song underwent several lyrical changes over the years, and features in the repertoire of the Red Army Choir[2] and Leon Lishner.[3]

"Tachanka"
Song
LanguageRussian
Published1937
GenreRevolutionary song
Songwriter(s)Mikhail Ruderman
Composer(s)Konstantin Listov

Lyrics
Russian[4]Latin transcriptionLiteral English TranslationLyrical English translation[5]
First Verse

Ты лети с дороги, птица,
Зверь, с дороги уходи!
Видишь, облако клубится,
Кони мчатся впереди!

Ty leti s dorogi, ptitsa,
Zver, s dorogi ukhodi!
Vidish, oblako klubitsya,
Koni mchatsya vperedi!

Fly off the road, bird,
Beast, get out of the way!
You see a [dust] cloud is swirling,
Horses are rushing ahead!

Bird, fly from the road, and quickly!
Better hurry or you're dead!
See that dust cloud coming thickly,
Horses charging far ahead!

Second Verse

И с налёта, с поворота,
По цепи врагов густой
Застрочит из пулемёта
Пулемётчик молодой.

I s nalyota, s povorota,
Po tsepi vragov gustoy
Zastrochit iz pulemyota
Pulemyotchik molodoy.

And with a charge, with a turn,
Over chains of enemies thick
Stutters from the machine-gun
The young machine-gunner.

Blasting, turning, fire pouring,
into crowds of enemies!
His machine gun rattling, roaring,
our young gunner clears the fields!

Chorus 1

Эх, тачанка-ростовчанка,
Наша гордость и краса,
Конармейская тачанка,
Все четыре колеса!

Ekh, tachanka-rostovchanka,
Nasha gordost i krasa,
Konarmeyskaya tachanka,
Vse chetyre kolesa!

Oh, Tachanka from Rostov,
Our pride and beauty,
Red Cavalry1 Tachanka,
All four wheels!

Hey Tachanka gun from Rostov,
You're our joy and you're our pride!
Red cavalry gun-carts blast off,
Four wheels whirring as they ride!

Third Verse

Эх, за Волгой и за Доном
Мчался степью золотой
Загорелый, запылённый
Пулемётчик молодой.

Ekh, za Volgoy i za Donom
Mchalsya stepyu zolotoy
Zagorely, zapylyonny
Pulemyotchik molodoy.

Oh, over the Volga and over the Don
The golden steppes rushed [past]
Bronzed, dusty
The young machine-gunner.

We crossed the Don after the Volga,
Through the golden steppe so free!
Tanned, and dusty our young gunner,
Blasted through our enemy!

Fourth Verse

И неслась неудержимо
С гривой рыжего коня
Грива ветра, грива дыма,
Грива бури и огня.

I neslas neuderzhimo
S grivoy ryzhego konya
Griva vetra, griva dyma,
Griva buri i ognya.

And rushing unrestrained
With the horses' ginger manes
Manes of wind, manes of smoke
Manes of storm and fire.

As, unstoppable and mighty,
Like the manes of our wild steeds,
Manes of wind, smoke, storm, and fire,
Slice our land like wind through reeds!

Chorus 2

Эх, тачанка-киевлянка,
Наша гордость и краса,
Комсомольская тачанка,
Все четыре колеса!

Ekh, tachanka-kievlyanka,
Nasha gordost i krasa,
Komsomolskaya tachanka,
Vse chetyre kolesa!

Oh, Tachanka of Kiev,
Our pride and beauty,
Tachanka of the Komsomol2
All four wheels!

Hey Tachanka gun from Kiev,
You're our joy and you're our pride!
The Red youth army's gun-carts racing,
Four wheels whirring as they ride!

Fifth Verse

По земле грохочут танки,
Самолёты петли вьют,
О будённовской тачанке
В небе лётчики поют.

Po zemle grokhochut tanki,
Samolyoty petli vyut,
O budyonnovskoy tachanke
V nebe lyotchiki poyut.

On the ground the tanks rumble,
Airplanes loop and weave
About the Tachanka of Budyonny
In the sky, the pilots sing.

 Up above our soaring pilots,

Seek the enemy on high.

Looking down they see Tachanka

And salute you from the sky.

Sixth Verse

И врагу поныне снится
Дождь свинцовый и густой
Боевая колесница,
Пулемётчик молодой.

I vragu ponyne snitsya
Dozhd svintsovy i gustoy
Boyevaya kolesnitsa,
Pulemyotchik molodoy.

And the enemy still is dreaming
The rain is leaden and heavy
Battle chariot,
The young machine-gunner.

 In the fields our tanks are rumbling,

See the foe is on the run.

Forward then Tachanka,

With each bullet from your gun.

Chorus 3

Эх, тачанка-полтавчанка,
Наша гордость и краса,
Пулемётная тачанка,
Все четыре колеса!

Ekh, tachanka-poltavchanka,
Nasha gordost i krasa,
Pulemyotnaya tachanka,
Vse chetyre kolesa!

Oh, Tachanka of Poltava,
Our pride and beauty,
Machine-Gun [bearing] Tachanka
All four wheels!

Hey Tachanka gun from Poltava!
You're our joy and you're our pride!
Red cavalry gun-carts, fire!
Four wheels whirring as they ride!

1The reference to the Red cavalry is replaced in some versions with the line "near the sea of Azov" (Russian: Приазовская тачанка, transliterated: Priazovskaya tachanka)

2The reference to the Komsomol is dropped in some versions and replaced with the line "Tachanka from Ukraine" (Russian: Украинская тачанка, transliterated: Ukrainskaya tachanka).[6][7]

See also

References
  1. "SovMusic.ru - Тачанка". Sovmusic.ru.
  2. "Tachanka". Archive.org. 1938.
  3. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Leon Lishner sings "Tachanka". YouTube.
  4. "SovMusic.ru - Тачанка". Sovmusic.ru.
  5. Революционные песни - Тачанка,Revolutionary songs - Tachanka. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-08.
  6. "Sound file" (MP3). Sovmusic.ru. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  7. "Sound file" (MP3). Sovmusic.ru. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
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