“The Ballad About Russian Boys,” Live

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Leonid Kharitonov – “The Ballad About Russian Boys, Live”
(originally, “For the Sake of Future Days”)

Music – A. Novikov, Lyrics – L. Oshanin.
Soloist’s Tchaikovsky Hall debut. Concert of the Alexandrov Ensemble in Tchaikovsky Hall–Moscow, 1965.
Read more about this song here.

Attention: This video has English subtitles!


Lyrics:

Разве можно забыть этих русских мальчишек,
Пареньков, для которых был домом завод?
В старых кепках отцовских,
в тряпье пиджачишек
Уходили мальчишки в семнадцатый год.
В грудь им пушки глядят,
вслед им ветер ревет…
Так встречает мальчишек семнадцатый год.

Глядит Революция, очи суровы:
– Откуда вы, кто вы, на что вы готовы?
В ответ поднимались упрямые руки:
– Готовы на подвиг, готовы на муки,
На радость летящих навстречу огней,
На голод, на холод могильных камней.
Готовы на все ради завтрашних дней!

Год за годом заря
над землею вставала,
Поднималась Россия, позабыв о былом
И любовью мальчишек своих баловала,
Как могла, согревала на сердце своем.
Только вдруг сорок первый ударил огнем,
Подпоясал мальчишек солдатским ремнем.

Глядит на них Родина,
очи суровы:
– Откуда вы, кто вы,
на что вы готовы? –
В ответ поднимались отважные руки:
– Готовы на битву,
на годы разлуки.
Готовы на радость победных огней,
На голод, на холод могильных камней,
Готовы на все
ради завтрашних дней!

А теперь молодежь поднимает ракеты –
Все, что можно желать, ей Отчизна дала.
Но с чужих полигонов бессонной планеты
Смерть грозит уничтожить всю землю дотла!
Пепел атомных бурь раскален добела –
Как нам сделать, мальчишки,
что бы юность жила?

Зовет их История, очи суровы:
– Откуда вы, кто вы,
на что вы готовы? –
В ответ поднимаются сильные руки:
Всю землю большую берем на поруки,
Родная планета, цвети, зеленей!
Мы любим тебя в переливах огней.
Мы сделаем все
ради жизни твоей,
Ради завтрашних дней!

Is it possible to forget those Russian boys,
Those lads for whom the factory was like a home?
In their fathers’ old caps
and threadbare jackets
The boys entered the year 1917…
The canons are pointed at their chests
and the wind is roaring at their backs…
Thus, the year 1917 met the boys.

The Revolution is looking and its eyes are severe:
"Who are you? What are you? What are you ready for?"
Stubborn hands were raised in reply:
"We are ready for heroic deeds! We are ready to suffer!
For the sake of joy of the approaching lights,
For the hunger, for the gravestones’ cold,
We are ready for everything for the sake of future days!"

The dawn rose over the Earth each year,
And Russia was rising,
forgetting about the past…
It was pampering the boys with its love
And warmed them in its heart as it could…
But suddenly the year 1941 burst into fire
Girding the boys with a soldier’s belt..

The Motherland is looking at them
and its eyes are severe:
"Who are you? What are you?
What are you ready for?"
Courageous hands were raised in reply:
"We are ready for the battle!
We are ready for the years of separation!
We are ready for the joy of the victorious lights,
For hunger, for the gravestones’ cold,
We are ready for everything
for the sake of future days!"

Nowadays, the youth are raising space rockets!
The Fatherland has given everything they could wish for.
But from alien ranges of the sleepless planet
Death threatens to destroy
the whole earth completely again
The ashes of the atomic storms are made red-hot!..
“What shall we do, boys, to keep Youth alive?!”

History is calling and its eyes are severe:
"Who are you? What are you?
What are you ready for?"
Strong hands are raised in reply:
"We are taking the whole big Earth
under our personal care."
Flower and turn green, our dear planet!
We love your shimmering lights.
We will do everything for the sake of your life!
For the sake of future days!


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10 Responses to ““The Ballad About Russian Boys,” Live”

  1. Bradley Pugh says:

    By far his most impressive performance in my opinion so powerful!
    Bradley Pugh

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  2. Claudia Contreras Gutiérrez says:

    Hello!
    I’m Claudia Contreras Gutiérrez, I have 35 years old and live in Temuco city, Chile, South America. Right now I’m so happy and feel great emotion … tears fall from my eyes to find this site and contact you Leonidas … I have seen many times your interpretation of the Volga Boatmen song …and I love it! . Let me tell you: You were a very handsome man, your eyes and look on that particular video song…I love it!
    Perhaps it may seem strange that in this so far country is someone who admire you so much …
    You and Yevgeny Belyaev are my favorite soloists!

    In the seventies, the traditional Russian music was booming, so in my home always we listened a disc containing a collection of songs, some of which I have again found searching the internet.

    Leonidas, I look for a particular song that I can´t find. It is a part of an opera “May Night” have you that song? I want to hear it again!

    I love the site and I will visit it again for sure!!!
    I wish you health and long life, I love to contact you!!!
    Sorry for my english! I Know is not perfect!

    Claudia

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  3. Mateojimenez says:

    I wonder if you can get scores of this great song?

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  4. fikamar says:

    whoa! this is my favorite perfomance video by Leonid Kharitonov! I’m really surprised when the music began, and he sung this! hmm then at 2:17… I don’t know why but I loved it 🙂
    but why… when the music is end at 05:52, he back again, then he walk back to behind the stage, and back again, then singing the last rows?

    once again, I’m surprised with Russian songs. and almost crying when I hear this song, after Solov’i and Ey Ukhnem…
    Oh ya, where I can download this song -- sung by Red Army Choir?

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    • admin says:

      We’re so glad that you like this song and this performance! This concert was the singer’s debut as a soloist at Tchaikovsky Hall! The reason he comes back out at the end and sings part of the song again is because the audience loved it so much that they demanded an encore! Go to the Music page on the web site to download this and other songs. You’ll find this one toward the bottom of the page under Patriotic Songs.

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      • fikamar says:

        Oooh I see… and thank you for the information about him and the music!

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  5. This is my favorite performance by Leonid Kharitonov. It actually made me cry one time. I’m a window cleaner and one day I was singing this song to myself while inside a customer’s home and I had no idea the people who lived there were Russian. The grandmother at the house began singing along with me and when we finished the song she hugged me for almost a full minute. I believe this song has more significance today than it did when it was composed. Anyway, cheers and thank you Misha and Leonid.

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    • admin says:

      Thank you for your comment! You told a very interesting and touching story! I like this song myself very much too. I’m also very happy that you appreciated this video post so highly. Misha.

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  6. Judith Hibbard says:

    While I am not a big fan of patriotic song, USA included, I really loved your rendition of this song. Every country on the face of the earth feels the same way about their men and now women in the armed forces. They love them and want the best for them. My father fought in WWII and Korea and I hope he served his country with the same feelings. Your facial expressions reveal what you feelings about this song. Great performance. Hope you are well--Stay happy.

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    • admin says:

      Dear Judith.

      Great to have you back on the site, and thanks so much for your comments! We hope that you’ll continue to explore all of the various videos and audio clips as there is a great deal of variety in the artist’s body of work. Perhaps you might enjoy this folk song with music by M. Glinka, “Not the Autumnal Fine Rain”: http://www.lkharitonov.com/video/early/rain

      All the best to you!

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