Lyr ADD: Song of the Volga Boatmen

Subject: SONG OF THE VOLGA BOATMEN-PAUL ROBESON VERSIO
From:
Date: 10 Feb 97 - 07:35 PM

I HAVE SEARCHED IN VAIN FOR THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE TRADITIONAL RUSSIAN FOLK SONG _ SONG OF THE VOLGA BOATMEN. IN PARTICULAR I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF CHALIAPIN'S ARRANGEMENT AND/OR OTHER ARRANGEMENT OF THIS SONG SUNG BY PAUL ROBESON.

IS IT NOT AMAZING THAT THERE IS NO PUBLISHED COLLECTION OF PAUL ROBESON SONGS PLEASE HELP IN ANY WAY PLEASE.

THANK YOU.

Subject: RE: SONG OF THE VOLGA BOATMEN-PAUL ROBESON VERSIO
From: Murray
Date: 02 Apr 97 - 03:24 AM

David: I can't remember exactly the Robeson version, but I THINK he sang it straight in Russian. Is that right? If so, then the words are likely to be something like this: [How to transliterate is a problem. Pronounce this as you would English, with a Scots/German "ch" sound for "kh", and the inverted comma after t in "mat'" makes the consonant "soft" or palatalised:

Ey, ukh nyem! Ey, ukh nyem! Yeshcho razik, yeshcho raz! [twice, I think] Volga, Volga, mat' rodna! Shiroka i glubina! Ay da da ayda, ay da da ayda, shiroka i glubina!

[rest escapes me for now. Meaning is:]

Yo heave ho! Yo heave ho! [--I know it sounds like a pirate shanty, but I can't think of another way to put it] One more time, one more time! Volga, Volga, mother river! Broad and deep! Ay da [etc. -- a meaningless chorus] Broad and deep.

Hope this is of help. In time I may be able to look up the complete thing in a Russian songbook I have. Cheers - Murray.

Subject: RE: SONG OF THE VOLGA BOATMEN-PAUL ROBESON VERSIO
From: Susan of DT
Date: 02 Apr 97 - 06:36 AM

A book of Piano music, not the best source of lyrics, has:

Yo, heave ho, yo heave ho/Once again we sing/yo, heave ho, yo, heave ho/ yo, heave ho, Once again we sing//Yo heave ho/While we drag the barge along/ Cheer our toil with the Volga song/ Ai, da-da, ai da/ai, da-da, ai da/ Once again we sing/ yo, heave ho.

From: Let us have music for the Piano, arranged by Maxwell Eckstein, published by Carl Fischer in 1940.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen (Paul Robeson)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Dec 05 - 12:30 AM

Several sources say Paul Robeson's version of SONG OF THE VOLGA BOATMEN was arranged by someone named Schindler.

I'm guessing that would be Kurt Schindler (1882-1935), German composer, conductor.

I listened to a sound sample, and it seems to have some Russian and some English words. The English words I was able to make out were:

"Once more, boys, and yet once more,
As along the shore(s) we..."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen (Paul Robes
From: AKS
Date: 01 Dec 05 - 04:21 AM

'Boatmen' is a bit misleading translation of burlaki, more literal would be 'towmen' or 'barge haulers' - have a look at here and you see why.


AKS

Subject: RE: Song of the Volga Boatmen - Paul Robeson Version
From: Mr Happy
Date: 01 Feb 10 - 07:39 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfsWoNpHg2s

Subject: Lyr Add: SONG OF THE VOLGA BOATMEN
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 Jan 12 - 03:07 PM

I transcribed these English words from the recording, and copied the transliterated Russian words from the article about the song at Wikipedia:


SONG OF THE VOLGA BOATMEN
As sung by Paul Robeson on "The Complete EMI Sessions 1928-1939" (2008)

Ey, ukhnem! Ey, ukhnem!
Once more, boys, and yet once more!
Ey, ukhnem! Ey, ukhnem!
Once more, boys, and yet once more!
As along the shores we run,
Sing our chantey in the sun.
Ai-da, da ai-da, Ai-da, da ai-da,
Sing our chantey in the sun.
Ey, ukhnem! Ey, ukhnem!
Once more, boys, and yet once more!
Volga, Volga, mother stream,
Oh, thou river broad and deep,
Ai-da, da ai-da, Ai-da, da ai-da,
Once more, boys, and yet once more!
Volga, Volga, mother stream,
Ey, ukhnem! Ey, ukhnem!
Yeshcho razik, yeshcho da raz!
Ey, ukhnem! Ey, ukhnem!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 24 Jan 12 - 03:53 PM

I have read that the song was inspired by a painting of the Volga boatmen who pulled the boats up te canals. They are a most pitiful looking bunch of men. There is a wonderful version by the great Russian bass singer..forget his name..I will google. mg

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 24 Jan 12 - 04:13 PM

An interesting comparison are the versions by Boris Christof, Ivan Rebroff, the Red Army Chorus, and Paul Robson.
All are on youtube.

After these, the song will be in my head for days.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 24 Jan 12 - 05:40 PM

http://www.auburn.edu/~mitrege/russian/art/repin-boatmen.jpg

original picture..that is how our ancestors lived, some of them. mg

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 24 Jan 12 - 08:52 PM

This is the singer, Leonid. He has recently issued some sort of peace document that is very impressive they say.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WD0WVL-HjE

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: radriano
Date: 24 May 18 - 04:17 PM

If they are pulling boats up canals, then "Yo, heave, ho!" is wrong, as heave means "push."

I've seen another translation that has the words as "Ho, hey ho!"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: ST
Date: 25 May 18 - 07:41 AM

Well, they pulled the boat by pushing their harnesses.

Literally, though, it's just 'Let's hoot.'

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: radriano
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 11:38 AM

Nice try but they are still pulling the boats.

The problem is that you can't use a literal translation for this. I think you've got to translate into a usable explanation for what they are doing and I doubt the Volga boatman (boatwomen) were hooting.

Just my opinion, anyway.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: ST
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 03:39 PM

Well, some dictionaries also mention a meaning "do something together joining efforts" citing similar work songs. This meaning is completely lost in modern Siberian Russian, so I had no idea. Makes much more sense, though.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: mg
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 04:19 PM

You are in luck because we have a beautiful version on our brand new log driving cd..by a well known pnw jsa singer. Ten dollars for twenty one songs. Pm me for info.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: Helen
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 08:23 PM

Russia boat crash in Volgograd

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 10:56 PM

There is also a verse that goes something like

Razovyom my berezu
Razovyom my kudryavu

-- that is, once more to the curly birch. I think the idea is, there is always another birch ahead, so you never get to stop.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: Lighter
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 08:08 AM

Is this famous song originally "trad," or is it a Romantic creation?

Or a little of both?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: ST
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 11:48 AM

GUEST,

I doubt that. These two lines absolutely don't suggest any repetitiveness. The grammar indicates an action to take place in the future only once. 'We'll unwind a curly birch,' once, end of story.

Doesn't make a whole lot of sense as is, but in Russian poetry "birch tree" often stands for "girl/woman" — and it's anybody's guess what "unwind" could mean in this context if that's the case here.

Lighter,

From what I've heard, the tune is mostly authentic trad while the lyrics have been seriously doctored. Makes sense to me. It's hard to believe anyone would risk bringing the lowly language the original lyrics are told to pretty much consist of into the high society in the middle of the 19th century.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: radriano
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 03:59 PM

I would agree with Lighter here.

The tune is mostly traditional. The words, well, I was surprised that Paul Robeson sang a version with "Yo, heave, ho" and "now we sing our chan-tee song" lyrics.

It is a great song, though, especially if sung in Russian, da?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: Joe_F
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 06:00 PM

FWIW, "GUEST" above is me without my cookie.
This translation agrees with ST.

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 24 Apr 25 - 07:34 PM

“1. The Volga Boat Song, also included in this Collection, is suggestive of the breadth and elemental might of Russian folk-singing. In 1906, this song was brilliantly arranged by A.K. Glazounov. Of late, it has grown quite popular in America.” [v., introduction]

“Tranlsation by Jacob Robbins
Folk-Songs
THE VOLGA BOAT SONG
Molto Moderato

Ei – euch nyem!
Ei – euch nyem!
Once again, and once again.
Soon the birch will move onward,
Soon the birch will move forward.
Ai da da ai da, Ai da da ai da,
Soon the birch will move forward,
Ei – euch nyem!
Ei – euch nyem!” [p.9-10]

“The Volga Boat Song is the best known song of the bargemen (burlaks,) of the Volga river. These men dragged the barges along the river by ropes carried over their shoulders. The folk-song is in reality a chantey which men sang to relieve the strain of the rope and to help lighten the work. This method of hauling (the river barges) was abandoned in the middle of the last century, but its chantey has endured as a perfect expression of the suffering and pain caused by inhuman labor.

Glazounow used this theme in his orchestral suite “Stenka Razin.” [p.45-46]
[Russian Folk-Songs, Botsford ed., 1929]
[Reprinted from: Folk-Songs of Many Peoples, 1921]
Looking for Russian lyrics here: Lyr ADD: Volga Boatman. Note: Botsford includes them as well.

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 24 Apr 25 - 07:41 PM

Fair pedant warning, me Grandpa Conchy was the last of the red-hot telodynamic engineers:

heave, ho, hal, tow &c.:
Note how in Ilya Repin's famous painting the 'tow rope' leads to the masthead (truck.)

If it's fixed at one end… it's a “cable.” ie: anchor or mooring. If both ends are free to move about… it's a “hawser” (root = to raise.) In both cases, gravity acting on the catenary betwixt the two ends does most of the moving or holding as the case may be.


“Boatmen”
By the time the song and painting came around there was no familiar translation for burlak in most Western languages. 'Chantey' same problemo. Canto de los remeros del Volga is “rowers.”

Ye olde canal boat Englishe would be the long gone and forgotten: hobbler. In all of southern Europe's Roman era, the yoke or collar was a helcium; boatmen were helciarii; and chantey the chorus helciariorum.

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Song of the Volga Boatmen
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 26 Apr 25 - 05:30 PM

Minor 'chantey' on the Volga drift:
“We transcribe his account of the following incident. It relates to his voyage down the Volga, from Tchebocsar to Kazan:–
        “At one in the afternoon we commenced our voyage, having a very fine day, and a fresh breeze, which towards evening sunk into a calm, so that we were obliged to take to our oars, with which we proceeded merrily enough, the crew singing their national airs in concert, so as to remind me forcibly of the Canadian boat-song. Our harmony was at length interrupted by an occurrence,…

...When it concluded, the parties betook themselves to rowing and singing, as before.”
[Holman's Travels Through Russia, Meyer's British Chronicle, No.XXII, Vol.II, 1827]


“The sense of rhythm is very strong in peasants. Anyone may have observed when a building is being erected by a whole «artel», or at the loading and unloading of a vessel, the rhythm of the work under the influence of song. The power of joint, rhythmical singing, whilst at work, seems miraculous; enormous weights are moved and hoisted up with the song as it were. I remember once on the Volga, at Kamyshin, the dockers were hauling huge baskets of fish out of the hold. When they lifted a basket up out of the hold and threw it, the weight seemed enormous. Before putting it on the boards, over which the baskets were dragged to the landing, the dockers stood still and beginning the song «It'll go of itself» tried to pull up the basket. One group sang «It'11 go of itself!» the other answered «It does'nt» «It does'nt» up to the moment when by their united efforts they moved the basket from its place with the exclamation «There goes!» Then they all easily and quickly pulled at it in time with the song, drawing it up to the landing stage, where they laid it in a row of similar baskets. Here is the melody of the song.* It is useless to mention that it was constantly varied.

It is difficult to imagine all the animation and energy of this scene, where the song seemed to give the workers the strength of athletes.”
[Peasant Song of Great Russia, Lineff, 1912]
*Note: Includes music & lyrics.