На нейтральной полосе [Na nejtral'nej polose] [English translation]

On the border to Turkey or Pakistan -

Is a neutral zone. To the right were there are shrubs, -

Our border guards with our captain,

And on the left side - their posts.

And on the neutral zone the flowers

Are of exceptional beauty!

The bride of the captain decided to live together.

She turned up and said: My love, that and this ...-

One must at least give the bride a bunch of flowers -

What is a wedding without flowers? A booze-up and that's all!

And on the neutral zone the flowers

Are of exceptional beauty!

To the superior, with a notice,

Also turned up an old wife - swooped down capriciously,

And said also "Love", only in Turkish, -

There'll be a wedding, she said, - a wedding and sabbath.

And on the neutral zone the flowers

Are of exceptional beauty!

Our border guards are brave lads -

Three volunteered to go, with them is the captain.

How should they know about it, that the Asians

Made up their minds to fire at the flowers in the night.

And on the neutral zone the flowers

Are of exceptional beauty!

Drunken from the smell of the flowers, the captian is dead drunk,

Now and their captain is also dead drunk.

He topppled on the flowers and moaned in Turkish,

And in Russian he cried: - Mother ... - the captain collapsed.

And on the neutral zone the flowers

Are of exceptional beauty!

Does the captain sleep and does he dream,

That the borders were opened, like the gate of the Kremlin.

He is contemptuous, there need not be a foreign country

He wanted to pass noman's land.

Why is that not possible? The earth however is nobody's,

It is all the same - neutral!

And on the neutral zone the flowers

Are of exceptional beauty!

• Artist:Vladimir Vysotsky