Песня летчика [Pesnja letchika] [English translation]

They’re eight now, we are two. The furball1layout’s

Not ours, let it be - we’re game!

Serjozha! Hold on, we’ve no chance shining on us

But aces have yet to come square

I won’t be a dot2 in this grid square of heaven

And numbers don’t count for me

Today my true friend is my wingman3 up here

This makes all chances agree

Check six,4 there’s "a Messer",5 at last, it caught fire

The props blades wailed their due

They never will need any crosses at graveyards

The crosses on these wings will do!

“Alert, 6 this is One here. 7 For bandits 8 check belly 9

I’ve come up to cut them off track

Quench fire and hawk in the clouds!10 I’ll cover!

No miracles happen in battle!"

Serguey, you’re on fire! Pray, man, or set hopes

At this point on hitting the silk 11

Too late now, ahead is "a Messer" for my soul

Adios,12 I will meet it at twelve 13

I know that others will make it all square

And gliding on clouds as one

Our souls will take off like two fighter aircraft

As they can be never split up

The Archangel tells us: "You’ll sit tight in heaven!"

But after the gates go click

We’ll ask God a favour “Enroll us together

In some Angels Regiment here”

And I will implore Father, Son and the Spirit

To kindly fulfil what I ask

Let my friend forever be my wingman in here

Just like in the combat of last

We’ll ask God for arrows and wings for us both

They need here an angel ace

And if there're too many of fighters for God

They might make us guardians as well

To guard, after all, is a noble endeavour

While wafting good luck on the wing

To those like we were, me and Serjozha

On earh and in the air.

To those like we were, me and Serjozha

On earh and in the air.

1. multiple aircraft engagement(a dogfight) 2. refers to how a distant aircraft looks on the horizon, ("I'm a dot" means "I'm out of here")3. second aircraft/pilot in a two-ship formation which flies behind the leader to protect it from an aft attack 4. visual observation of the rear quadrant, from which most air-to-air attacks can be expected. Refers to the clock system of scanning the envelope around the aircraft; 12 o'clock is straight ahead, 6 o'clock is directly astern 5. a Messerschmitt plane 6. warning command in air combat 7. a standard radiocall for a Russian leading aircraft 8. hostile aircraft 9. hostile aircraft are flying below 10. staying above, out of combat engagement 11. bailing out 12. part of "AFM" message, "Adios, M***F*** 13. head-on collision

• Artist:Vladimir Vysotsky