The Song of the Volga Boatmen

Эй, ухнем / The Song of the Volga Boatmen Choir & Ochestra of the Red Army

Ilya Yefimovich Repin's painting Barge Haulers on the Volga

The "Song of the Volga Boatmen" (Russian: Эй, ухнем!) is a well-known traditional Russian song collected by Mily Balakirev, and published in his book of folk songs in 1866.^[1] It is a genuine shanty sung by burlaks, or barge-haulers, on the Volga River. Balakirev published it with only one verse (the first). The other two verses were added at a later date. The song inspired Ilya Repin's famous painting, Barge Haulers on the Volga, which depicts burlaks in Tsarist Russia.^{[citation needed]}

The song was popularised by Feodor Chaliapin, and has been a favourite concert piece of bass singers ever since. Glenn Miller's jazz arrangement took the song to #1 in the US charts in 1941. Spanish composer Manuel De Falla wrote an arrangement of the song, which was published under the name Canto de los remeros del Volga (del cancionero musical ruso) in 1922.^[2] He did so at the behest of diplomat Ricardo Baeza, who was working with the League of Nations to provide financial relief for the more than two million Russian refugees who had been displaced and imprisoned during World War I.^[2] All proceeds from the song's publication were donated to this effort.^[2]

Lyrics

Russian	Transliteration	(Poetic) English translation
Эй, ухнем! Эй, ухнем! Ещё разик, ещё да раз! Эй, ухнем! Эй, ухнем! Ещё разик, ещё да раз! Разовьём мы берёзу, Разовьём мы кудряву! Ай-да, да ай-да, Aй-да, да ай-да, Разовьём мы кудряву. Мы по бережку идём, Песню солнышку поём. Ай-да, да ай-да, Aй-да, да ай-да, Песню солнышку поём. Эй, эй, тяни канат сильней! Песню солнышку поём. Эй, ухнем! Эй, ухнем! Ещё разик, ещё да раз! Эх ты, Волга, мать-река, Широка и глубока, Ай-да, да ай-да, Aй-да, да ай-да, Волга, Волга, мать-река Эй, ухнем! Эй, ухнем! Ещё разик, ещё да раз! Эй, ухнем! Эй, ухнем!	Ey, ukhnem! Ey, ukhnem! Yeshcho razik, yeshcho da raz! Ey, ukhnem! Ey, ukhnem! Yeshcho razik, yeshcho da raz! Razovyom my beryozu, Razovyom my kudryavu! Ai-da, da ai-da, Ai-da, da ai-da, Razovyom my kudryavu. My po berezhku idyom, Pesnyu solnyshku poyom. Ai-da, da ai-da, Ai-da, da ai-da, Pesnyu solnyshku poyom. Ey, Ey, tyani kanat silney! Pesnyu solnyshku poyom. Ey, ukhnem! Ey, ukhnem! Yeshcho razik, yeshcho da raz! Ekh, ty, Volga, mat'-reka, Shiroka i gluboka, Ai-da, da ai-da, Ai-da, da ai-da, Volga, Volga, mat'-reka Ey, ukhnem! Ey, ukhnem! Yeshcho razik, yeshcho da raz! Ey, ukhnem! Ey, ukhnem!	Yo, heave ho! Yo, heave ho! Once more, once again, still once more Yo, heave ho! Yo, heave ho! Once more, once again, still once more Now we fell the stout birch tree, Now we pull hard: one, two, three. Ay-da, da, ay-da! Ay-da, da, ay-da! Now we pull hard: one, two, three. As the barges float along, To the sun we sing our song. Ay-da, da, ay-da! Ay-da, da, ay-da! To the sun we sing our song. Hey, hey, let's heave a-long the way to the sun we sing our song Yo, heave ho! Yo, heave ho! Once more, once again, still once more Volga, Volga our pride, Mighty stream so deep and wide. Ay-da, da, ay-da! Ay-da, da, ay-da! Volga, Volga you're our pride. Yo, heave ho! Yo, heave ho! Once more, once again, still once more Yo, heave ho! Yo, heave ho!

Modern popular culture

The catchy tune of The Song of the Volga Boatmen has led to its being used in many musical situations, particularly as background music, often with the theme of unremitting toil (or, alternatively, devotion to duty). Some uses, particularly those portending doom or despair, employ only the iconic four-note beginning; others go so far as to add new, often wryly humorous, lyrics, such as the "Birthday Dirge".^[3] Some of the uses acknowledge the tune's Russian heritage; very few use the original lyrics.

The song, or at least the tune, was popularized in the mid-20th Century through a jazz version played by the Glenn Miller Band.^[4] A translated vocal version was sung by Paul Robeson. The Boston Pops Orchestra conducted by Arthur Fiedler recorded the tune in New York City on June 30, 1937. The arranger was Glazounov. It was released by EMI on the HMV Records label as catalogue number B 9182.

The tune is used as the theme song for the Fremantle Dockers Australian Rules Football team, albeit with different lyrics.^[5]

The first three lines of the melody can be heard in the background of Billy Squier's 1981 song, The Stroke. They occur beginning at approximately 2:57 into the song as a synthesizer line.

It is often used in various classic cartoons (including Tom and Jerry and Bugs Bunny) whenever a character is hauling something from one place to another. The music normally goes from the main (usually the chase) theme which slows down as the character drags the weight, and then transforms into the Song of the Volga Boatmen, which stops as soon as the character gets rid of the weight, and then the music goes back to normal.^{[citation needed]}

The song was also used in an episode of The Simpsons to punctuate a joke about Boris Yeltsin (specificially, his alcoholism).

An extract from the song was also used as part of Soda Popinski's fight introduction in the NES game Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!.

In The Three Stooges, Shemp sings this to the milkman when he is milking the cow when they are cavemen.

The Heavy, a large Russian man and one of the playable classes of the game Team Fortress 2, sometimes sings this song while pushing the bomb cart towards the objective, after winning a round, or after eating a Sandvich or Dalokohs Bar.

In the first Shrek movie, a group of gnome-like fairy tale creatures sings The Song of the Volga Boatmen with other lyrics as they are taken away in shackles.

On the Spongebob episode "Employee of the Month", Squidward and Spongebob try to upset each other with various traps and tricks as each races to the Krusty Krab to be early for work. The final "trap" the two lay on each other sees them both crawling while being tied to a massive boat and an anchor while a deeper, harsher instrumental of the chorus plays.

In the movie Lord of War starring Nicolas Cage. The song can be heard in the background in a scene featuring the vast soviet arsenal of tanks, guns and helicopters.

References

1. ^ Fuld, James J. (2000). The book of world-famous music: classical, popular, and folk. Courier Dover. p. 520. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Hess, Carol A. Sacred Passions: The Life and Music of Manuel de Falla, Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 134. ISBN 0195145615.
3. ^ The Birthday Dirge.
4. ^ Youtube: The Song of the Volga Boatmen.
5. ^ ...written by Ken Walther based in part on The Song of the Volga Boatmen, traditional arrangement Stravinsky

Other sources

In the song Red Fraction from Mel, used as intro song for the Anime Black Lagoon, you can hear "Queen of Ocean, Sing the Volga to you" in the lyrics

External links

• YouTube: Song of the Volga Boatmen — sung in the tradition of Chaliapin by Leonid Mikhailovich Kharitonov with the Alexandrov Ensemble, 1965.
• YouTube: Song of the Volga Boatmen — Paul Robeson.
• YouTube: Song of the Volga Boatmen — Glenn Miller and his orchestra.
• Youtube: Song of the VOlga Boatmen — translated Chinese version performed by the Male Choir of the People's Armed Police.