Phantom (russian song)

Phantom is an informal Soviet military song. Original author and exact time, when it was written, are unknown. It's supposed to be written by Soviet military advisors in Korea, during Korean War in 1950s. Later it was re-written, during Vietnam war in 1970s. Actually, the word written is not suitable for such kind of songs, because in that period of time, between 1950s and 1980s, such written text would be considered as anti-Soviet propaganda and could cause a bad consequences for those who possessed it. There are at least five variants of song text, including Korean, Vietnamese and even the Middle East variety. Most famous was performed by Russian rock-band Chizh & Co in 1990s. There were a lots of different covers of this song after the Fall of the Soviet Union, it was performed by many Russian musicians, such as Yegor Letov and Grazhdanskaya Oborona, Sergey Chigrakov. All together - more than 15 performers, and uncountable number of covers by anonymous musicians. CD was released with 24 variants of this song, performed by different rock bands, singers and even orchestra, including instrumental, concert, anime covers, karaoke treks, and song performed on French language (An one song anthology - "Phantom: I’m running a scorched earth").

Plot

Song is a narrative from American military F-4 pilot, whose aircraft was shot down by some Russian ace. And Lee Si Tsin is an idiom from native Russian second name Lisitsin, which is describing Soviet military pilots, who were fought in Asian skies against the US military, under such a cover. For example, the Russian ace Yevgeny Pepelyaev and his commander Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub both were Lee Si Tsins during Korean war, what they had revealed after the fall of the Soviet Union. The American pilot asking: "who's that pilot?" and he really does not believe that it was Lee Si Tsin, who shot him down, whilst speaking Russian on the air during their dogfight.

Text

Russian text by Sergey Chigrakov

Я бегу по выжженной земле,
Гермошлем захлопнув на ходу.
Мой "Фантом" стрелою белой на распластанном крыле
С рёвом набирает высоту.

Вижу голубеющую даль -
Нарушать такую просто жаль.
Жаль, что ты её не видишь! Путь наш труден и далёк.
Мой "Фантом" несётся на восток.

Делаю я левый поворот,
Я теперь палач, а не пилот:
Нагибаюсь над прицелом - и ракеты мчатся к цели.
Впереди ещё один заход.

Вижу в небе белую черту -
Мой "Фантом" теряет высоту.
Катапульта - вот спасенье! И на стропах - натяженье,
Сердце - в пятки: в штопор я иду.

Только приземлился, в тот же миг
Из кустов раздался дикий крик:
Желтолицые вьетнамцы верещат в кустах, как зайцы.
Я упал на землю и затих.

Вновь иду по проклятой земле.
Гермошлема нет на голове.
Сзади дулом автомата в спину тычут мне солдаты,
Жизнь моя висит на волоске.

"Кто же тот пилот, что меня сбил?" -
Одного вьетнамца я спросил.
Отвечал мне тот раскосый, что командовал допросом:
"Сбил тебя наш лётчик Ли Си Цын".

Это вы, вьетнамцы, врёте зря!
В шлемофоне чётко слышал я:
"Коля, жми, а я накрою!" - "Ваня, бей, а я прикрою!"
Русский ас Иван подбил меня.

Где-то там вдали родной Техас,
Дома ждут меня отец и мать.
Мой "Фантом" взорвался быстро в небе голубом и чистом -
Мне теперь вас больше не видать...

 

Literal translation

I’m running a scorched earth
Fixed a headset on the run
My “Phantom” as a white sparrow on a sprawled wing
Roaring and ascending.

I see the blue distance
It’s so pity to disturb it.
It’s pity, that You haven’t see it. Our way is difficult and far.
My “Phantom” flying East.

I’m turning left,
I’m a butcher now, not a pilot,
Bowing over a sight, and rockets are rushing to the aim,
One more sortie ahead.

I see the white line in the sky
My “Phantom” loosing altitude
Ejector – that’s salvation, and a tension on the cords,
Heart into the boots, I’m going into a spin.

Just as I landed,
A wild scream shouted out of the clusters –
Yellow-faced Vietnamese are squealing in clusters like hares,
I felt on the ground and hush.

I’m going a cursed earth again
No headset on my head
There is a gun muzzle, soldiers prod into my back
My life is now hang by a thread.

“Who’s that pilot who shot me down?”
I’d asked one viet,
Those cross-eyed, who lead the interrogation, answered me:
“You were shot down by our pilot Lee Si Tsin”.

You’re lying for nothing, Vietnamese.
I heard clearly in my headset earphones:
“Kolya, let her rip, and I’ll get him!”, “Vanya, hit ‘em! And I’ll cover you!”
Ivan the Russian Ace had shot me down.

Far away from here my native Texas,
Mother and father waiting for me there,
My “Phantom” exploded quickly in the clear blue sky,
I’ll never see you again.
  • List of songs about the Vietnam War

Sources

(translated from russian)

  • Николай Анатольевич Салмин/Nicolay A. Salmin "Интернационализм в действии: локальные войны и вооруженные конфликты с участием советского компонента : военного, военно-технического, экономического (1950-1989)/Internationalism in action: Lacal wars and conflicts", vol.1. Ekaterinburg : Изд-во Гуманитарного университета/Humanitarian University, 2001 ISBN 5901527119 9785901527115 (Page 285)

  • Федор Борисович Успенский/Fyodor B. Uspensky "Именослов. Историческая семантика имени/Imenoslov. Historical semantics". Vol. 2‎. Moscow : "Индрик/Indrik", 2007 - 496 p. ISBN 9785857594049 5857594049 (Page 396)

  • Новая военная литература/New military literature, № 4–12 - 2000. Periodical. Moscow : "Военинформ/Voeninform"‎. OCLC Number: 51196547 (Page 56)

ru:Фантом (песня)

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