Katyusha (Катюша) is a Russian Soviet wartime song about a girl longing for her beloved, who is away on military service. Katyusha also gave name to the 82mm BM-8 and 132mm BM-13 "Katyusha" rocket launchers that were built and fielded by the Soviet Union in World War II.
Katyusha is a tender diminutive from the female name Ekatherina (Katherine). In Russian, many names have diminutives (besides nicknames). For example, the diminutive for Natalia is Natasha, and the tender diminutive for Natasha is Natashenka. In the case of Ekaterina, Katya is the nickname and Katyusha, a tender diminutive.
The music was composed in 1938 by Matvei Blanter (Матвей Блантер) and the lyrics were written by Mikhail Isakovsky (Михаил Исаковский). Although Katyusha is a famous Russian song, it is not considered a folk song like Kalinka (Калинка) or Sneg kruzhitsya (Снег кружится - Snow is whirling). Katyusha is a Soviet song often related to Communism and the soviets, and although it is a song of a quite pleasant melody and its lyrics are about love and have nothing to do with politics, it can displease people who are against Communism.
The song is also played in the movie The Deer Hunter.
Lyrics
| Russian | Romanization | English |
:Расцветали яблони и груши,
- Поплыли туманы над рекой;
- Выходила на берег Катюша,
- На высокий берег, на крутой.
- Выходила, песню заводила
- Про степного, сизого орла,
- Про того, которого любила,
- Про того, чьи письма берегла.
- Ой, ты песня, песенка девичья,
- Ты лети за ясным солнцем вслед,
- И бойцу на дальнем пограничье
- От Катюши передай привет.
- Пусть он вспомнит девушку простую,
- Пусть услышит, как она поет,
- Пусть он землю бережет родную,
- А любовь Катюша сбережет.
- Расцветали яблони и груши,
- Поплыли туманы над рекой;
- Выходила на берег Катюша,
- На высокий берег, на крутой
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:Rastsvetali yabloni i grushi,
- Poplyli tumani nad rekoy
- Vyhodila na bereg Katyusha
- Na vysokij bereg, na krutoy
- Vyhodila, pesnyu zavodila
- Pro stepnovo sizovo orla
- Pro tovo kotorovo lyubila
- Pro tovo ch'i pis'ma beregla.
- Oy, ty pesnya, pesenka devich'ya,
- Ty leti za yasnym solntsem vslyed
- I boytsu na dal'nem pogranich'e
- Ot Katyushi pyereday privyet
- Pust' on vspomnit devushku prostuyu
- Pust' uslyshit' kak ona poyot.
- Pust' on zemlyu berezhyot rodnuyu
- A lyubov' Katyusha sbyerezhyot.
- Rastsvetali yabloni i grushi,
- Poplyli tumani nad rekoy
- Vyhodila na bereg Katyusha
- Na vysokij bereg, na krutoy
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:Apple and pear trees were in bloom
- The mist crept over the river
- On the bank walked Katyusha,
- On the steep, high bank.
- She walked and sang a song
- Of a grey Stepp eagle,
- Of the one she loved,
- Of the one whose letters she kept
- Oh song, dear little song
- Fly into the bright sun
- And to the soldier on the far frontier
- Give greetings from Katyusha.
- May he remember a simple young woman,
- And hear how she sings
- May he protect the native land
- As Katyusha protects [their] love.
- Apple and pear trees were in bloom
- The mist crept over the river
- On the bank walked Katyusha,
- On the steep, high bank.
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