What is Blue Trolley About?
This is one of the most meaningful songs with deep song lyrics. It’s about finding compassion, care, and love in the most unlikely of places – a train or a trolley at night, where as you can imagine, everyone is tired and grumpy. But with its change in perspective, this song is one of the most touching songs about support and compassion.
Even though the protagonist of this song is tired and sad, he finds comfort in the people around him. There is a beautiful line in the song “imagine how much kindness there is in our silence.”
This song is a world-view-changing song because before listening to this song, most people would never think about kindness and compassion from people riding the midnight train with them. It’s a beautiful perspective filled with kindness. After listening to this song, it’s easy to see and imagine how much better things can be. After all, the other passengers are also tired and weary.
The song’s metaphor is that the trolley or train is like a boat gently rocking and gliding down a river. And the passengers are sailors on it with their shoulders touching not only because they have to in a crowded space, but because they are supporting one another. It’s one of the deep songs with meaning that I was happy to translate from Russian to English to share it with English-speaking audiences.
When I first listened to this song, its message took me by quite a surprise. It was such a surprise that at first I didn’t quite understand this perspective. After all, public transportation is an unpleasant space that’s not only unpleasant, but also has a number of dangers. Most people can’t wait to get off public transportation. And in general, we tend to live in a rather cold reality most of the time. That’s why the warmth of this song is so touching.
Playlist Of My Bulat Okudzhava Translations To English
Other Bulat Okudzhava Songs Translated To English Covered On This Website
- Grape seed song (sometimes called Georgian song)
- Enchanting Woman
- Farewell Cadets
- Wish To Friends
- Girl And Balloon
- The Road Song
Is Bulat Okudzhava’s Music A Fit For English-Speaking Or Younger Audiences?
Bulat wrote his music decades ago. Time has obviously passed and with each decade, some of his songs feel more and more dated to contemporary and younger audiences. A few of his ideas and topics have lost relevance.
But the bulk of his ideas are timeless. There is a lot of humanity in his words and music. There are many feelings to be discovered. Young audiences are fed mainstream music that often lacks a soul. Okudzhava’s music is all soul so when a young person who is accustomed to soulless music made by corporations comes across and really listens and hears Okudzhava, a new world opens for them.
The challenge is to have young people give Okudzhava a chance. He is quite different in idea and sound from today’s music. So if you like Okudzhava and want to share his music with others like I do, share his songs with people you know. He is an acquired taste and people may not take to him immediately. But the few people to whom he will appeal will have a richer inner world.