Songs
This is just a small sample of over 200 songs by Slava
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https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCXdcEWdKqXjF_6Kmbfqs1Bw
Singing by Slava Gaufberg, with the band “The Velvet Season”.
Musical arrangement by Maria Moscalenko
Guitar solo – Vyacheslav Trufanov
Lyrics, music, video and English translation by Slava Gaufberg
Оutside the window a white and tender cobweb of a quiet snow
Infinity stretches from the gray low sky
I am alone on this beautiful, sleeping, snow-white land
I am alone with the silence, there is nothing else I need
I’m alone with this virgin whiteness
I am alone with the majesty of these snowy pines
I am alone with myself.
Only my thoughts are with me
Only my feelings, dreams, only what we carry in our soul
Everything disappeared in the mysterious snowy fog:
Cities, ships, mountains, faces of loved ones, friends
I am alone on earth
I am alone in this snowy nirvana
I am alone in the universe
And this universe is mine
Lyrics, music, video and English translation by Slava Gaufberg
My beloved, when in mute longing
Minutes without you seem like long years
And your kiss – just a memory on my temple
Left by beloved lips – Slowly melting away, like a spec of ice,
Quietly running down my chick, like a tear…
Then I am all in you, near or far,
In happiness, in the fantasies, in the fleeting sadness…
I’m all in you. In dreams and in reality
When you are far away. When you’re nearby.
I breathe by you, I live by you.
With you life blooms, like a magical garden
My soul is like a candle light
Trembles languidly under your breath …
And happiness is beyond distance
Close your eyes. And listen.
In silence.
Lyrics, music, video and English translation (below) by Slava Gaufberg
Music arrangement by Maria Moscalenco and Slava Trufanov
The Pier
In the fog of past years the ship bells rang out
And frothy waves bang with fury at my boat
And the lights go out slowly in the evening sky
And the whole world is getting dressed in silver moonlight
And everything seems eternal and imperishable
And my ship, crashing into the backs of the waves
Lost in the desert of the ocean
Full of hopes, dreams and pain
Is looking for the harbor, for the quiet pier
Of peace, of sleep, of promised land
But the nights are getting longer. And the clouds
Cover more and more of moonlight
And suddenly your voice sounds from afar
And the snow-white tender hand
Gently touches the gray of my hair
And the light of the distant beacon flashes
Calling me to your pier And I feel tender lips at my temple
Whisper something in a slight touch
But what – I do not understand in the magic of my dream
And my ship will approach the pier
Where you have waited all your life, my friend
She will roll down her tired sails
Will fall asleep with a sweet smile
Nothing would disturb her happy sleep
I’ve searched for this pier in my dreams all my life
And I am finally here. And you are with me.
Lyrics, music, video and English translation by Slava Gaufberg
You came to me quietly in my sleep
To tell me about spring
To tell me the sun will rise
The meadow will bloom beyond the lake
The leaves of the grove
Will whisper sleepily at night
And the flowers will open up
A little embarrassed by their beauty
And the birds will sing again
And the ships will sail away into the ocean
And that you are filled with expectation
Of this strange and so welcomed spring
She will certainly come
And the ice will melt on the lake
And under the glorious dome of blue skies
The thawed forest will come back to life …
I listened. And with the radiance
Like shine of the dawn in the window
The dream of spring flared up in me…
But it was just a dream …
Слова, музыка и видео Славы Гауфберга
Аранжировка Марии Москаленко и Вячеслава Труфанова
Lyrics, music, video and English translation by Slava Gaufberg
Arrangement by Maria Moscalenko and Vyacheslav Trufanov
I have blue sky for you
I have the sun shining for you
I have the wind in the field for you
I have my sadness for you
My feeling for you will not go away
You are the only one for me in this world
Save me from this pain
Call for me – I’ll be back
I’ll return to you over mountains
I will return to you across rivers
Across the seas and oceans
Through the rain and sadness
Let the years flow away like rivers
Let eyelids swell with tears
Let the fog separate us I’ll be back anyway
And I will rest my face in your hands
And will dry your tears with my lips
And calm your soul with my eyes
And will take away your pain
And we together will float forever
In the happiness of our dreams
Just listen to me
Let us love
Lyrics, music, video and English translation (below) by Slava Gaufberg
Night and boulevard and lanterns
And winter night bliss
And the kingdom of frost and snow
And the warmth of childhood memories
And a quiet sigh, and a light in the eyes
The call of magic tenderness
And snowflakes are melting on the lips
Waiting for a kiss
And the stars like scattered sand
In a frozen universe
And a gentle touch of fingers
And a sweet temple with a trembling vein
And the music sings softly
Faintly audible, gentle and pure
It’s beautiful voice
Calling us into the magical worlds
And if you add it all up
Absorb it, then in an instant
You will realize what a bliss it is
To live. Just to live
Lyrics, music and English translation (below) by Slava Gaufberg.
Music arrangement by Maria Moskalenko and “Velvet Season”
My little green courtyard
I visit you in my dreams
And wander around
Under cautious glances of the windows
And the apple tree in bloom
Gently extends its branches to me
And the canary in the copper cage
Sings in the open window
I see you, my friends,
My grimy vassals.
The masters of snowballs,
The dukes of the courtyard
I see us, zipping down the snowy hills in our city park
On wooden skis, on sleds,
In ripped t-shirts In secret from our parents.
And a white bow, and a mysterious glance
And the magic of tight braids
And the heaviness of matches on the eyelashes –
Oh, how hard it is to hold them!
And January is slowly floating over the skating rink
Weaving together snowflakes and music
And a tired calendar Quietly leafing through the months
In my dream. And the ball, and the waltz,
I’m spinning, flying Delight, hope, awe, happiness …
Suddenly everything disappeared all at once
As if somebody blew out the candle of my dream.
And feeling that I live
Returning from nowhere
I shudder in anticipation of a miracle
In this beautiful and real world.
English translation by Slava Gaufberg
Стихи, музыка и видео Славы Гауфберга
Lyrics, music, video and English translation by Slava Gaufberg
Red rose on white snow
Like a drop of steaming blood.
If I can’t see you-
Put her at the head of your bed…
And every morning, just as dawn
Will look in your foggy window
Her magical burning light
Will remind you
That in the fantasy of my dreams
Behind the pines and snow
You live and breathe and
I send you flowers
And I amuse you with my poems ..
And time spins an endless thread
And new dreams come
And life is so joyful and full of light
In the world where you are …
Lyrics, music and English translation by Slava Gaufberg
Every night, waiting for the dawn
I dream about white summer
The air is trembling, scorched by the sun
The years wandering like pilgrims
Starry nights, morning fog,
Warm waves of sweet nirvana
Mountain peaks, airy gray,
Blue eyes of wondrous lakes,
The forest; so mysterious, languid, beckoning,
The days, slowly melting into the past,
Singing birds, buzzing insects,
Cries of unknown night creatures…
What has happened to us?
What will happen to us? Summer will go away and forget us
Autumn will come, and foliage
Will cover, with its bright blanket, our hopes,
Our desires, passions and torments,
Anticipation of new faces, bitterness of goodbyes,
Sweetness of dreams, wanderlust of the road,
Joy, suffering, happiness, fear…
Sleepy autumn, sweet autumn
What do you have in mind for us?
Autumn answers in a whisper of leaves:
“I will guide you carefully into the winter”
Well, take me to the winter, pretty one,
To the snow that is gently woven from stars,
To skis that carry like wings down the slope,
To the sounds that drown in white silence…
I will enjoy my winter
All my past will be with me …
And at night, waiting for the dawn
I will dream of white summer
Стихи, музыка, видео Славы Гауфберга
Lyrics, music, video and English translation by Slava Gaufberg
My shadow is hanging around me everywhere
Dragging along in summer and in winter
Even when I am wondering from nowhere to nowhere
She still keeps following me
Even in total darkness when I can’t see her
I know that she is here somewhere
And I’m afraid I may offend her
If I suddenly move to the window light
Often I dream to talk to her
Often I want to chat with her
About the countless numbers of the magic threads
That bind us forever
About all my deepest secrets
Which only she knows
About tears, about passion, about vows
About the burning desire to drink life to the bottom
About dreams that came true and did not come true
And about the ones that could never come true
About lovers that have long been forgotten
About friends who are gone forever
About mountains, lakes and lightning
About the cliff over the river of my childhood
About dear, sometimes forgotten faces
About doubts that are always with me…
My shadow, my silent companion
You are with me everywhere and forever
And whatever clouds are gathering
And whatever troubles come
We are living same destiny together
And whenever the circle ends
You will be by my side
My shadow, my quiet faithful friend
The story behind this song
July 15, 1982. The wheels gently touched the runway, and the plane came to a stop. I saw a cluster of airport buildings in the distance. And the big sign “Vienna”. I was in Austria. I was free. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t talk. All I could think of – the face of my father ashen with grief, the small crowd of about 30 brave friends and relatives who came to the airport to say goodbye to me forever, risking harassment, or worse, by KGB agents. We knew we would never see each other again. And now I am in Vienna. I exited the plane and walked to passport control. I had no passport. I had no other documents. The Soviet authorities only allowed me to carry a single piece of paper stating that I was a refugee without any citizenship. But the Austrian border guards were familiar with the situation. I was not the first to arrive like that. They let me in. I had a vague plan of what to do next. I found a public phone in a corner of the arrival area and dialed “0”. An operator answered in German. “Could I please place a collect call to…” and in my broken English I gave her the number of the Vienna office of US agency for refugees. I memorized that number back in Moscow, like all other important numbers, since I was forbidden by the Soviet authorities to bring with me any notes, notebooks or any other handwritten, typed or printed material. After a short pause a male voice answered. “I am a refugee from the Soviet Union, just arrived in Vienna, could I meet with you?” “Please take a taxi to this address…We will meet you downstairs and will pay for the taxi”. So, they knew that I had no money, even for a phone call, not to mention a taxi. I found a taxi and gave the driver the address. I don’t remember how we got there, but soon I found myself in a front of a modest building on a quiet street, and a burly middle-aged man, who was waiting for my arrival, paid for my taxi ride. He led me upstairs to the office. After 2-3 hours of questioning me about my whole life, family, work, friends, the same man took me to a small apartment, not far from the city center, where I was to stay while waiting for the next transport to the refugee processing center in Rome, Italy. He gave me a few Austrian schillings – the equivalent of $3 US, – and told me that tomorrow he would come again to give me more money and to talk about next steps. I found myself in a small one-bedroom apartment with two other refugee families with children. I was to sleep on a cot in the kitchen. Since I was alone with very few possessions – just my old mountaineering backpack with a few items of clothing, and my beat-up guitar (it was allowed to leave the Soviet Union with me by some miracle), I didn’t mind at all. I dropped my stuff in a corner of the kitchen and went outside. I couldn’t wait to meet Vienna, the beautiful imperial city, the first city of my freedom. Around the corner I saw a small store with some sausages in the window display. I stopped in a front of that window completely shell shocked. I had never seen anything like that in my life. I hadn’t eaten since the night before, but decided not to spend my few schillings on food, and rather save them for some museum or theater tickets, or to see Vienna’s famous Opera, or beautiful palaces and cathedrals. I didn’t mind being hungry. I tore myself away from that “meat heaven”, and kept walking. I intuitively knew where the center of the city was, and walked toward it. Soon I came to a large square in a front of a beautiful cathedral. The magnificent grandeur of this cathedral in Vienna was beyond anything I had seen before. Suddenly I heard music. I started walking toward the mesmerizing sound. In the corner of the square two teenaged girls were playing Mozart. Violin and cello. I was totally transfixed. I had never seen street musicians – as they were prohibited in the Soviet Union. The beautiful sound of eternal music was filling the air. It was a balmy Sunday evening. People were strolling, sitting in outdoor cafés and on grass. I was standing and listening, my heart filled with music, joy and tears. I don’t know how much time passed. All that terrible sadness, all that grief that I felt – were washed away by these girls with their Mozart. A new life, life where people can play Mozart in the streets was awaiting me. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my few schillings. I placed them gently into the violin case in the front of the girls. The one with violin smiled to me and said “Danke”. It made me so happy. It was dark and late. I waved to them, turned around and started walking toward my kitchen with a cot. My heart was singing, my steps were light. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was dancing. Free, I was dancing on the streets of Vienna to the music of Mozart in my head…
Слова и музыка Славы Гауфберга
Lyrics and music by Slava Gaufberg
English Translation by Slava Gaufberg
What’s the use of giving names to distant whistle stops?
Who remembers the foggy shadows of the empty platforms?
Rushing by, no one ever misses them
You will never find them on the schedule
From inside you can barely see the light behind the window,
The lantern floats by, no brighter than the mica moon
Empty platforms pass like strange phantoms,
Nameless, lost in the night whistle stops.
Who would descend down the steps, who would follow the rails?
What would he whistle, wandering along?
The one who stops here would find nothing
What’s missing here could never be found again
In my emptiness, on my cold planet,
On this platform under a faded mica moon
For thousands of years, I have never seen lights
Flying – even by – but still, next to me.
Dipping bread in wine after thousands of years –
Or looking at the stars, where the forest merges into the sky,
At every mile there is someone who believes in that illusive light,
And waits on a platform for that express to fly by.
Lyrics, music, photo and English translation by Slava Gaufberg
The pigeons are cooing on San Marco
The masts are waving goodbye to us
It’s time, our little boat is waiting
Let’s try not to dwell on the future
We’ll float along red, yellow, blue
Old walls, that carefully looking
At theirs and the sky’s reflection
In the cold gray mirror of the water
Let’s drop unnecessary and empty words
We can’t bring back what’s gone
We won’t share the last crumb of bread
We won’t shield each other from pain
The pigeons are cooing on San Marco
And a little boat is waiting again
This time it will leave without us
The sun is bright and blistering
The bridges are gracefully leaning over the canals
And the gondolas, fragile and empty
Quietly sliding along, and slowly melting away
Like you.
Lyrics, music and English translation by Slava Gaufberg
How do we find each other in this faceless, buzzing crowd,
In this whirlwind of mad existence, carrying us into the unknown
How do we find that star, the one that brings us together
How do we find that road, the one that leads us through this life
How not to lose oneself in the maelstrom of days
How to recognize the love that is bestowed from above,
How not to miss destiny, not to lose friends
How not to offend those who are so dear
Snow crunches underfoot and silence around,
The tops of pine trees are splashed against blue sky…
I am alone here. And you are alone there.
And the world of loneliness is beautiful and unbearable
Teach me life, how to hold all this
How to be myself, with my purity and sins
How to burn and suffer, how to create and how to love
How to warm hearts with passion, music and poetry
Teach me, life. And your lessons, I swear I will cherish and share
And someday, in a distant future, I will wave to you with a smile
Forever grateful, until my last breath
Lyrics, music and English translation by Slava Gaufberg
And wherever I am – beautiful autumn
Will overtake me In the delight of fire.
Will take me prisoner and, not hiding her love,
Will say to me innocently: “Take me, I’m yours.
Take my fire, my fervent dreams,
My blazing October, maples, birches,
While I am overwhelmed with beauty…
As long as there is fire in my leaves
Enjoy me. Drink my crisp air like wine, like a premarital drink
And burn me with your passion –
Add fire to my colors …
I’ll be gone soon, concealing my sadness
The birches will get covered with cold winter snow
The spring will shed it’s tears
And then – summer, with its heat, mosquitoes and dragonflies…
But all this will be later.
And today – I am here, your autumn,
Your blissful fairytale”
Lyrics, music and English translation by Slava Gaufberg
You asked me where my world is, where is my home
And what am I looking for in this life
And how hard my path is, and what will happen next
And how will I heal the wounds of my soul
What is love, what is grief What is loneliness and happiness
How to understand this life, where, and what, and when,
Its sweet moments, torment, hopes and passions…
I silently listened to you and in my mind
My life floated like clouds In the impossibly blue autumn sky, day after day …
With the bright sun, with slanting rains
With fragile snow, and the quivering light of the moon
With the singing of birds and the breath of the desert
And with nights filled with elating passion,
With the aroma of bitter wormwood
With sweet childhood, carefree, barefoot,
Fearless, daring and deadbeat at times
When we were taught mature reasoning
By every book we read And then, when life spun me around
In the magic of an endless waltz I asked my fate for more and more fire
So I could soar into the sky like a flame
And always, whether it be bright light or pitch darkness
My life, my invaluable mentor
Took me through the labyrinth tightly holding my hand
Not letting go for a moment
The years flowed like a stormy river into infinity
Past countries, cities, and lakes
Past the bays where the tired ships slept
Past the peaks of the snowy mountains
And being fed by miracles, drop by drop
My stream passionately rushed forward
It carried loved faces and voices
And irrepressible wild dreams
The river filled my treasure chests
With emeralds of wondrous happiness
With the gentle flutter of the lips and the tender touch of the hand
And the madness of burning passion
And verses, and thoughts, the wisdom of years
With the quiet whisper of autumn leaves
With the magic of a wondrous night when the moonlight
Washed our shadows in silver.
What can I answer you, dear friend?
What can I share with you?
My home is where love is, where tender, warm hands are
My world is – what is called destiny
Everything the generous life has given me
I give away with delight and passion
And I ask for only one thing – more fire
Because fire is happiness.
Lyrics, music, and English translation by Slava Gaufberg
Poltava. I’m three. In the yard.
Autumn air glimmers in the sun
Then for the first time,
I hear “Dirty Kike”
Not knowing what this means,
My blood still boils with offense
My fist takes off.
The bully is crying.
Blood pours from his nose
But that was just the beginning
Of a long line of insults
When scum screamed in my face “Fucking Jew”
Screaming out loud, screaming out quietly
Screaming soundlessly at times
And I kept punching noses
Proud and fearless, and thought
I was a hero And life went on.
Noses healed. And I grew towards time
But they never let me forget
That I was from the alien tribe
And the walls were rising around me
And I beat my head against them
And it was clearer by the day
That this was not my home
And it was clear – this was not my family
Where scoundrel rules over scoundrel
Where I wanted desperately, but in vain
To be a son, not just a tenant
I tore that cord with pain and blood
And started my life all over again
I healed the wounds with love
In search of my quiet harbor
The road was rocky and painful
And filled with the happiness
Of a new beginning
And I eagerly drank the elixir of life
Where would I be now.
What life would I live now
If not for those fights of my past
That strengthen my soul
And now, at a happy distance
Casting off shame
I am grateful to everyone who shouted to me “Dirty Kike”
Dark night, only bullets whistle across the steppe
Only the wind hums in the wires, the stars twinkle dimly
On this dark night I know, my beloved, you don’t sleep
And seating by the crib you quietly wipe away your tears
How madly I love the depth of your gentle eyes
How I want to press my lips to them now
The dark night divides us, my love
And the deadly black steppe lay between us
I believe in you, my sweet life mate
This faith protected me from a bullet on a dark night
I am happy and calm in this mortal battle
Because I know you will meet me with love, no matter what happens to me
I’m not afraid of death, I met with her more than once in this steppe
And now she is circling again over my head
But you are waiting for me, sleepless by the crib
And that’s why I know – nothing will happen to me
Lyrics, music and English translation by Slava Gaufberg
When the wind dies down And the sky goes out
And the stars wash us in their light
Of eternal being
And the soul sweetly trembles
And there is nothing in the world
More beautiful than this night sky
And starry magic
And our shadows sway sleepily
Reflecting in the smoky fire
And the melody flows softly
And we are feeling lightheaded
Our bodies and destinies are intertwined
And the melony taste of your lips
And a curl at the sweet ear
Trembles like a candle flame
And the night is rocking us like a wave
Endless as hope
Bottomless like desire
Sleepless like a river
It’s starry finery is reflected in your eyes
And it washes us with light
From eternal far away
And with a gentle wave our arms
Will rise in passionate vow
And lips will whisper something
Tender and loving
And the bliss of sweet torment
And there is nothing in the world
More enchanting than this night
And more magical than you
Lyrics, music, performance and English translation by Slava Gaufberg
To tears, to skipped heart beats
Moves me the sound of your words
As if the door into eternity swings open
And the head is spinning
In a passionate carousel
Of unceasingly beautiful
Days and years …
And quiet light
Flowing out of nowhere
Lights up my way –
The light of your star…
And the music, a wave of magic
Carries me and bathes me In it’s healing water
On the slope of the days
And your voice penetrates into my soul
Where I am hiding
And dissolves the pain and worries
And the candles quietly melt with wax tears
It’s time to sleep …
And my life is filled with the hope
To see you again
Lyrics, music and English translation by Slava Gaufberg
Snow is quietly descending like a white shroud
November is dying under its whiteness
And the year will end, and the century will end
And everything that happened to me will end…
What will I take with me? I don’t know yet
Maybe the magic carpet of autumn leaves
Maybe smoothness of the lakes, maybe clouds
Maybe misty peaks of fairy mountains
Maybe your lips and the touch of your hands
Maybe the smell of wormwood and the songs of dragonflies
Maybe the thrill of hope and the bitterness of goodbyes
Maybe the splashes of laughter and the salt of tears
Maybe the songs that lived in me
Maybe the blinding light of passionate love
Maybe the crackle of logs in a happy fire
Maybe childhood dreams from years melted away…
I love you, life. And in the glow of the day
And in the mysterious darkness of magic night
I ask of one thing – love me back
And don’t let me lose what is alive in me
Keep the songs flowing and tears falling
Keep the soul burning in the arms of fire
Keep those beloved eyes looking with love
Until the last minute of a farewell day