Everyone knows the song “Roasted Chicken”. Maybe not the whole text, but some lines for sure. This composition is also found in some Soviet films, including Wedding in Malinovka (1967). The folklore song exists in several variations. According to many sources, the composition belongs to the period 1918-1921. It reflects the situation of this historical period. Let’s try to analyze the song “Fried Chicken” in order to understand the meaning of the composition.
“Chicken fried, chicken steamed.” The song about the incredible adventures of the ill-fated chicken is heard not only by adults, but also by children. It is interesting to watch the adventures of a fantastic character. However, the image of a fried chicken is not something mysterious or magical. It is associated with a difficult period in the life of the people. People had to face great difficulties, even violence. Some of them saw no way forward. For them, the future seemed to be non-existent. People only thought how to live today, how to cope with all the troubles and hardships that fell on them. Not everyone survived, however, many still found the strength to move on.
“I went for a walk down the street.” People didn’t know what tomorrow had in store for them. It was useless to guess. Events changed at breakneck speed. Few could control their life path. During this period, external circumstances were of great importance. The dramatic song “Roasted Chicken” is about the fact that ordinary people have lost their peace, people have practically lost hope for a peaceful existence. But they still continued to fight for their happiness, although not all methods were effective. However, this could not continue for long. Unfortunately, the result was very sad.
“He was caught and arrested.” The character fell into the clutches of the regime, he did not have the right to vote. The hero of the song seemed to be born at the wrong time. This period did not give him freedom of action. All his actions had to be clearly regulated. He was not supposed to go beyond his limits. The chicken seemed to have been tortured in captivity. The character wanted to burn with his ideas, achieve his goals. However, already at the initial stage, his wings were cut off. And he was forced to exist as his time demanded of him. The difficult years left a significant imprint on the rest of my life. You just don’t have to choose a character. He had too many responsibilities to fulfill.
“They ordered me to show my passport.” Who is this fried chicken? Maybe a peasant who was “shod in bast shoes”? Who is used to working on the earth, to achieve everything with the help of his own strength. The character had to proudly declare himself by providing his documents. But he didn’t have them. From that, his position became less enviable. No one was interested in his needs and desires. Almost everyone was indifferent to his future fate. Maybe. in the image of a fried chicken, a homeless child is read, who himself chose his path. He was not attached to any particular place. The character seemed to go where his eyes looked.
“I don’t have a passport, drive a coin.” A careless walk around the city became the mistake of the hero of the song. The character seemed to be superfluous in this place. They did not want to accept him into their society. He had to pay for his presence. Sometimes, the price of this was too high. Did the character have a chance to change everything? Was he given any choice? He did not want to belong to any current. But he was not understood. The character did not have any money or material wealth.
“No coin, take off your jacket.” The hero of the composition in his life did not receive anything “just like that”. To achieve something, it was important to do something. Not everything can be bought with money. Happiness, peace of mind, harmony with oneself is not measured in material terms. Perhaps in order to gain something, sometimes it is necessary to lose something, to lose something. However, you should never lose heart. A person must have an inner core that will not allow him to fall in an unstable and difficult period. It is worth remembering that the black life streak will not always be.
“Chicken fried, chicken steamed.” It repeats over and over in the song. As if the performers want to get through to the character, it will attract his attention. Epithets say that life gave the hero of the composition not only pleasant surprises. He is familiar with hardships, and with problems, and with hardships. But did he manage to keep his fortitude? Was he able to stand on his feet? Did circumstances break him? Each listener must answer these questions himself, because the finale of the song turned out to be open.
“You can hurt a chicken.” The period mentioned in the song was extremely difficult for people. They were not listened to. Respect, justice, honesty were sometimes forgotten. Quite different values came to the fore. And ordinary people suffered from it. Even if they made their choice, it was not always taken into account. Some walked over the heads, thinking only about themselves, caring only about their well-being. Even in difficult, difficult conditions, it is important not to lose hope for the best, to believe in yourself.
