Ivan Chelovekov was a simple man
He only looked to the world,
And when he said "Yes", he meant it.
And when he said "No", he meant it.
He knows what tomorrow will bring him
Working eight-to-five.
And if after five,
A mountain would try to get in his way
He would never try to get around it
When Ivan came home he saw, 1
Right next to the garbage can,
Death staring at him from the hatch.
He understood that he'll die tomorrow.
So he wrote in his notebook for death to meet him,
Tomorrow at exactly twelve o'clock
He couldn't stand work undone,
He'll suffer for all the things he said in vain.
I know this woman :
One called her "freedom"
For others she's fate,
And for the first, she's a slave
And for the second, she's a sacred judge
I know this woman.
I know this woman.
Ivan Chelovekov's face was clean-shaven
He wore his best suit and waited
Pale but calm
And death startled him
He forgot where he lived.
For a long time he waited, but he soon tired out
In vain, he waited and left for home,
Once meeting death he didn't greet her
Like he did to everyone who has wronged him.
I know this woman :
One called her "freedom"
For others she's fate,
And for the first, she's a slave
And for the second, she's a sacred judge
I know this woman.
I know this woman.
And when they first tried to capture her
They tried to force her to wash their socks
But the second they knew what a decay this decay is
And they lived without anguish.
1. The "saw" comes from the next line.