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"Wolf Hunt" is one of the most well-known songs by legendary Russian bard Vladimir Vyssotsky. He is instantly recognizable for his deep raspy voice, his idiosyncratic tendency to draw out consonants and vowels when singing, and his ability to craft poetic lyrics with simple and understandable words. His songs became legendary for communicating powerful emotions without resorting to high-brow poeticism or straying into kitsch or sappiness. If one were to draw comparisons to American songwriters, Vyssotsky could be described as the Russian Bob Dylan.

In his comedic songs, he often pokes fun at certain phenomena of Russian daily life: excessive drinking, gossiping, conspiracy theories, or the morning gymnastics shows on television. His dramatic songs range from war ballads to meditations on death and childhood, and, quite often, on work as stinging allegorical critique of the Soviet regime.

"His songs became legendary for communicating powerful emotions without resorting to high-brow poeticism or straying into kitsch or sappiness"

Such is the case of "Wolf Hunt," which describes the titular hunt from the perspective of a wolf. The canines are led towards a patch of snow surrounded by red flags, and then, unable to leave the perimeter, they are shot to death. The wolf narrator questions why it remains forbidden for them to cross the flags in order to save their lives, but the wolf leader simply tells him that this is undisputable natural behavior. In the last verse, on the brink of death, the narrator decides to flee after all, crossing the red flags and escaping, to the great surprise of his hunters.

The song uses simple sentences and an ABAB rhyme scheme, evoking the feel of simple folk music, but sung with all the exalted anger of an opera singer. An example of the song's lyrical simplicity can be seen in this stanza: "Из-за елей хлопочут двустволки -/ Там охотники прячутся в тень./ На снегу кувыркаются волки,/ Превратившись в живую мишень" (Double-barrels are cracking from behind the pines,/ There the hunters are hiding in the shadows,/ The wolves are somersaulting on the snow,/ turned into a living target).

Vyssotsky stated that he was inspired to write this song after reading about the inexplicable behavior of wolves, which stay within the confines of the borders created by their hunters, despite the prospect of imminent death. The allegorical content referring to the Soviet regime seems apparent today, but to listeners of the time, who knew Vyssotsky constructed his ballads around a variety of themes, “Wolf Hunt” could have indeed sounded like the mere story of a hunt. It is not known if the regime saw through the allegory, but his audience eventually grew large enough to include everyone from workers to famous cultural figures and even prominent party members, making for conflicting opinions on Vyssotsky within the regime.

"Vyssotsky stated that he was inspired to write this song after reading about the inexplicable behavior of wolves, which stay within the confines of the borders created by their hunters, despite the prospect of imminent death"

The narrator’s escape at the end can be seen as a parallel to Vyssotsky's life, seeing he was one of the few Soviet stars allowed to leave the country on numerous occasions. This was due to his increasing popularity and, crucially, to his marriage to French-Russian actress Marina Vlady, who even entered the French Communist Party in order to allow Vyssotsky to travel abroad. He repeatedly visited Europe and even made trips to America, where he was featured and interviewed on ABC's 60 minutes and, according to Vlady, even performed for Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli.

Vyssotsky was a heavy drinker throughout his life and a heroin addict later on, in the years leading up to his untimely death. Despite his immense popularity, he was never recognized as a poet by the Communist Party, a title he strived for all his life. He remains one of the most famous Russian lyricists of all time.

Lyrics:

Рвусь из сил и из всех сухожилий, Но сегодня - опять, как вчера,-

Обложили меня, обложили, Гонят весело на номера.

Из-за елей хлопочут двустволки - Там охотники прячутся в тень.

На снегу кувыркаются волки,

Превратившись в живую мишень.

Идет охота на волков, идет охота!

На серых хищников - матерых и щенков.

Кричат загонщики, и лают псы до рвоты.

Кровь на снегу и пятна красные флажков.

Не на равных играют с волками

Егеря, но не дрогнет рука!

Оградив нам свободу флажками,

Бьют уверенно, наверняка.

Волк не может нарушить традиций.

Видно, в детстве, слепые щенки,

Мы, волчата, сосали волчицу

И всосали - "Нельзя за флажки!"

Идет охота на волков, идет охота!

На серых хищников - матерых и щенков.

Кричат загонщики, и лают псы до рвоты.

Кровь на снегу и пятна красные флажков.

Наши ноги и челюсти быстры.

Почему же - вожак, дай ответ -

Мы затравленно мчимся на выстрел

И не пробуем через запрет?

Волк не должен, не может иначе!

Вот кончается время мое.

Тот, которому я предназначен,

Улыбнулся и поднял ружье.

Идет охота на волков, идет охота!

На серых хищников - матерых и щенков.

Кричат загонщики, и лают псы до рвоты.

Кровь на снегу и пятна красные флажков.

Я из повиновения вышел

За флажки - жажда жизни сильней!

Только сзади я радостно слышал

Удивленные крики людей.

Рвусь из сил, из всех сухожилий,

Но сегодня - не так, как вчера!

Обложили меня, обложили,

Но остались ни с чем егеря!

Идет охота на волков, идет охота!

На серых хищников - матерых и щенков.

Кричат загонщики, и лают псы до рвоты.

Кровь на снегу и пятна красные флажков