Write it. Sing it. Make it yours
Adapt Olga Anikina’s Russian lyric into singable English. Keep her images, word meanings, expressions and structure. No Russian needed. Write, sing or collaborate.
Song story · Make a recording · Full working text
Literal English and idiom notes are working materials, not finished lyrics.
The song’s story
A traveler leaves home and Riva behind, carrying little but looking toward a wide world and a hopeful journey.
Olga Anikina's Russian words (2023) give a departure story to the traditional klezmer dance melody.
The linked recording credits Walter J. Kin's arrangement (2025) and performance by Riglis Band.
Start from Olga’s Russian
Her Russian text is our starting point. Olga reimagines earlier songs while keeping their spirit.
Keep her images, word meanings, expressions and structure. Make the English sing without replacing her story.
Producer-confirmed: exclusive rights to these Russian lyrics. Rights to underlying music and recordings are separate.
Russian → literal English
Meaning to work from, not words to sing.
All 32 written lines from the cited Russian source text, without additional performance repetitions. English explains meaning; it is not a singable adaptation.
| Russian source | Literal English meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 В семь сорок он приедет | At seven forty it will arrive |
| 2 В семь сорок он подъедет | At seven forty it will pull in |
| 3 Дым коромыслом железные бока | Billowing smoke, iron sides |
| 4 Везёт с собой вагоны | It brings railway carriages with it |
| 5 Каждый четыре тонны | Each weighing four tons |
| 6 Будет стоять он до третьего свистка | It will stand there until the third whistle |
| 7 Мне надо так немного | I need so little |
| 8 Ищу жилище Бога | I am looking for God's dwelling |
| 9 А кто не ищет значит он не еврей | And whoever does not seek is therefore not a Jew |
| 10 Эй машинист давай-ка трогай скорей | Hey, engine driver, come on, get moving sooner |
| 11 Кондуктор дай проститься у дверей | Conductor, let me say goodbye at the doorway |
| 12 Прощай моё местечко | Farewell, my little town |
| 13 Прощай моё крылечко | Farewell, my little porch |
| 14 Я уезжаю кричу тебе пока пока | I am leaving, shouting goodbye, goodbye to you |
| 15 С котомкою заплечной | With a knapsack on my back |
| 16 Нет той котомки легче | No knapsack is lighter than that one |
| 17 Пусть и дорога окажется легка | May the journey turn out to be easy too |
| 18 Цветёт за домом слива | The plum tree is flowering behind the house |
| 19 Прощай красотка Рива | Farewell, beautiful Riva |
| 20 Теперь нескоро мы увидимся с тобой | Now it will be a long time before we see each other |
| 21 Над миром Бог живёт | God lives above the world |
| 22 А мир такой большой | And the world is so large |
| 23 А мир такой прекрасный боже ж мой | And the world is so beautiful, oh my God |
| 24 Махни платочком | Wave your little handkerchief |
| 25 Не надо горьких слёз | There is no need for bitter tears |
| 26 Живи себе счастливой | Live happily |
| 27 И вспоминай наш агицын паровоз | And remember our 'agitsyn' steam engine [see the idiom notes] |
| 28 Я выйду из вагона | I will step out of the railway carriage |
| 29 И прямо с небосклона | And straight from the sky |
| 30 Цветными рельсами к нам радуга сойдёт | A rainbow will descend to us as colored rails |
| 31 В моих глазах зелёных на восход | In my green eyes, toward the sunrise |
| 32 Одессы свет покажется вот-вот | The light of Odessa is about to appear |
Idioms & meaning
Дым коромыслом железные бока
Literal: Smoke in a yoke-shape; iron sides.
The idiom describes abundant, billowing smoke. The train is the subject; the image of a carrying yoke underlies the Russian wording, not a separate object on the train.
Нет той котомки легче / Пусть и дорога окажется легка
Literal: No knapsack is lighter. May the road be easy too.
The repeated idea of lightness moves from the bag's weight to the ease of the journey. Keep that connection in the explanation.
А кто не ищет значит он не еврей
Literal: And whoever does not seek is therefore not a Jew.
This is the traveler's emphatic, identity-colored line. It is not a participation restriction or a factual test of who is Jewish.
Гиц / hits; heys
Literal: 'Hits': heat. 'Heys': hot.
These are different Yiddish words. 'Agitsyn' is not a dictionary adjective meaning 'hot'. The likely source is the separate phrase 'a hits in parovoz', literally heat in a locomotive.
И вспоминай наш агицын паровоз
Literal: And remember our 'agitsyn' steam engine.
Makhlin recalls 'a gits in parovoz' as an ironic comment on the obvious: roughly 'Big deal!' This is a likely allusion, not a confirmed explanation of Anikina's intent. Do not silently replace it with 'hot' or 'merry'.
В семь сорок он приедет
Literal: At seven forty he will arrive.
The masculine Russian pronoun refers to the train. English 'it' clarifies the referent; 'he' may preserve personification but must not accidentally introduce another traveler.
Прощай моё местечко / С котомкою заплечной
Literal: Farewell, my small town. With a knapsack on my back.
The farewell, little porch and light knapsack connect home to departure. The traveler carries little, but the text does not specify an exact inventory or require a literal empty bag.
Your writing brief
Keep lively movement and the tenderness of leaving home.
The speaker’s identity claims are character voice, not participation rules.
Read the locomotive idiom notes; confirm Anikina’s intended allusion and permissions for modern words, arrangement and recording.
Your voice. Any lineup
Video or audio only. Solo, duet, band or choir. Write, sing, produce or collaborate; use your voice, Suno or other permitted tools.
Your voice and stage presence can shine even if the lyric needs work. Clear song, backing-track and tool permissions before posting.
Recording links: YouTube, Spotify or YouTube Music only. No files or other platforms.
Let us hear what you can do
Strong, original versions can be featured on JewishHit.com and possibly RIGLI’s music channel, with credit and permission.
Even if we do not accept your lyric, we may invite you to record our songs for a separately agreed fee. This is not an automatic payment for submitting.
Show us your strengths
Creative choices are partly subjective. Our selection is not an objective ranking of your talent.
Show us what you do best. A distinctive voice, an imaginative lyric or a compelling performance can start a conversation about collaboration.
Credits & sources
- Russian text
- Olga Anikina
- Producer
- Walter J. Kin
- Russian recording
- Riglis Band; arrangement by Walter J. Kin.
- RIGLI: 7-40, Russian text and explanatory translation
- Refoyl's Dictionary: hits and heys
- Yakov Makhlin: the locomotive expression
Working materials, not a blanket recording license. Agree rights separately.