Blue Trolley: Translated From Russian by Alex Genadinik

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The Blue Trolley midnight service bus in Moscow is the last place you would expect to find solace and sanctuary. Yet, that is exactly what it was to the late, great, Bulat Okudzhava in his song, Blue Trolley.

Originally written as a Russian folk song by Bulat Okudzhava, Alex Genadinik has now translated it into English, thereby opening its appreciation from 270 million to over 1.3 billion people worldwide.

Bulat Okudzhava is known as one of the most popular Russian folk musicians of the 20th Century. Furthermore, this song is well-known and well-loved folk music songs in 20th Century Russia.

Alex Genadinik has been living in New York City for over 20 years. Therefore, he is bi-lingual and speaks both English and Russian fluently.

The Lyrics of Blue Trolley

When I lose the strength To bare all this pain When I feel despair coming on I hop on the last Last subway train Deep into the night

Oh my late night train Sail through the streets And carry me home after midnight And pick up all those who were shipwrecked at night Deep into the night

Oh my late night train – Open your doors And save us from drowning And your passengers – sailors at night Comfort each other

With them more than once, I’ve left troubles behind With them I’ve rubbed shoulders together Imagine the kindness we share in silence We’re silent in kindness

Oh my late night train, Rock me to sleep And carry me like on a river And all of the pain, and all of the pain Starts easing – starts easing.

The Original and Translated Music Videos For Blue Trolley

The original song is below…

Alex translated this Blue Trolley from Russian into English, himself. English is a more universal audience.

Bulat Okudzhava is remembered for his poetry. He was also another fantastic guitarist. He put his poetry to his music. This is where Alex gets his inspiration from for his own music. From what I understand, Bulat Okudzhava had a big influence on Alex’s music. Thus Alex wrote Blue Trolley and other Bulat Okudzhava songs too.

The Meanings of Blue Trolley

As I mentioned in the first paragraph above, the meaning of Blue Trolley is that you can find solace and sanctuary in the most unexpected places.

Moscow is the biggest city in Europe. I can imagine what it would be like to go on the London Underground at midnight. It’s a daunting prospect so I can understand why the Blue Trolley would be the last place to go to escape.

Learn More About Alex Genadinik’s Music

You can read my review of Hannah’s Song by Alex Genadinik here. Thank you for reading this post about Blue Trolley.

Please also feel free to check out Alex’s YouTube channel here. If you like the music, why not subscribe?

You are welcome to discover more about Alex from any of the above.

Thank you for reading this post about Blue Trolley.

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