Black Raven
(Traditional Russian war song)

Gm Dm Gm Dm
Oh black raven, oh black raven
Gm
Why art thou circling 'round me?
F Bb C7 Dm
Thou will not get any prey here
Gm Dm A7 Dm
Oh, black raven, I'm not thine

F Bb C7 Dm
(Thou will not get any prey here
Gm Dm A7 Dm
Oh black raven, I'm not thine)

Why art thou showing thy claws?
Why art thou circling 'round me?
Art thou searching for a prey?
Oh black raven, I'm not thine!

I shall bind my fatal wound
To stop blood with a gifted scarf
I shall speak to thou, black raven
About nothing but one thing:

- Fly away, oh thou black raven,
To my home fly away,
Tell my mother and my bonnie
For my country I did fall.

Take with thee my bloodied scarf
For my dearest beloved.
Tell her, that she has got free
For I've got another bride:

We've been wedded by an arrow
In the midst of fateful battle.
I can see my death approaching
Well, black raven, now I'm thine …

It's a pleasure, brothers…
(Cossacks' song)

Am Dm E7 Am
Once to Terek River, | once to Terek River
G G7 C E7
Cossacks came with many, | many a horse
Am Dm G7 C
And the fields got covered, | and the banks got covered
G G7 C E7
With corpses everywhere | their way was caused

Am Dm7 G7 C
It's a pleasure, brothers, Just to be alive
G G7 C E7
Hey, with such a leader You will never lack a drive

Our leader knows | whom he had to choose from
Hey, cavalry! Mount! | But without me this time…
They'll keep their freedom | and a track of soldiers
And hot dusty ground | will be right a share of mine

It's a pleasure, brothers,
Just to be alive
Hey, with such a leader
You will never lack a drive

And the first of bullets, | and the first of bullets
And the first of bullets | hit my charger's calf
And the second bullet, | and the second bullet
And the second bullet | injured my heart

It's a pleasure, brothers,
Just to be alive
Hey, with such a leader
You will never lack a drive

Oh my eyes being brown, | oh my curls being fair
They'll get overgrown | with feather grass and weeds
Oh, my swarthy body, | my bones being white
They'll get spread by wild beasts | all over open fields

It's a pleasure, brothers,
Just to be alive
Hey, with such a leader
You will never lack a drive

And my wife will howl | and then she will get married
Get married with my fellow | forgetting me, of course
And I feel sorry only | for free life and wide spaces
And for my dear old mother | and for my true dun war-horse

It's a pleasure, brothers,
Just to be alive
Hey, with such a leader
You will never lack a drive

Am E7
It is not eeeeeevening yet…
Am G C G
And I've been just half asleep
C G E7
And I've been just half asleep
Am Dm E7 Am G
And I've seen the oddest dream

In my dream it was like this:
My black charger raged and raved
My black charger raged and raved
Trying to dismount me

Evil winds came suddenly
Evil winds from Eastern side
They tore off my black fur-cap
Tore it off my crazy head

And the captain, he was smart enough
He was able to guess my dream
- You will lose… - he said to me, -
You will lose your crazy head