To Igor Kohanovsky
My friend went to Magadan,
Take off your hats, take off your hats.
He went there all by himself,
Without a sentence, without a sentence.

Not because he had no success,
Not in spite of somebody,
Not to cause any rumors,
But just like that, but just like that.

I know, somebody will say:
"Oh, he’ll be sorry that he went there!
There are only prisons and camps,
In them are killers, in them are killers."

He’ll answer me: "Don’t believe those lies!
In Moscow there are killers, too."
Then he will pack his suitcase,
And to Magadan, and to Magadan.

It’s not that I am old enough -
I d jump from a train one night.
But I m not going to Magadan,
Forgetting the habits, closing the quotes.

And I will sing with my guitar
Of everything that he will see there,
Of things he never saw in life -
Of Magadan, of Magadan.

My friend went there all by himself,
Enough from him, enough for him.
The convoy will not beat him up -
He’s a volunteer, he’s a volunteer.

And I’m receiving a share from God,
But maybe also to Magadan...
I should go there with my friend,
And forget myself.