А всё таки (But still)

Song Meaning

The lyrics open with a stark, visceral depiction of urban decay and moral rot. Streets collapse "like a syphilitic's nose," while the river is "lust, spread into slobber." Even nature is corrupted, with gardens "obscenely collapsed in June." This immediate plunge into grotesque imagery establishes a world steeped in sickness and vulgarity. Amidst this decay, the narrator emerges, embodying a raw, unsettling truth. He describes a "burned-out quarter" and his own "unchewed scream" that "wiggles its legs" from his mouth, terrifying onlookers. This image creates a powerful tension: the poet's expression is not refined or palatable, but a primal, almost monstrous outpouring of pain and observation that demands attention. A striking contrast emerges as the narrator claims he won't be condemned; instead, he'll be honored "like a prophet." The very people with "collapsed noses" recognize him as "your poet." This subversive twist suggests that genuine artistic vision, even if born from ugliness and expressed with unsettling honesty, ultimately commands respect, perhaps because it unflinchingly mirrors the decay it observes. The lyrics escalate to a truly audacious vision of validation. Despite fearing "your terrible judgment," the narrator imagines "prostitutes, like a relic," carrying him through "burning buildings" to show him to God. This powerful, almost blasphemous image suggests that true art finds its champions among the marginalized and that its raw, unvarnished truth can even move the divine. The repeated final stanza confirms God's tears over his "convulsions, clumped together," affirming the profound, painful power of his poetry.