Korobeiniki

Theme of Korobeiniki

"Korobeiniki" (Russian: Коробейники, English translation: Peddlers), also known as the Tetris song is a nineteenth-century Russian folk song that tells of an incident between a peddler and a girl "haggling" over a price, with the details only being said in metaphor. In western culture, the song is primarily known for being used as the "Type A" music in the 1989 Game Boy version of the puzzle game Tetris.

History

The song "Korobeiniki" is based on a poem with the same name by Nikolay Nekrasov, written and printed in the Sovremennik magazine in 1861. Due to its increasing tempo and the dance style associated with it, it quickly became a popular Russian folk song.

Korobeiniki were peddlers with trays, selling fabric, haberdashery, books and other small things in pre-revolutionary Russia. Nekrasov's poem is a sad story about the love between a peasant girl, Katya, and a young peddler. They meet each other in a rye field at night where he has promised her a good deal on the goods he carries, before they are sold in the market during the day. Only the night knows what happens between them in the rye field, but she is not so simple and does not take any of the goods which he offers her. What is the point, she figures, to have all that without him – her first and only love? She takes only a small turquoise ring, as a memory, and he promises to marry her when he comes back from his commerce trip. He continues his journey and she waits for him with caution. His business goes very well and he makes a lot of money, but on the way back he is killed and robbed by a forest ranger whom he asks for directions. So he never comes back to marry Katya. The song is only the very beginning of the original poem; it only recounts Katya's first meeting with the young peddler when their relation is getting off to a happy start.

Lyrics

Russian lyrics	Transliteration	English translation
Ой полным полна моя коробушка Есть и ситец, и парча. Пожалей, душа-зазнобушка, Молодецкого плеча. Выйду, выйду в рожь высокую, Там до ночки погожу, Как завижу черноокую, Все товары разложу. Цены сам платил немалые, Не торгуйся, не скупись, Подставляй-ка губки алые, Ближе к молодцу садись. Вот уж пала ночь туманная, Ждёт удалый молодец... Чу, идёт! – пришла желанная, Продаёт товар купец. Катя бережно торгуется, Всё боится передать, Парень с де́вицей целуется, Просит цены набавлять. Знает только ночь глубокая, Как поладили они. Распрямись ты, рожь высокая, Тайну свято сохрани! Ой, легка, легка коробушка, Плеч не режет ремешок! А всего взяла зазнобушка Бирюзовый перстенёк. Дал ей ситцу штуку целую, Ленту алую для кос, Поясок – рубашку белую Подпоясать в сенокос... Все поклала ненаглядная В короб, кроме перстенька: «Не хочу ходить нарядная Без сердечного дружка!» То-то, дуры вы, молодочки! Не сама ли принесла Полуштофик сладкой водочки? А подарков не взяла! Так постой же! Нерушимое Обещаньице даю: Опорожнится коробушка, На Покров домой приду И тебя, душа-зазнобушка, В божью церковь поведу!" Вплоть до вечера дождливого Молодец бежит бегом И товарища ворчливого Нагоняет под селом. Старый Тихоныч ругается: "Я уж думал, ты пропал!" Ванька только ухмыляется - Я-де ситцы продавал!	Oy polnym polna mоya korobushka Yest' i sitets i parcha. Pozhaley, dusha-zaznobushka, Molodetskogo plecha. Vyydu, vyydu v rozh' vysokuyu, Tam do nochki pogozhu, Kak zavizhu chernookuyu, Vse tovary razlozhu. Tseny sam platil nemalyye, Ne torguysya, ne skupis', Podstavlyay-ka gubki alyye, Blizhe k molodtsu sadis'. Vot uzh pala noch' tumannaya, Zhdyot udalyy molodets. Chu, idyot! – prishla zhelannaya, Prodayot tovar kupets. Katya berezhno torguyetsya Vsyo boitsya peredat', Paren' s devitsey tseluyetsya, Prosit tseny nabavlyat'. Znayet tol'ko noch' glubokaya, Kak poladili oni. Raspryamis' ty, rozh' vysokaya, Taynu svyato sokhrani! Oy legka legka korobushka Plech ne rezhet remeshok A vsego vzyala zaznobushka, biryuzovyy perstenyok Dal ey sittsu shtuku tseluyu, Lentu aluyu dlya kos, Poyasok – rubashku beluyu Podpoyasat' v senokos... Vse poklala nenaglyadnaya V korob, krome persten'ka: "Ne hochu hodit' naryadnaya Bez serdechnogo druzhka!" To-to, dury vy, molodochki! Ne sama li prinesla Polushtofik sladkoy vodochki? A podarkov ne vzyala! Tak postoy zhe! Nerushimo Obeshchanʹitse dayu: Oporozhnitsya korobushka, Na Pokrov domoy pridu I tebya, dusha-zaznobushka, V bozhʹyu tserkovʹ povedu!" Vplotʹ do vechera dozhdlivogo Molodets bezhit begom I tovarishcha vorchlivogo Nagonyaet pod selom. Staryy Tihonych rugaetsya: "Ya uzh dumal, ty propal!" Van'ka tol'ko uhmylyaetsya - Ya-de sittsy prodaval!	Oh, my crate is so full, I've got chintz and brocade. Take pity, oh sweety, Of this lad's shoulder I will, I will go out into the tall rye, I will wait there till the night comes, Once I see the dark-eyed lass, I will showcase all my goods. I paid no small price myself, So don't bargain or be stingy, Bring your scarlet lips to me, Sit closer to this fine lad. The foggy night has already come, The daring lad is awaiting, Hark, it's her! The desired one has come, The merchant is selling his goods. Katya is haggling with care, She is afraid to pay too much, A lad is kissing his lass, Asking her to raise the price. Only the deep night knows, What they agreed upon. Straighten up now, oh tall rye, And keep their secret scrupulously! Oh, my crate is so light, The strap is no longer cutting into my shoulders! And all my lass took Was one turquoise ring.

Modern cover versions

See also: Tetris – music

"Korobeiniki" as featured in Tetris in MIDI format.

"Korobeiniki" was re-arranged in 1989 by Hirokazu Tanaka and used as the "Type A" music in the Game Boy version of Tetris. It has since become closely associated with the game in Western popular culture. In 2008, UGO listed the song as the 3rd best videogame music of all time. Though Tetris Holding LLC holds a sound trademark on the song for use in video games, the song has appeared in Dance Maniax 2nd Mix under the title "Happy-hopper".

Others include:

• Doctor Spin's 1992 novelty Eurodance cover (under the name "Tetris") reached #6 on the UK singles chart.
• The string quartet Bond included a version on their 2000 debut album Born called Korobushka which they often perform at their live concerts.
• American rock band Ozma released a rock version on their 2001 album The Doubble Donkey Disc.
• German trance group Scooter sampled it in 2007 in their song "Whistling Dave" from the album Jumping All Over the World.
• German industrial group Eisenfunk also made a cover version that can be heard on their album 8-bit.
• An Italian house remix of the song was featured in the 2005 compilation album by Gigi D'Agostino, Disco Tanz.
• It was also performed and recorded by the California-based vocal ensemble Chanticleer on their 1997 album "Wondrous Love" under the name "Oy, Polná, Polná, Koróbuskaha".
• The American instrumental power metal band Powerglove recorded their own version of the song, simply entitled "Tetris", on their debut EP Total Pwnage (2005).
• In 2009, a crust-folk band from Portland, Oregon called the Dapper Cadavers covered the song, titling it "Korobushka" on their EP, The Fall of the Dapper Cadavers.
• A trance cover arranged by Ryu* is featured on the Exit Trance release Exit Trance Presents FamiTrance EX (EXIT TRANCE PRESENTS ファミトランス EX, EXIT TRANCE PRESENTS Famitoransu EX, 2009) under the title "Korobushka". The song was later included on his album Ageha as "Korobushka (Ryu*Remix)".
• The PlayStation Portable title Ape Escape Academy (Ape Academy in Europe) also features this song in one of the 'Camp-Side Fire' mini-games (essentially a short rhythm game-like sequence), also under the title 'Korobushka'.
• Ronan Murray has recorded an arrangement of the tune for pipe organ
• A sung version is included as the opening theme in the Borat Sagdiyev TV series.
• Canadian fingerstyle guitarist Ewan Dobson performs an acoustic guitar version of the song on his first album.
• The British novelty band Pig With The Face Of A Boy used the melody for their recording A Complete History Of The Soviet Union As Told By A Humble Worker, Arranged To The Melody Of Tetris. The English language lyrics superimpose the game Tetris upon Russian history from the days of Imperial Russia before the Russian Revolution of 1917, to the years of the Soviet Union, to the present day Russian Federation. The band has produced a video of the song that, as of 08 November 2011, has had over 2 million views on YouTube.
• The Timbers Army sings this melody with altered lyrics during Portland Timbers games, usually accompanied by a simple dance with a large visual effect.
• brentalfloss a singer who makes videos on YouTube through a series called the With Lyrics Series, where he adds lyrics to music from popular video games, created a Tetris With Lyrics and to this day remains his most viewed video on a channel with over 100,000 subscribers.
• The Electro-Tech artist known as Muzik 4 Machines also performs a live version of the theme on several Youtube videos.

External links

• Theme Korobeiniki Radujszja Choir & SKAZ Balalaika Quartet
• Barynya performance
• Sheet music
• Sheet music by Michael Gluck