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With Elena · A lullaby from Russia

Spi, Mladenets Moy Prekrasny The Cossack Lullaby

Key: A minor~63 BPMGuitar & Piano chordsWords by M. Lermontov (1838) · Russia

The Cossack Lullaby Lyrics. “Spi, Mladenets Moy Prekrasny” is a traditional Russian song rooted in Cossack culture, sung to comfort children with themes of protection and love. The song’s words come from Mikhail Lermontov’s 1838 poem ‘Cossack Cradle Song,’ one of the most celebrated poems in Russian literature, written as if sung by a Cossack mother rocking her son to sleep while imagining the dangers and glory of the soldier’s life that awaits him. Here you will find the lyrics, English translation, meaning, and chords.

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Lyrics & chords

The words in easy Latin letters (transliteration), with guitar & piano chords above each line.

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First verse

Am Dm

Spi, mladenets moy prekrasnyy,

E Am

bayushki-bayu.

Am Dm

Tikho smotrit mesyats yasnyy

E Am

v kolybel’ tvoyu.

C G

Stanu skazyvat’ ya skazki,

Am E

pesenku spoyu;

Am Dm

ty zh dremli, zakryvshi glazki,

E Am

bayushki-bayu.

In Cyrillic

The original Russian words

Спи, младенец мой прекрасный,
баюшки-баю.
Тихо смотрит месяц ясный
в колыбель твою.
Стану сказывать я сказки,
песенку спою;
ты ж дремли, закрывши глазки,
баюшки-баю.

In English

What the words mean

“Sleep, my beautiful baby, hushaby. The bright moon looks quietly down into your cradle. I will tell you fairy tales and sing you little songs — you just drift into dreams with your eyes closed, hushaby.”

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Chords — guitar & piano

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Guitar

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Piano

Free printable chord sheet

The Cossack Lullaby (Spi, Mladenets Moy Prekrasny) — guitar & piano chords

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Good to know

What “The Cossack Lullaby” Means

Here the great poetry of Russia meets the folk cradle. The words are by Mikhail Lermontov — his Cossack Lullaby of 1838 — and over time they melted into the oral tradition until the song belonged to everyone. A mother sings by the cradle while the clear moon keeps watch: fairy tales are promised, a song is offered, and the whole world seems to hold its breath under the starry sky. It remains one of the most loved lullabies in the Russian language.

Vocal coach tip. Aim for a perfect legato. The voice should flow like a slow river, never forcing the transitions, staying in a warm middle-low register that feels like protection.

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Sources & rights

Words and melody: see the credits in the text of this page. Older songs are traditional or in the public domain; songs by known authors keep their authors' credit.
Recording and arrangement: real instruments played by hand, no AI music, by Relax In No Time.
Chords: written by us for guitar and piano.
Translation: our own meaning-for-meaning translation, written for understanding. The sung words stay in the original language.

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