“Dear friends, known and unknown to me, my dear compatriots and all people of the world, of every race
Within minutes from now, a mighty Soviet rocket, will boost my ship into the vastness of outer space
What I want to tell you is this. My whole life is now before me, as a single breathtaking moment, set free!
I feel I can muster up my strength for successfully carrying out, what is expected of me.”
Poyekhali! Off we go!
“They started to back away in fear. I told them, don’t be afraid
I am a Soviet like you, who’s descended from space, unpaid
I must find a phone, to call Moscow, to tell them I landed”
Otherwise, I would await, the fate of the state, and be severely reprimanded
A farm boy, now a hero
Daredevil in a bomb
Squash and squeeze
Boil, fry or freeze
Rears livestock, far from home
The state was keeping me alive
More than just a means to an end
The making of a true folk hero
Boy, man, myth to legend