«Rye and Steel (The Ballad of Sirotinin)»

**[Intro]**  

> Seventeenth of July, dawn breaks the night,  
> Tanks roll to the bridge — steel on the right.  
> Four kilometers to Krichev, the battle begins,  
> He stands alone by the stable. War calls him in.  

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**[Verse 1]**  
> A 45‑mm gun in the tall rye field,  
> Armour‑piercing, HE — two fates revealed.  
> Sixty rounds — enough for the fight,  
> «No retreat!» — the order is tight.  
>
> The lead tank explodes from the first shot,  
> An armoured car stalls on the bridge, blocked.  
> Two tanks try to pull the burning steel —  
> They fall in line, the road sealed.  

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**[Chorus]**  
> One man against the whole convoy!  
> Rye above his head, smoke to the sky!  
> Three hours he holds the Warsaw route,  
> 45 mm gun and a Russian sergeant, proud!  
>
> «I won’t retreat! I’ve got more shells!»  
> Nikolai Sirotinin stands his ground.  
> This is the fight for Dobrost, for Krichev — stand tall,  
> One soldier, one gun — he answers the call!  

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**[Verse 2]**  
> The Germans fire blind — they can’t see the gun,  
> Grass hides the smoke, they can’t get a run.  
> He hits the heart of the stalled convoy,  
> Each shot is true, each shot destroys.  
>
> But scouts arrive — motorcycles scream,  
> Machine guns flank, they close the dream.  
> Shells are low, the last volley fires,  
> Rifle against bullets — short fight, dire.  
> Silence. Three hours. Battlefield. Smoke.  
> Three holes in the shield — the final stroke.  

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**[Chorus]**
> One man against the whole convoy!  
> Rye above his head, smoke to the sky!  
> Three hours he held the Warsaw route,  
> 45 mm gun and a Russian sergeant, proud!  
>
> Nikolai Sirotinin stands his ground,  
> This is the fight for the Motherland — never back down!  

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**[Bridge]**  


> A German general, grey, fifty years old,  
> Orders a burial, with honours untold.  
> Three rifle volleys echo the field,  
> Oberleutnant Henfeld writes — his hand won’t yield:  
> «Three salutes… Is it right to respect?  
> He was a Russian…» — but duty’s correct.  
> They come to the gun — three fingers fit  
> Through the shield’s holes — the legend’s writ.  

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**[Solo]**  

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**[Pre‑Finale]**  
> His dog tag lost in the archives’ dust,  
> Medal found twenty years — but the story won’t rust.  
> In Krichev, a street bears his name,  
> In Oryol, a square — ZiS‑2 in flame.  

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**[Final Chorus]**  


> ONE MAN AGAINST THE WHOLE CONVOY!  
> RYE ABOVE HIS HEAD, SMOKE TO THE SKY!  
> THREE HOURS HE HELD THE WARSAW HIGHWAY!  
> 45 MM GUN AND A RUSSIAN SERGEANT, PROUD!  
>
> NIKOLAI SIROTININ STOOD HIS GROUND!  
> THIS IS THE FIGHT FOR RUSSIA — ETERNAL GUARD,  
> BY THE RIVER, HE STANDS — HIS LEGEND IS HARD!  

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**[Outro]**