The music was composed in 1941 by Isaak Dunayevsky and the lyrics were written by Sergey Agranyan and Mark Lisyansky.

In November 1941, during the Great Patriotic War, Junior Lieutenant and former journalist Mark Lisyansky was returning from a hospital in Yaroslavl to fight on the Kalinin Front.

After stopping on Pushkin Square, Lisyansky then sent his work to the literary journal Novy Mir.

The poem was originally set to be published in the December 1941 issue of the magazine; however, due to the editorial office moving to Kuybyshev, it got pushed back to February 1942.

Ja po svetu nemalo hažival, Žil v zemljanke, v okopah, v tajge, Pohoronen byl dvaždy zaživo, Znal razluku, ljubil v toske.

My zapomnim surovuju osenj, Skrežet tankov i otblesk štykov, I v vekah budut žitj dvadcatj vosemj Samyh hrabryh tvoih synov.

The copses near Moscow I adore, And the bridges above your river, I venerate your Red Square, And the Kremlin chimes I honour.

We shall remember that harsh fall, Tank frays and bayonet glints we'll recall, And your twenty-eight sons all so brave Shall all for centuries live.

Здравствуй город Великой Державы, Где любимый наш Сталин живёт!

Ja po svetu nemalo hažival, Žil v zemljanke, v okopah, v tajge, Pohoronen byl dvaždy zaživo, Znal razluku, ljubil v toske.

My zapomnim surovuju osenj, Skrežet tankov i otblesk štykov, I v serdcah budut žitj dvadcatj vosemj Samyh hrabryh tvoih synov.

The copses near Moscow I adore, And the bridges above your river, I venerate your Red Square, And the Kremlin chimes I honour.

We shall remember that harsh fall, Tank frays and bayonet glints we'll recall, And your twenty-eight sons all so brave Shall all for centuries live.