[Intro: sparse 1970s folk-rock atmosphere; dry acoustic guitar, warm bass, restrained vintage drums, faint mechanical pulse; distant traces of the orchestral choir but no full chant yet] [Verse 1: low adult male vocal, intimate and unsentimental; warm acoustic grit, simple melody] Cold morning on a Moscow street Dirty snow along the curb Small stray moving through the smoke Head down in the winter murk A pair of hands, a waiting car Grey coats in the biting air Lift her from the slush and grime Carry her away from there [Chorus: melody opens slightly; steady hypnotic folk-rock pulse, restrained male backing vocals, sadness without melodrama] LAIKA DOES NOT COME HOME Earth turns blue below LAIKA DOES NOT COME HOME Moscow disappears Round and round Above the town No return No way home [Verse 2: same melodic structure as Verse 1; acoustic warmth gradually invaded by metallic percussion, muted electric guitar and cold analog synth] White room under fluorescent light Wires clipped along her side Narrow harness, metal walls Hands adjust and step aside Engines shake the testing floor Needles jump and meters glow Someone writes the numbers down Someone says she’s fit to go [Chorus: fuller drums and bass; cold synth pulse now clearly present, melody still restrained] LAIKA DOES NOT COME HOME Earth turns blue below LAIKA DOES NOT COME HOME Moscow disappears Round and round Above the town No return No way home [Instrumental: short mechanical art-rock passage; ticking percussion, muted guitar, analog electronics and distant orchestral fragments] [Verse 3: low male vocal remains calm while arrangement grows larger; vintage drums become heavier, orchestra begins entering behind the band] Morning breaks behind the frost Metal tower against the sky Doors are closed and cables fall Engines wake and fire below Ground gives way beneath the sound Clouds and cities fall behind One small cabin climbing higher There was no return designed [Final Chorus: broad but controlled 1970s art-rock climax; layered male vocals, orchestra rising underneath without turning sentimental] LAIKA DOES NOT COME HOME Earth turns blue below LAIKA DOES NOT COME HOME Moscow disappears Round and round Above the town No return No way home [Bridge: the rock band recedes; enormous triumphant Soviet-style orchestral choir takes over, ceremonial, stately and disturbingly magnificent] КУДРЯВКА КУДРЯВКА КУДРЯВКА КУДРЯВКА [Choir grows larger; brass, timpani and orchestra reach an almost overwhelming triumph] КУДРЯВКА КУДРЯВКА КУДРЯВКА КУДРЯВКА— [Everything cuts off abruptly mid-phrase] [Outro: no music; only low capsule hum and a faint electronic telemetry pulse] [The telemetry fades] [Silence]
