Hi! I was planning on possibly sampling this song in one of my musical productions. I've done a bit of research and it seems that this is a folk song, with lyrics talking about two Cossacks and a girl. However, I'm not very aware of the position and history of Cossacks as a people and thus would like to ask you:
If I sample the aforelinked song can it contain any uncomfortable subtexts related to the history of Cossacks or something else? (As in I wouldn't necessarily want to sample a racist/otherwise derogatory folk song so I just want to be in the clear here even though I suspect the lyrics of that song are relatively innocuous..)
I'd say that this is a question for /r/russia or /r/russian, not /r/askhistorians.
Anyway, the song is called "Young Cossack Girl" and the lyrics are:
There, on the hill, Cossacks stood
Chorus: Stood and thought, the young cossack girl
One cossack doesn't drink, doesn't play (chorus)
Looking at the girl's braid (chorus)
Why don't you drink and don't play? (chorus)
Oh Tatyana, be my beloved (chorus)
We'll go on a ride (chorus)
People will look at us admiringly (chorus)
The song itself is not racist or derogatory. Cultural appropriation may be an issue if you care about such things.