I remember my mom telling me about this song when I was a kid. Iirc, the Volga boatmen were essentially slaves who towed boats up the river (usually work done by beasts of burden but human labor was cheaper or more expendable or something) and would sing songs like this to keep the rhythm.

This song does a good job of displaying one man's suffering then uplifting you when you realize you are part of this tremendous struggle and are surrounded by comrades suffering and struggling alongside you, just like the Volga boatmen.

People who dig this video should check out the Bondarchuk/Soviet version of War and Peace. The whole twenty-hour thing is fucking amazing and it’s honestly better than the book (but also remarkable true to it).