"Inverno", written and sung by Fabrizio De André, from the music album "Tutti morimmo a stento" ("We all died with difficulty") (1968, Bluebell Records).
This song describes the dark periods of our life, after that sometimes a hot summer come to console us. It's a tribute to the circle of the seasons, which are similar to life: seasons of warm joy after seasons of cold sadness.
Italian lyrics:
Sale la nebbia sui prati bianchi
come un cipresso nei camposanti
un campanile che non sembra vero
segna il confine fra la terra e il cielo.
Ma tu che vai, ma tu rimani
vedrai la neve se ne andrà domani
rifioriranno le gioie passate
col vento caldo di un'altra estate.
Anche la luce sembra morire
nell'ombra incerta di un divenire
dove anche l'alba diventa sera
e i volti sembrano teschi di cera.
Ma tu che vai, ma tu rimani
anche la neve morirà domani
l'amore ancora ci passerà vicino
nella stagione del biancospino.
La terra stanca sotto la neve
dorme il silenzio di un sonno greve
l'inverno raccoglie la sua fatica
di mille secoli, da un'alba antica.
Ma tu che stai, perché rimani?
Un altro inverno tornerà domani
cadrà altra neve a consolare i campi
cadrà altra neve sui camposanti.
English translation:
The fog goes up the white fields
like a cypress in the cemeteries
a steeplechase that doesn't seem true
show the border between the land and the sky.
But you're going, you stay here
you'll see, the snow will go away tomorrow
the past joys will blossom again
with the hot wind of another summer.
Also the light seems it's dying
in the uncertain shadow of a changing
where also the dawn becomes evening
and the faces seem skulls of wax.
But you're going, you stay here
the snow will also die tomorrow
Love will pass near us again
in the season of the hawthorn.
Tnder the snow, the tired soil
sleeps with the silence of a hard sleep
Winter pick up its thousand-year effort
from an ancient dawn.
But you staying here, why do you stay?
Another winter will come back tomorrow
other snow will fall consoling the fields
other snow will fall on the cemeteries.
domenica 26 dicembre 2010
venerdì 10 dicembre 2010
Ho visto un re ~ I saw a king
"I saw a king" is a famous song written by Dario Fo (Nobel Prize in Literature in 1997) and Omicron (pseudonym of master Eugenio Esposito) and singed by Enzo Jannacci. It was published in the music album "Vengo anch'io. No, tu no!" ("I come too. No, you not!) in 1968 (ARC ALPS 11007).
This song became very popular after Jannacci sang it with famous italian comedians like Dario Fo, Paolo Rossi and Cochi & Renato.
The lyrics are almost in italian, but some parts are in milan dialect (I'll write in italic those parts.). The song represents a dialogue between a group of farmers. In black the sentences sung by the main singer, in blue the sentences sung by chorus.
Italian lyrics:
piangeva tante lacrime
un bel castello...
faceva un gran baccano,
mordeva anche una mano...
un'abbazia...
ed ogni go... ed ogni goccia andava...
l'han mezzo rovinato
gli han portato via
tre case e un caseggiato
di trentadue che lui ce n'ha.
Sa l'ha vist cus'è?
Un contadino!
persino il cardinale, l'han mezzo rovinato
gli han portato via:
la casa
il cascinale
la mucca
il violino
la scatola di kaki
la radio a transistor
i dischi di Little Tony
la moglie!
gli hanno ammazzato anche il maiale...
Ah! Ah! Ah!
[ everybody: ]
Noi villan...
E sempre allegri bisogna stare,
che il nostro piangere fa male al re.
Fa male al ricco e al cardinale:
diventan tristi se noi piangiam!
E sempre allegri bisogna stare,
che il nostro piangere fa male al re.
Fa male al ricco e al cardinale:
diventan tristi se noi piangiam!
Ah, beh!!
English translation:
He had so tears
a beautiful castle...
he made real noise,
he also bitted a hand...
an abbey...
and every drop... and every drop went...
they almost ruined him
they carried away from him
three mansions and an apartment house
...from thirtytwo he owns.
also the cardinal, they almost ruined him,
they carried away from him:
the house
the farm
the cow
the violin
the box of persimmons
the radio
Little Tony's discs
the wife!
they also killed his pig...
Ah! Ah! Ah!
[ everybody: ]
All we farmers...
We always have to be cheerful,
'cause if we cry, the king becomes sad.
Also the rich person and the cardinal:
they become sad if we cry!
We have to be always cheerful,
'cause if we cry, the king becomes sad.
Also the rich person and the cardinal:
they become sad if we cry!
Oh, well!!
Comment:
This song appears off-the-wall, stupid and nonsense, but if we read it carefully, we can see that it is full of political and social metaphors.
The singer (a farmer) are telling to his farmers friends that he saw a lot of powerful men, and all of them are crying because someone more powerful stole something from them, and they are crying even if they own a lot of other things (for example the bishop lose an abbey, but he owns othe thirtyone abbeys!)
The person with less power than everyone else is the farmer, and he is the person who lose everything (the house, the farm, the cow, etc...) and he has no other things, but even if he became the more ruined person, he can't cry because the powerful people doesn't want to, because they want to stay quiet and safe, in fact they actually are afraid of the real poor people because they know that all their power is given them by poor people. Otherwise, the poor people doesn't know that they have the power to revolt against the powerful men, quite the opposite they obey the rules written by the powerful men.
Also the list of things stolen by the powerful men can be analized:
The house and the farm: a farmen has only one house and one farm, he hasn't 32 houses and 32 farms! so it's tragic if the powerful men steal them, 'cause he hasn't others.
The cow and the pig: in country, they are the two most important animals in the farm. The assure milk and meat, and for a farmer they are the worse thing to lose, worst than an abbey or a castle! You don't need a castle if you're sterving...
The violin, the radio, Little Tony's discs: the only things a farmer can use to have fun. A farmer can play music, can listen to the music and to the radio, he has not enough money to have fun with other stuff.
The box of persimmons: picked in autumn, they're one of the few fruit a farmer could eat in winter. They're very cheap fruits but the rich and powerful men are so greedy that they don't care.
The wife: you can imagine... :)
His son became a conscript soldier: a real tragedy for a aged farmer: he loses a important (and free!) helper in cultivating the farm.
Losing all this things are a real tragedy for a farmer, but he can't cry. Only when he'll understand that he can rebel against the powerful men, he'll can have freedom.
Because of these meanings, this song was censored in public television, but it became a hymn used by demonstrators (students and working class) in riots of 1968.
This song became very popular after Jannacci sang it with famous italian comedians like Dario Fo, Paolo Rossi and Cochi & Renato.
The lyrics are almost in italian, but some parts are in milan dialect (I'll write in italic those parts.). The song represents a dialogue between a group of farmers. In black the sentences sung by the main singer, in blue the sentences sung by chorus.
Italian lyrics:
Dai, dai, cunta su...
Mi?Sì, propri ti!
Ah, beh... Sì, beh... Ah, beh... Sì, beh...
Ho visto un re.Sa l'ha vist cus'è?
Ho visto un re!Ah, beh... Sì, beh...
Un re che piangeva seduto sulla sellapiangeva tante lacrime
ma tante che
bagnava anche il cavallo!Povero re!
E povero anche il cavallo!Sì, beh... Ah, beh... Sì, beh...
È l'imperatore che gli ha portato viaun bel castello...
Ohi, che baloss!
...di trentadue che lui ce n'ha.Povero re!
E povero anche il cavallo!Sì, beh... Ah, beh... Sì, beh...
Ho visto un vesc...Sa l'ha vist cus'è?
Ho visto un vescovo!Ah, beh... Sì, beh...
Anche lui, lui, piangeva,faceva un gran baccano,
mordeva anche una mano...
La mano di chi?
La mano del sacrestano!Povero vescovo!
E povero anche il sacrista!Sì, beh... Ah, beh... Sì, beh... Cunta su, dai.
È il cardinale che gli ha portato viaun'abbazia...
Oh, poer crist!
...di trentadue che lui ce n'ha.Povero vescovo!
E povero anche il sacrista!Sì, beh... Ah, beh... Sì, beh... Dai, cunta su...
Ho visto un ric...Sa l'ha vist cus'è?
Ho visto un ricco! Un sciur!Sì... Ah, beh... Sì, beh...
Il tapino lacrimava su un calice di vinoed ogni go... ed ogni goccia andava...
Deren't al vin?
Sì, che tutto l'annacquava!Pover tapin!
E povero anche il vin!Sì, beh... Ah, beh... Sì, beh...
Il vescovo, il re, l'imperatorel'han mezzo rovinato
gli han portato via
tre case e un caseggiato
di trentadue che lui ce n'ha.
Pover tapin!
E povero anche il vin!Sì, beh... Ah, beh... Sì, beh... Dai, cunta su, dai, dai, cunta su!
Vist un villan.Sa l'ha vist cus'è?
Un contadino!
Ah, beh... Sì, beh...
Il vescovo, il re, il ricco, l'imperatore,persino il cardinale, l'han mezzo rovinato
gli han portato via:
la casa
il cascinale
la mucca
il violino
la scatola di kaki
la radio a transistor
i dischi di Little Tony
la moglie!
E po`, cus'è?
Un figlio militaregli hanno ammazzato anche il maiale...
Pover purscel!
Nel senso del maiale...Ah, beh... Sì, beh...
Ma lui no, lui non piangeva, anzi: ridacchiava!Ah! Ah! Ah!
Ma sa l'e`, matt?
No! Il fatto è che noi villan...[ everybody: ]
Noi villan...
E sempre allegri bisogna stare,
che il nostro piangere fa male al re.
Fa male al ricco e al cardinale:
diventan tristi se noi piangiam!
E sempre allegri bisogna stare,
che il nostro piangere fa male al re.
Fa male al ricco e al cardinale:
diventan tristi se noi piangiam!
Ah, beh!!
English translation:
Come on, tell us...
Me?Yes, just you!
Oh, well... Yes, well... Oh, well... Yes, well...
I saw a re.What did you saw?!
I saw a king!Oh, well... Yes, well...
A king was crying sitten on the saddleHe had so tears
so many that
he also wetted the horse!Poor king!
And also poor horse!Yes, well... Oh, well... Yes, well...
The emperor carried away from hima beautiful castle...
Oh, he was evil!
...from thirtytwo he owns.Poor king!
And also poor horse!Yes, well... Oh, well... Yes, well...
I saw a vesc...What did you saw?!
I saw a bishop!Oh, well... Yes, well...
He also was crying,he made real noise,
he also bitted a hand...
Whose hand is it?
The verger's hand!Poor bishop!
And also poor verger!Yes, well... Oh, well... Yes, well... Come on, tell us!
The cardinal carried away from himan abbey...
Oh, poor man!
...from thirtytwo he owns.Poor bishop!
And also poor verger!Yes, well... Oh, well... Yes, well... Come on, tell us...
I saw a ric...What did you saw?!
I saw a rich person! A lord!Yeah... Oh, well... Yes, well...
That poor man was crying on a glass of wineand every drop... and every drop went...
Into the wine?!
Yes, they diluted it!Poor poor man!
And also poor wine!Yes, well... Oh, well... Yes, well...
The bishop, the king, the emperorthey almost ruined him
they carried away from him
three mansions and an apartment house
...from thirtytwo he owns.
Poor poor man!
And also poor wine!Yes, well... Oh, well... Yes, well... Come on, tell us, tell us!
I saw a villan.What did you saw?!
A farmer!Oh, well... Yes, well...
The bishop, the king, the lord, the emperor,also the cardinal, they almost ruined him,
they carried away from him:
the house
the farm
the cow
the violin
the box of persimmons
the radio
Little Tony's discs
the wife!
No, really! And then?
His son became a conscript soldier,they also killed his pig...
Poor hog!
We're meaning the pig! Oh, well... Yes, well...
But he didn't cry, rather he was laughing!Ah! Ah! Ah!
What? Is he crazy?
No! The fact is that all we farmers...[ everybody: ]
All we farmers...
We always have to be cheerful,
'cause if we cry, the king becomes sad.
Also the rich person and the cardinal:
they become sad if we cry!
We have to be always cheerful,
'cause if we cry, the king becomes sad.
Also the rich person and the cardinal:
they become sad if we cry!
Oh, well!!
Comment:
This song appears off-the-wall, stupid and nonsense, but if we read it carefully, we can see that it is full of political and social metaphors.
The singer (a farmer) are telling to his farmers friends that he saw a lot of powerful men, and all of them are crying because someone more powerful stole something from them, and they are crying even if they own a lot of other things (for example the bishop lose an abbey, but he owns othe thirtyone abbeys!)
The person with less power than everyone else is the farmer, and he is the person who lose everything (the house, the farm, the cow, etc...) and he has no other things, but even if he became the more ruined person, he can't cry because the powerful people doesn't want to, because they want to stay quiet and safe, in fact they actually are afraid of the real poor people because they know that all their power is given them by poor people. Otherwise, the poor people doesn't know that they have the power to revolt against the powerful men, quite the opposite they obey the rules written by the powerful men.
Also the list of things stolen by the powerful men can be analized:
The house and the farm: a farmen has only one house and one farm, he hasn't 32 houses and 32 farms! so it's tragic if the powerful men steal them, 'cause he hasn't others.
The cow and the pig: in country, they are the two most important animals in the farm. The assure milk and meat, and for a farmer they are the worse thing to lose, worst than an abbey or a castle! You don't need a castle if you're sterving...
The violin, the radio, Little Tony's discs: the only things a farmer can use to have fun. A farmer can play music, can listen to the music and to the radio, he has not enough money to have fun with other stuff.
The box of persimmons: picked in autumn, they're one of the few fruit a farmer could eat in winter. They're very cheap fruits but the rich and powerful men are so greedy that they don't care.
The wife: you can imagine... :)
His son became a conscript soldier: a real tragedy for a aged farmer: he loses a important (and free!) helper in cultivating the farm.
Losing all this things are a real tragedy for a farmer, but he can't cry. Only when he'll understand that he can rebel against the powerful men, he'll can have freedom.
Because of these meanings, this song was censored in public television, but it became a hymn used by demonstrators (students and working class) in riots of 1968.
venerdì 29 ottobre 2010
Le nuvole ~ The clouds
"The clouds" is the intro of the homonymous music album (Ricordi-Fonit Cetra, 1990) written and performed by Fabrizio De André (1940-1990).
Italian lyrics:
Vanno, vengono
ogni tanto si fermano
e quando si fermano
sono nere come il corvo
sembra che ti guardano con malocchio
Certe volte sono bianche
e corrono
e prendono la forma dell'airone
o della pecora
o di qualche altra bestia
ma questo lo vedono meglio i bambini
che giocano a corrergli dietro per tanti metri
Certe volte ti avvisano con rumore
prima di arrivare
e la terra si trema
e gli animali si stanno zitti
certe volte ti avvisano con rumore
Vanno, vengono
ritornano
e magari si fermano tanti giorni
che non vedi più il sole e le stelle
e ti sembra di non conoscere più
il posto dove stai
Vanno, vengono
per una vera
mille sono finte
e si mettono li tra noi e il cielo
per lasciarci soltanto una voglia di pioggia.
English translation:
They go, they come
sometimes they stop
and when they stop
they're black like the crow
it seems they're putting a jinx on you
Sometimes they are white
and run
and take the shape of the heron
or the sheep
or some other beast
but this is better noticed by children
who play at running after them for a lot of metres
Sometimes they warn you with noise
before they come
and the land trembles
and the animals stay in silence
sometimes they warn you with noise
They go, they come
the come back
and maybe they stay so much days
that you don't see the sun and the stars anymore
and it seems you don't ever know
where you are
They go, they come
for a real one
there're thousand fakes
and they stay there, between us and the sky
letting us only a desire of rain
Comment:
The lyrics were written by De André, but they're performed by two women, a old one and a young one:
« I choosed Lalla Pisano and Maria Mereu because i thought their voices could well represent the "Mother Earth", which always watches the clouds running in the sky, and waits for the rain. It's explicit that "they stay there, between us and the sky": we are forced to look up to see them, but at the same time, bcause of them, we can't see something different or higher place above them. So the clouds become something that makes decisionswithout consulting us, and we must obey but, even if they influence the life of all of us, actually they're made of nothing, they only are appearance going above us with indifference and carelessness, because we're whishing the rain... »
(Fabrizio De André, interviewed by Matteo Borsani and Luca Maciacchini)
The song takes inspiration from Νεφέλαι (Nephélai), a comedy written by the greek Aristophanes in 421~418 B.C.
« The "clouds", for the aristocratic Aristophanes, were those bad advisors that teach to the youngs how to contest; in particular, Aristophanes had it with sophists that teach to the new generations a new type of mental and behavioural innovative and provoking attitude with the conservative government of Athens in those days. The more dangerous "cloud" was Socrates, that Aristophanes unbelievably considered a sophist too.
But aside this, and aside the fact that aristophanes was an artist and so he was unconsciously a big innovator too, my "clouds" otherwise are those intrusive and looming people in our social, political and economical life; they are all the people afraid of the new, because tha new could subvert their social status.
[...]
The lower classes are affected by the "clouds", without any evident sign of protest. »
(Fabrizio De André, interview, 1990)
So Fabrizio De André represents with the "clouds" everything (and everyone) that is obstructing our freedom, especially the freedom of the weak people not able to protest and defend themselves.
Italian lyrics:
Vanno, vengono
ogni tanto si fermano
e quando si fermano
sono nere come il corvo
sembra che ti guardano con malocchio
Certe volte sono bianche
e corrono
e prendono la forma dell'airone
o della pecora
o di qualche altra bestia
ma questo lo vedono meglio i bambini
che giocano a corrergli dietro per tanti metri
Certe volte ti avvisano con rumore
prima di arrivare
e la terra si trema
e gli animali si stanno zitti
certe volte ti avvisano con rumore
Vanno, vengono
ritornano
e magari si fermano tanti giorni
che non vedi più il sole e le stelle
e ti sembra di non conoscere più
il posto dove stai
Vanno, vengono
per una vera
mille sono finte
e si mettono li tra noi e il cielo
per lasciarci soltanto una voglia di pioggia.
English translation:
They go, they come
sometimes they stop
and when they stop
they're black like the crow
it seems they're putting a jinx on you
Sometimes they are white
and run
and take the shape of the heron
or the sheep
or some other beast
but this is better noticed by children
who play at running after them for a lot of metres
Sometimes they warn you with noise
before they come
and the land trembles
and the animals stay in silence
sometimes they warn you with noise
They go, they come
the come back
and maybe they stay so much days
that you don't see the sun and the stars anymore
and it seems you don't ever know
where you are
They go, they come
for a real one
there're thousand fakes
and they stay there, between us and the sky
letting us only a desire of rain
Comment:
The lyrics were written by De André, but they're performed by two women, a old one and a young one:
« I choosed Lalla Pisano and Maria Mereu because i thought their voices could well represent the "Mother Earth", which always watches the clouds running in the sky, and waits for the rain. It's explicit that "they stay there, between us and the sky": we are forced to look up to see them, but at the same time, bcause of them, we can't see something different or higher place above them. So the clouds become something that makes decisionswithout consulting us, and we must obey but, even if they influence the life of all of us, actually they're made of nothing, they only are appearance going above us with indifference and carelessness, because we're whishing the rain... »
(Fabrizio De André, interviewed by Matteo Borsani and Luca Maciacchini)
The song takes inspiration from Νεφέλαι (Nephélai), a comedy written by the greek Aristophanes in 421~418 B.C.
« The "clouds", for the aristocratic Aristophanes, were those bad advisors that teach to the youngs how to contest; in particular, Aristophanes had it with sophists that teach to the new generations a new type of mental and behavioural innovative and provoking attitude with the conservative government of Athens in those days. The more dangerous "cloud" was Socrates, that Aristophanes unbelievably considered a sophist too.
But aside this, and aside the fact that aristophanes was an artist and so he was unconsciously a big innovator too, my "clouds" otherwise are those intrusive and looming people in our social, political and economical life; they are all the people afraid of the new, because tha new could subvert their social status.
[...]
The lower classes are affected by the "clouds", without any evident sign of protest. »
(Fabrizio De André, interview, 1990)
So Fabrizio De André represents with the "clouds" everything (and everyone) that is obstructing our freedom, especially the freedom of the weak people not able to protest and defend themselves.
lunedì 25 ottobre 2010
La donna cannone ~ The cannon woman
For my first translation, I'd like to write about the most famous song by Francesco De Gregori: La donna cannone (1983, music and lyrics © by Francesco De Gregori and RCA Italy). This is one of my favourite italian songs, and probably the more beautiful song writted by De Gregori.
Listen this song on YouTube!
Italian lyrics:
Butterò questo mio enorme cuore tra le stelle un giorno,
giuro che lo farò,
e oltre l'azzurro della tenda, nell'azzurro io volerò.
Quando la donna cannone d'oro e d'argento diventerà,
senza passare dalla stazione l'ultimo treno prenderà.
E in faccia ai maligni e ai superbi il mio nome scintillerà,
dalle porte della notte il giorno si bloccherà,
un applauso del pubblico pagante lo sottolineerà
e dalla bocca del cannone una canzone suonerà...
E con le mani amore, per le mani ti prenderò
e senza dire parole nel mio cuore ti porterò
e non aver paura se non sarò come bella come dici tu
ma voleremo in cielo in carne ed ossa, non torneremo più.
E senza fame e senza sete,
e senza aria e senza rete voleremo via...
Così la donna cannone, quell'enorme mistero volò,
sola verso un cielo nero s'incamminò.
Tutti chiusero gli occhi nell'attimo esatto in cui sparì,
altri giurarono e spergiurarono che non erano mai stati lì...
E con le mani amore, per le mani ti prenderò
e senza dire parole nel mio cuore ti porterò
e non aver paura se non sarò come bella come vuoi tu
ma voleremo in cielo in carne ed ossa, non torneremo più...
E senza fame e senza sete
e senza aria e senza rete voleremo via...
English translation:
One day I'll throw my huge heart in the stars,
I swear I will do,
and behind the blue of the tent, in the blue I'll fly.
When the Cannon Woman will become of gold and silver,
without entering in the station, she'll catch the last train.
And my name will sparkle on evil and arrogant men,
the day will stop at the gates of the night,
an applause by the paying public will underline it
and from the mouth of the cannon a song will play...
And with my hands I'll grab you by yor hands,
and without a word i'll bring you to my heart,
and don't be afraid if i'll not be beautiful as you think,
but we will really fly in the sky, we'll never come back.
And without hunger nor thirst,
and without wings nor net we'll fly away...
So the Cannon Woman, that huge mistery flew,
she steered towards a black black sky.
Everybody closed their eyes exactly in the moment when she disappeared,
other people swore and perjured they never stayed there...
And with my hands I'll grab you by yor hands,
and without a word i'll bring you to my heart,
and don't be afraid if i'll not be beautiful as you want,
but we will really fly in the sky, we'll never come back.
And without hunger nor thirst,
and without wings nor net we'll fly away...
Comment:
With this song, De Gregori was able to describe a love story in a very simple way, without banality or too honeyed sentences, a mistake that happens too many times in love songs.
The author was inspired by a news item: he red about a circus being on the brink of bankrupt because of the elopement of the Cannon Woman, the bigger actractive of the "freakshow".
The woman talks about her elopement and her need of love and normal life, even if it's not a beauty ("beautiful as you think", "beautiful as you want"), escaping from her label of "freak" ("my name will sparkle on evil and arrogant men"), because she doesn't ever want to be the laughing stock of "the paying public".
The song also accuses people that don't want to recognize that "freaks" are normal as any other, they "close their eyes" and don't want to admit that love is possibile also for someone is not like them ("swore and perjured they never stayed there").
Listen this song on YouTube!
Italian lyrics:
Butterò questo mio enorme cuore tra le stelle un giorno,
giuro che lo farò,
e oltre l'azzurro della tenda, nell'azzurro io volerò.
Quando la donna cannone d'oro e d'argento diventerà,
senza passare dalla stazione l'ultimo treno prenderà.
E in faccia ai maligni e ai superbi il mio nome scintillerà,
dalle porte della notte il giorno si bloccherà,
un applauso del pubblico pagante lo sottolineerà
e dalla bocca del cannone una canzone suonerà...
E con le mani amore, per le mani ti prenderò
e senza dire parole nel mio cuore ti porterò
e non aver paura se non sarò come bella come dici tu
ma voleremo in cielo in carne ed ossa, non torneremo più.
E senza fame e senza sete,
e senza aria e senza rete voleremo via...
Così la donna cannone, quell'enorme mistero volò,
sola verso un cielo nero s'incamminò.
Tutti chiusero gli occhi nell'attimo esatto in cui sparì,
altri giurarono e spergiurarono che non erano mai stati lì...
E con le mani amore, per le mani ti prenderò
e senza dire parole nel mio cuore ti porterò
e non aver paura se non sarò come bella come vuoi tu
ma voleremo in cielo in carne ed ossa, non torneremo più...
E senza fame e senza sete
e senza aria e senza rete voleremo via...
English translation:
One day I'll throw my huge heart in the stars,
I swear I will do,
and behind the blue of the tent, in the blue I'll fly.
When the Cannon Woman will become of gold and silver,
without entering in the station, she'll catch the last train.
And my name will sparkle on evil and arrogant men,
the day will stop at the gates of the night,
an applause by the paying public will underline it
and from the mouth of the cannon a song will play...
And with my hands I'll grab you by yor hands,
and without a word i'll bring you to my heart,
and don't be afraid if i'll not be beautiful as you think,
but we will really fly in the sky, we'll never come back.
And without hunger nor thirst,
and without wings nor net we'll fly away...
So the Cannon Woman, that huge mistery flew,
she steered towards a black black sky.
Everybody closed their eyes exactly in the moment when she disappeared,
other people swore and perjured they never stayed there...
And with my hands I'll grab you by yor hands,
and without a word i'll bring you to my heart,
and don't be afraid if i'll not be beautiful as you want,
but we will really fly in the sky, we'll never come back.
And without hunger nor thirst,
and without wings nor net we'll fly away...
Comment:
With this song, De Gregori was able to describe a love story in a very simple way, without banality or too honeyed sentences, a mistake that happens too many times in love songs.
The author was inspired by a news item: he red about a circus being on the brink of bankrupt because of the elopement of the Cannon Woman, the bigger actractive of the "freakshow".
The woman talks about her elopement and her need of love and normal life, even if it's not a beauty ("beautiful as you think", "beautiful as you want"), escaping from her label of "freak" ("my name will sparkle on evil and arrogant men"), because she doesn't ever want to be the laughing stock of "the paying public".
The song also accuses people that don't want to recognize that "freaks" are normal as any other, they "close their eyes" and don't want to admit that love is possibile also for someone is not like them ("swore and perjured they never stayed there").
Welcome to my blog
Every time I listen a good italian song, I thought it was really a shame that not italian speakers could not know neither understand that little piece of modern art. Yes: modern art. Music and poetry are two of the "seven arts": music, architecture, painting, sculpture, poetry, dance and acting. So modern songs can be defined as a fusion between music and poetry.
Obviously, not every modern song can be art, as like not every painting or every sculpture is art. But some of them are art, without any doubt. As you know, art is a kind of message that can stimulate emotions, senses and intellect, and some modern song can stimulate emotions, senses ad intellect through their music and lyrics.
In this blog I'll choose some italian songs that, in my humble opinion, can be defined as art because of their lyrics. I will also try to translate them correctly in english and comment them with notes and explanations of difficult or hermetic steps.
I hope you'll like my idea, and don't forget to leave some comment: I'll very appreciate it.
So, let's start.
Obviously, not every modern song can be art, as like not every painting or every sculpture is art. But some of them are art, without any doubt. As you know, art is a kind of message that can stimulate emotions, senses and intellect, and some modern song can stimulate emotions, senses ad intellect through their music and lyrics.
In this blog I'll choose some italian songs that, in my humble opinion, can be defined as art because of their lyrics. I will also try to translate them correctly in english and comment them with notes and explanations of difficult or hermetic steps.
I hope you'll like my idea, and don't forget to leave some comment: I'll very appreciate it.
So, let's start.
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