Volume I: La morte - Death

La morte verrà all'improvviso avrà le tue labbra i tuoi occhi ti coprirà d'un velo bianco addormentandosi al tuo fianco Nell'ozio nel sonno in battaglia verrà senza darti avvisaglia la morte va a colpo sicuro non suona il corno né il tamburo Madonna che in limpida fonte ristori le membra stupende la morte non ti vedrà in faccia avrà il tuo seno e le tue braccia Prelati notabili e conti sull'uscio piangeste ben forte chi bene condusse sua vita male sopporterà sua morte Straccioni che senza vergogna portaste il cilicio o la gogna partirvene non fu fatica perché la morte vi fu amica Guerriero che in punta di lancia dal suolo d'Oriente alla Francia di stragi menasti in gran vanto e fra i nemici il lutto e il pianto Di fronte all'estrema nemica non vale coraggio o fatica non serve colpirla nel cuore perché la morte mai non muore non serve colpirla nel cuore perché la morte mai non muore Text of La morte © 1967 Fabrizio De André Music © 1960 Georges Brassens "La morte" uses the music of “Le verger du roi Louis,” released in 1960 by the French singer/songwriter Georges Brassens, setting to music a 19th century poem by Théodore de Banville. The poem alludes to the "gardens of King Louis" - the parts of his forest that were reserved for those who were hanged, in "clusters never visited." De André feared death, something he spoke about on several occasions, and death is a presence in many of his songs. The opening lines of De André's lyric are quite similar to the first lines of Cesare Pavesi's 1950 poem "Death Will Come and Have Your Eyes."

Death will come suddenly, it will have your lips and your eyes. It will cover you in a white veil, sleeping on your side. In idleness, in sleep, in battle it will come, giving you no warning. Death goes without fail, sounding neither horn nor drum. Fine lady who in clear springs refreshes her marvelous limbs, Death will not see you face-to-face, it will have your breast and your arms. Prelates, notables and counts, you cried at the door right hard. Whoever conducted his life well will bear poorly his death. Tramps who without shame wore the hair shirt or mounted the pillory - departing was not a struggle because Death was for you a friend. Warrior who with the point of a lance, from the soil of the Orient to France, you boasted grandly of massacres, and among the enemies, bereavement and weeping. In front of the ultimate enemy, neither courage nor struggle is worthwhile. It’s no use to strike it in the heart because Death never dies. It’s no use to strike it in the heart because Death never dies. English translation © 2014 Dennis Criteser Volume I is De André’s first full studio album, released in 1967 on the Bluebell label. It was produced by Gian Piero Reverberi and Andrea Malcotti. Reverberi shares writing credits on the music of six of the songs.

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