Anime salve: Princesa - Princess

Sono la pecora sono la vacca che agli animali si vuol giocare sono la femmina camicia aperta piccole tette da succhiare Sotto le ciglia di questi alberi nel chiaroscuro dove son nato che l'orizzonte prima del cielo ero lo sguardo di mia madre "che Fernandino è come una figlia mi porta a letto caffè e tapioca e a ricordargli che è nato maschio sarà l'istinto sarà la vita" e io davanti allo specchio grande mi paro gli occhi con le dita a immaginarmi tra le gambe una minuscola fica nel dormiveglia della corriera lascio l'infanzia contadina corro all'incanto dei desideri vado a correggere la fortuna nella cucina della pensione mescolo i sogni con gli ormoni ad albeggiare sarà magia saranno seni miracolosi perché Fernanda è proprio una figlia come una figlia vuol far l'amore ma Fernandino resiste e vomita e si contorce dal dolore e allora il bisturi per seni e fianchi in una vertigine di anestesia finché il mio corpo mi rassomigli sul lungomare di Bahia sorriso tenero di verdefoglia dai suoi capelli sfilo le dita quando le macchine puntano i fari sul palcoscenico della mia vita dove tra ingorghi di desideri alle mie natiche un maschio s'appende nella mia carne tra le mie labbra un uomo scivola l'altro si arrende che Fernandino mi è morto in grembo Fernanda è una bambola di seta sono le braci di un'unica stella che squilla di luce di nome Princesa a un avvocato di Milano ora Princesa regala il cuore e un passeggiare recidivo nella penombra di un balcone o matu (la campagna) o cèu (il cielo) a senda (il sentiero) a escola (la scuola) a igreja (la chiesa) a desonra (la vergogna) a saia (la gonna) o esmalte (lo smalto) o espelho (lo specchio) o baton (il rossetto) o medo (la paura) a rua (la strada) a bombadeira (la modellatrice) a vertigem (la vertigine) o encanto (l'incantesimo) a magia (la magia) os carros (le macchine) a policia (la polizia) a canseira (la stanchezza) o brio (la dignità) o noivo (il fidanzato) o capanga (lo sgherro) o fidalgo (il gransignore) o porcalhao (lo sporcaccione) o azar (la sfortuna) a bebedeira (la sbronza) as pancadas (le botte) os carinhos (le carezze) a falta (il fallimento) o nojo (lo schifo) a formusura (la bellezza) viver (vivere) Princesa © 1996 Fabrizio De André/Ivano Fossati "Princesa" is about Fernanda Farias de Albuquerque, who was born in Brazil in 1963 as a male but from the age of six years identified as female. She emigrated to Spain at the age of 25 and then to Italy, where she was a sex worker in order to pay for a sex change operation. She was incarcerated for the attempted murder of the madam of the brothel where she worked after the madam had stolen money from her. In jail, she met a Sardinian shepherd who had attempted a bank robbery. The two spoke about Brazil and Sardinia in a mix of languages. Another inmate, sentenced to two life sentences, undertook to write the story of Fernanda/Princesa, and after a year of collaboration the book was published in 1994, on which De André based this song. The happy ending of the song did not mirror what happened in real life - Fernanda/Princesa ended her life in 1999 without having completed the transition to being female. Fernanda Farias De Albuquerque

I am the ewe, I am the cow, because one wants to play at being animals. I am the female, open shirt, small tits to suck. Under the eyelashes of these trees in the light and shade where I was born, because the horizon before the sky, I was the look in my mother’s eyes. “Why is little Fernando like a daughter? He brings me coffee and tapioca in bed, and to remind him that he was born male will be instinct, will be life.” And me, in front of the big mirror - I screen my eyes with my fingers to imagine for myself, between my legs, a little twat. In the half slumber of a bus I leave my peasant infancy, I run to the spell of desires, I go to adjust my fortune. In the kitchen of the boarding house I mix dreams with hormones. When dawn comes there will be magic, there will be miraculous breasts. Because Fernanda is really a daughter, like a girl she wants to make love. But little Fernando resists and vomits and writhes in agony. And then the scalpel for breasts and hips, in a whirl of anesthesia, until my body looks like me along the seafront of Bahia. Tender smile of greenleaf, from her hair I withdraw my fingers when the cars point their headlights on the stage of my life where, amidst traffic jams of desires, at my buttocks a cock is hanging. Into my meat, between my lips, one man slides, the other surrenders. Because little Fernando died in my bosom, Fernanda is a silk doll. They are branches of a single star that blasts out light, Princess by name. To a lawyer in Milan Princess now gives her heart, and a customary stroll in the shadow of a balcony. the countryside the sky the path the school the church the shame the skirt the nail polish the mirror the lipstick the fear the street the fashion model the dizziness the charm the magic the cars the police the tiredness the dignity the fiancé the thug the elder gentleman the lecher the misfortune the bender the blows the caresses the failure the disgust the beauty living English translation © 2014 Dennis Criteser Anime salve was released in 1996, the last of De André's thirteen studio albums. The songs were co-written by De André and Ivano Fossati, and the studio recording was co-produced by De André and Piero Milesi. De André referred to the album both as "a type of eulogy for solitude" and "a discourse on freedom." Here you will discover an album with De André at his full powers as lyricist and singer with his rich baritone in a musical setting that is striking, musically sophisticated and varied, with musical references to South America, the Balkans and the Mediterranean. The album was voted best Italian album of 1997 by the readers of La Repubblica and critics voted De André as the best Italian artist. The album also received the prestigious Targa Tenco prize for best album of 1997.

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Anime salve: Khorakhanè (a forza di essere vento) Khorakhanè (by dint of being wind)

Il cuore rallenta la testa cammina in quel pozzo di piscio e cemento a quel campo strappato dal vento a forza di essere vento porto il nome di tutti i battesimi ogni nome il sigillo di un lasciapassare per un guado una terra una nuvola un canto un diamante nascosto nel pane per un solo dolcissimo umore del sangue per la stessa ragione del viaggio viaggiare Il cuore rallenta e la testa cammina in un buio di giostre in disuso qualche rom si è fermato italiano come un rame a imbrunire su un muro saper leggere il libro del mondo con parole cangianti e nessuna scrittura nei sentieri costretti in un palmo di mano i segreti che fanno paura finchè un uomo ti incontra e non si riconosce e ogni terra si accende e si arrende la pace i figli cadevano dal calendario Yugoslavia Polonia Ungheria i soldati prendevano tutti e tutti buttavano via e poi Mirka a San Giorgio di maggio tra le fiamme dei fiori a ridere a bere e un sollievo di lacrime a invadere gli occhi e dagli occhi cadere ora alzatevi spose bambine che è venuto il tempo di andare con le vene celesti dei polsi anche oggi si va a caritare e se questo vuol dire rubare questo filo di pane tra miseria e fortuna allo specchio di questa kampina ai miei occhi limpidi come un addio lo può dire soltanto chi sa di raccogliere in bocca il punto di vista di Dio Cvava sero po tute i kerava jek sano ot mori i taha jek jak kon kasta vasu ti baro nebo avi ker   Poserò la testa sulla tua spalla   e farò un sogno di mare   e domani un fuoco di legna   perché l'aria azzurra diventi casa kon ovla so mutavia kon ovla ovla kon ascovi me gava palan ladi me gava palan bura ot croiuti   chi sarà a raccontare   chi sarà sarà chi rimane   io seguirò questo migrare   seguirò questa corrente di ali Anime salve © 1996 Fabrizio De André/Ivano Fossati "Khorakhanè" is a song about the Romani people, who originated from India perhaps a thousand years ago. Khorakhanè means reader of the Koran, and in the song are a Serbian/Montenegran group of so-called Turkish Roma. Due to the nomadic ways of Romani tribes, they are sometimes called "people of the wind." The first verse is the image of the conflict that Romanis feel about settling down to a perhaps easier life versus their impulse to keep moving. The second verse refers to several Romani practices: giving their children the names of people currently in power so as to win them over and gain the ability of passage across borders; hiding their jewels in loaves of bread to avoid having them discovered and taken; and marrying within the tribe to maintain social purity. The third verse presents an image of Romanis who have settled down (as is the case for the great majority of them today). The fourth verse references the fact that Romani culture is an oral one, and that fortune telling has been a traditional means for earning a living. The fifth verse refers to the Nazi extermination of Romani tribes in World War II, while the sixth verse refers to the Festival of San Giorgio (Saint George is celebrated by both Christians and Muslims), an important celebration for Romani even in the midst of horror. Following the festival, the next verses are back to the everyday realities of a nomadic tribe, which include asking for handouts, which some might view as a kind of stealing, but which should be judged only from the point of view of God. The final two verses are in the Romani language.

The heart slows, the head walks into that well of piss and cement, to that camp torn by the wind, by dint of being wind. I carry the name of all the baptisms, every name the seal of a permit for a ford, a land, a cloud, a chant, a diamond hidden in bread, for a single temper of blood most sweet, for the same reason of the voyage, voyaging. The heart slows and the head walks into a darkness of abandoned merry-go-rounds. Some Roma settled down Italian like copper growing dark against a wall. Knowing how to read the book of the world with iridescent words and no writing in the narrow paths in the palm of a hand, the secrets that strike fear until a man meets you and doesn’t recognize himself, and every land catches fire and peace surrenders. The children were falling from the calendar, Yugoslavia, Polonia, Hungary, the soldiers were taking everyone and they were throwing everyone away. And then Mirka at San Giorgio in May amidst the flames of the flowers, to laugh, to drink, and a relief of tears invading the eyes and, from the eyes, falling. Now wake up, child brides, because the time has come to go. With the sky blue veins of the wrists even today one goes to ask for handouts. And if this means stealing, this line of bread between misery and fortune, in the mirror of this encampment, to my eyes clear like a farewell, he can call it that only one who knows about taking into his mouth the point of view of God. I’ll lay my head on your shoulder and I will make a dream out of the sea, and tomorrow a fire out of wood so that the blue air becomes home. Who will be there to tell the story? Who will be there? There will be whoever remains. I’ll follow this migrating, I’ll follow this movement of wings. English translation © 2014 Dennis Criteser Anime salve was released in 1996, the last of De André's thirteen studio albums. The songs were co-written by De André and Ivano Fossati, and the studio recording was co-produced by De André and Piero Milesi. De André referred to the album both as "a type of eulogy for solitude" and "a discourse on freedom." Here you will discover an album with De André at his full powers as lyricist and singer with his rich baritone in a musical setting that is striking, musically sophisticated and varied, with musical references to South America, the Balkans and the Mediterranean. The album was voted best Italian album of 1997 by the readers of La Repubblica and critics voted De André as the best Italian artist. The album also received the prestigious Targa Tenco prize for best album of 1997.

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Anime salve: Anime salve - Saved Souls

Mille anni al mondo mille ancora che bell'inganno sei anima mia e che bello il mio tempo che bella compagnia sono giorni di finestre adornate canti di stagione anime salve in terra e in mare sono state giornate furibonde senza atti d'amore senza calma di vento solo passaggi e passaggi passaggi di tempo ore infinite come costellazioni e onde spietate come gli occhi della memoria altra memoria e non basta ancora cose svanite facce e poi il futuro i futuri incontri di belle amanti scellerate saranno scontri saranno cacce coi cani e coi cinghiali saranno rincorse morsi e affanni per mille anni mille anni al mondo mille ancora che bell'inganno sei anima mia e che grande il mio tempo che bella compagnia mi sono spiato illudermi e fallire abortire i figli come i sogni mi sono guardato piangere in uno specchio di neve mi sono visto che ridevo mi sono visto di spalle che partivo ti saluto dai paesi di domani che sono visioni di anime contadine in volo per il mondo mille anni al mondo mille ancora che bell'inganno sei anima mia e che grande questo tempo che solitudine che bella compagnia Anime salve © 1996 Fabrizio De André/Ivano Fossati "Anime salve" is sung both by De André and Ivano Fossati, who is responsible for most of the music of this song. De André said that he meant for the words "anime" and "salva" to maintain some of their etymological root meanings of "spirit" and "solitary." After two songs about a person and a people who were forced into a kind of marginalized solitude away from the mainstream world, he meant this song to be a hymn to solitude as a choice that can save one's soul from the worst human failings, solitude as a counterbalance to living in the world, a solitude that gives space for better understanding, learning and reflection about the world, a solitude that counters the tendencies towards violence that result from people banding together and identifying as a group, both at the local/social level and at the level of political states.

A thousand years in the world, a thousand still, what a fine deception you are, my soul, and how beautiful my time, what beautiful company. They are days of adorned windows, carols of the season, saved souls on land and at sea. They were furious days without acts of love, without calmness of wind, only passages and passages, passages of time. Infinite hours like constellations and waves, merciless like the eyes of memory. Another memory and it’s still not enough, vanished things, faces, and then the future. Future encounters of beautiful lovers, unholy, will be conflicts, will be hunts with the dogs and the boars, they will be chases, bites and troubles for a thousand years. A thousand years in the world, a thousand still, what a fine deception you are, my soul, and how boundless my time, what beautiful company. I spied myself deceiving myself and failing, aborting children like dreams. I watched myself crying in a mirror of snow, I saw myself that was laughing, I saw myself from the back as I departed. I salute you from domains of tomorrow that are visions of peasant souls en route to the world. A thousand years in the world, a thousand still, what a fine deception you are, my soul, and how great this time, what solitude, what beautiful company. English translation © 2014 Dennis Criteser Anime salve was released in 1996, the last of De André's thirteen studio albums. The songs were co-written by De André and Ivano Fossati, and the studio recording was co-produced by De Andrè and Piero Milesi. De André referred to the album both as "a type of eulogy for solitude" and "a discourse on freedom." Here you will discover an album with De André at his full powers as lyricist and singer with his rich baritone in a musical setting that is striking, musically sophisticated and varied, with musical references to South America, the Balkans and the Mediterranean. The album was voted best Italian album of 1997 by the readers of La Repubblica and critics voted De André as the best Italian artist. The album also received the prestigious Targa Tenco prize for best album of 1997.

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Anime salve: Dolcenera

Amìala ch'â l'arìa amìa cum'â l'é cum'â l'é   amiala cum'â l'aria amìa ch'â l'è lê ch'â l'è lê   amiala cum'â l'aria amìa amia cum'â l'è   amiala ch'â l'arìa amia ch'â l'è lê ch'â l'è lê   Guardala che arriva guarda com'è com'è   guardala come arriva guarda che è lei che è lei   guardala come arriva guarda guarda com'è   guardala che arriva che è lei che è lei nera che porta via che porta via la via nera che non si vedeva da una vita intera così dolcenera nera nera che picchia forte che butta giù le porte   nu l'è l'aegua ch'à fá baggiá   imbaggiâ imbaggiâ   Non è l'acqua che fa sbadigliare   chiudere porte e finestre chiudere porte e finestre nera di malasorte che ammazza e passa oltre nera come la sfortuna che si fa la tana dove non c'è luna luna nera di falde amare che passano le bare   âtru da stramûâ   â nu n'á â nu n'á   Altro da traslocare   non ne ha non ne ha ma la moglie di Anselmo non lo deve sapere ché è venuta per me è arrivata da un'ora e l'amore ha l'amore come solo argomento e il tumulto del cielo ha sbagliato momento acqua che non si aspetta altro che benedetta acqua che porta male sale dalle scale sale senza sale sale acqua che spacca il monte che affonda terra e ponte   nu l'è l'aaegua de 'na rammâ   'n calabà 'n calabà   Non è l'acqua di un colpo di pioggia   (ma) un gran casino un gran casino ma la moglie di Anselmo sta sognando del mare quando ingorga gli anfratti si ritira e risale e il lenzuolo si gonfia sul cavo dell'onda e la lotta si fa scivolosa e profonda   amiala cum'â l'aria amìa cum'â l'è cum'â l'è   amiala cum'â l'aria amia ch'â l'è lê ch'â l'è lê   Guardala come arriva guarda com'è com'è   guardala come arriva guarda che è lei che è lei acqua di spilli fitti dal cielo e dai soffitti acqua per fotografie per cercare i complici da maledire acqua che stringe i fianchi tonnara di passanti   âtru da camallâ   â nu n'à â nu n'à   Altro da mettersi in spalla   non ne ha non ne ha oltre il muro dei vetri si risveglia la vita che si prende per mano a battaglia finita come fa questo amore che dall'ansia di perdersi ha avuto in un giorno la certezza di aversi acqua che ha fatto sera che adesso si ritira bassa sfila tra la gente come un innocente che non c'entra niente fredda come un dolore Dolcenera senza cuore   atru de rebellâ   â nu n'à â nu n'à   Altro da trascinare   non ne ha non ne ha e la moglie di Anselmo sente l'acqua che scende dai vestiti incollati da ogni gelo di pelle nel suo tram scollegato da ogni distanza nel bel mezzo del tempo che adesso le avanza così fu quell'amore dal mancato finale così splendido e vero da potervi ingannare   Amìala ch'â l'arìa amìa cum'â l'é cum'â l'é   amiala cum'â l'aria amìa ch'â l'è lê ch'â l'è lê   amiala cum'â l'aria amìa amia cum'â l'è   amiala ch'â l'arìa amia ch'â l'è lê ch'â l'è lê   Guardala che arriva guarda com'è com'è   guardala come arriva guarda che è lei che è lei   guardala come arriva guarda guarda com'è   guardala che arriva che è lei che è lei Dolcenera © 1996 Fabrizio De André/Ivano Fossati "Dolcenera" is about a tryst that never came about due to the disruption of a major flood, such as occurred in Genoa in 1970. The term "dolcenera" refers to the dual nature of water - sweet when it is pure and life-giving, and black when it is fouled and out of control as in a flood. Against the backdrop of the flood, a man watches and waits anxiously for the woman to arrive. But it never happens, as she is stranded in a tram, unable to reach any distance, deceived and disappointed by the promise of an adulterous love that never came to pass. The theme of solitude in this song plays out as the loneliness of two lovers who are unable to meet. 1970 flood of Genoa

Look at her who’s arriving, what’s she like what’s she like? Watch her as she arrives, watch that it’s her, that it’s her. Watch her as she arrives, watch, watch, what’s she like? Look at her who’s arriving, that it’s her, that it’s her. Black that carries away that carries away the way, black not seen in an entire lifetime, so sweetblack, black, black that beats up, that knocks down the doors. It’s not the water that makes you yawn, but closing doors and windows, closing doors and windows. Black of bad luck that kills and moves on, black like the misfortune of making a den where there’s no moon, moon, black of bitter layers that pass the coffins. Other things to move, it has none, it has none. But the wife of Anselmo doesn’t have to know it, because she came for me, she arrived an hour ago, and love has love as its only subject matter, and the turmoil in the sky has the wrong time. Water you don't expect to be other than benediction, water that brings evil rises, up the stairs it rises, unsalty it rises, water that smashes the mountain, that sinks land and bridge. It’s not the water of a rain shower, but a big mess, a big mess. But the wife of Anselmo is dreaming of the sea – when it engorges the crevices, pulls back, and rises again, and the sheet swells in the hollow of the wave, and the struggle gets slippery and profound. Look at her as she arrives, look, how is she, how is she? Look at her as she arrives, look that it’s her, that it’s her. Water like driven pins from the sky and from the ceilings, water for photographs, for searching out accomplices to curse at, water that squeezes the hips, tuna nets for passersby. Other things to shoulder off, it has none, it has none. Beyond the wall of windowpanes, life awakens, that one takes by the hand at battle's end, as does this love that, from the anxiety of getting lost, had in one day the certainty of happening. Water that proceeded 'til evening, that now pulls back, ebbed, it parades among the people like an innocent who enters nowhere, cold like a sorrow, heartless Dolcenera. Other things to drag away, it has none, it has none. And the wife of Anselmo feels the water that falls from the clinging clothes, from every chill of the skin, in her tram disconnected from every distance, in the very midst of the time that now advances on her. Such was that love from the missed ending, so splendid and true as to be able to fool you. Look at her who’s arriving, look, how is she, how is she? Watch her as she arrives, watch that it’s her, that it’s her. Watch her as she arrives, watch, watch, what’s she like? Look at her who’s arriving, that it’s her, that it’s her. English translation © 2014 Dennis Criteser Anime salve was released in 1996, the last of De André's thirteen studio albums. The songs were co-written by De André and Ivano Fossati, and the studio recording was co-produced by De André and Piero Milesi. De André referred to the album both as "a type of eulogy for solitude" and "a discourse on freedom." Here you will discover an album with De André at his full powers as lyricist and singer with his rich baritone in a musical setting that is striking, musically sophisticated and varied, with musical references to South America, the Balkans and the Mediterranean. The album was voted best Italian album of 1997 by the readers of La Repubblica and critics voted De André as the best Italian artist. The album also received the prestigious Targa Tenco prize for best album of 1997.

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Anime salve Le acciughe fanno il pallone The Anchovies Make a Ball

Le acciughe fanno il pallone che sotto c'è l'alalunga se non butti la rete non te ne lascia una e alla riva sbarcherò alla riva verrà la gente questi pesci sorpresi li venderò per niente se sbarcherò alla foce e alla foce non c'è nessuno e la faccia mi laverò nell'acqua del torrente ogni tre ami c'è una stella marina amo per amo c'è una stella che trema ogni tre lacrime batte la campana passano le villeggianti con gli occhi di vetro scuro passan sotto le reti che asciugano sul muro e in mare c'è una fortuna che viene dall'oriente che tutti l'hanno vista e nessuno la prende ogni tre ami c'è una stella marina ogni tre stelle c'è un aereo che vola ogni tre notti un sogno che mi consola bottiglia legata stretta come un'esca da trascinare sorso di vena dolce che liberi dal male se prendo il pesce d'oro ve la farò vedere se prendo il pesce d'oro mi sposerò all'altare ogni tre ami c'è una stella marina ogni tre stelle c'è un aereo che vola ogni balcone una bocca che m'innamora ogni tre ami c'è una stella marina ogni tre stelle c'è un aereo che vola ogni balcone una bocca che m'innamora le acciughe fanno il pallone che sotto c'è l'alalunga se non butti la rete non te ne resta una non te ne lascia una non te ne lascia Le acciughe fanno il pallone © 1996 Fabrizio De André/Ivano Fossati "Le acciughe fanno il pallone" tells of a fisherman whose solitude is due to poverty. He is in competition with a tuna for the anchovies he fishes for, and faces an uncertain market demand onshore for his catch even then. He can only dream of catching a golden fish that would improve his circumstances and allow him to marry. The musical tag at the end of the song is a wonderful example of the multiculti influences on the album - a middle-Eastern shehnai playing over an African-inspired bed of rhythm along with a Cuban tumbao in the bass.

The anchovies make a ball because underneath there’s an albacore. If you don’t cast out the net, not one of them will be left for you. And at the shore I’ll disembark, to the shore will come people. These surprised fish, I’ll sell them for nothing if I disembark at the mouth of the river and at the river’s mouth there’s no one, and I’ll wash my face in the water of the stream. Every three hooks there’s a starfish. Hook by hook there’s a star that trembles. Every three tears the bell marks the time. Vacationers pass with their sunglassed eyes, they pass under the nets that dry on the wall. And in the sea there’s a fortune that comes from the east, that everyone has seen and no one catches. Every three hooks there’s a starfish. Every three stars there’s an airplane that flies. Every three nights there’s a dream that consoles me. Bottle bound tight like bait for dragging, draft in a sweet vein that you free from harm. If I catch the golden fish I’ll show it to you. If I catch the golden fish I’ll get married at the altar. Every three hooks there’s a star fish. Every three stars there’s an airplane that flies. Every balcony there’s a mouth that charms me. Every three hooks there’s a star fish. Every three stars there’s an airplane that flies. Every balcony there’s a mouth that charms me. The anchovies make a ball, because underneath there’s a tuna. If you don’t cast the net, not one of them will remain for you, not one of them will be left for you, none of them will be left for you. English translation © 2014 Dennis Criteser Anime salve was released in 1996, the last of De André's thirteen studio albums. The songs were co-written by De André and Ivano Fossati, and the studio recording was co-produced by De André and Piero Milesi. De André referred to the album both as "a type of eulogy for solitude" and "a discourse on freedom." Here you will discover an album with De André at his full powers as lyricist and singer with his rich baritone in a musical setting that is striking, musically sophisticated and varied, with musical references to South America, the Balkans and the Mediterranean. The album was voted best Italian album of 1997 by the readers of La Repubblica and critics voted De André as the best Italian artist. The album also received the prestigious Targa Tenco prize for best album of 1997.

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Anime salve: Disamistade - Blood Feud

Che ci fanno queste anime davanti alla chiesa questa gente divisa questa storia sospesa a misura di braccio a distanza di offesa che alla pace si pensa che la pace si sfiora due famiglie disarmate di sangue si schierano a resa e per tutti il dolore degli altri è dolore a metà si accontenta di cause leggere la guerra del cuore il lamento di un cane abbattuto da un'ombra di passo si soddisfa di brevi agonie sulla strada di casa uno scoppio di sangue un'assenza apparecchiata per cena e a ogni sparo di caccia all'intorno si domanda fortuna che ci fanno queste figlie a ricamare a cucire queste macchie di lutto rinunciate all'amore fra di loro si nasconde una speranza smarrita che il nemico la vuole che la vuol restituita e una fretta di mani sorprese a toccare le mani che dev'esserci un modo di vivere senza dolore una corsa degli occhi negli occhi a scoprire che invece è soltanto un riposo del vento un odiare a metà e alla parte che manca si dedica l'autorità che la disamistade si oppone alla nostra sventura questa corsa del tempo a sparigliare destini e fortuna che ci fanno queste anime davanti alla chiesa questa gente divisa questa storia sospesa Disamistade © 1996 Fabrizio De André/Ivano Fossati "Disamistade" is about blood feuds, which until quite recently were common in Sardinia, and which are probably still bubbling under the surface there according to these articles on a 2007 vendetta killing of a poet and a subsequent possible vindication. In contrast with the other songs on this album, which portray different faces of solitude, this song is about a violence that can happen when people live in close proximity to each other, where envies and slights can fester and erupt into killings that continue in an unending progression as one spilling of blood must be avenged by another. "Disamistade" was translated to English and covered by the American folk/rock band The Walkabouts.

What are they doing, these souls in front of the church, this people divided, this history on hold? At arm's length away, at the distance of an offence, that peace is considered, a brush with peace, two blood families, unarmed, line up to surrender, and for everyone the pain of the others is halfway pain. It contents itself with lightweight causes, the war of the heart: the lament of a dog felled by a passing shadow. It satisfies itself with quick agonies on the way home: a burst of blood, an absence set at the dinner table. And at every gunshot of the hunt hereabouts, one asks for good fortune. What are these children doing embroidering, sewing these patches of mourning, having given up on love? Among them is hiding a misplaced hope that the enemy wants, that he wants back. And a rush of hands, surprised to touch the hands, for there must be a way to live without sorrow. A race of eyes, in the eyes to discover that instead it’s merely a resting of the wind, a hatred halfway through, and to the missing part the authorities are dedicated. 'Cause the blood feud counters our woe, this passing of time, by breaking up a pair: destinies and good fortune. What are these souls doing in front of the church, this people divided, this history on hold? English translation © 2014 Dennis Criteser Anime salve was released in 1996, the last of De André's thirteen studio albums. The songs were co-written by De André and Ivano Fossati, and the studio recording was co-produced by De André and Piero Milesi. De André referred to the album both as "a type of eulogy for solitude" and "a discourse on freedom." Here you will discover an album with De André at his full powers as lyricist and singer with his rich baritone in a musical setting that is striking, musically sophisticated and varied, with musical references to South America, the Balkans and the Mediterranean. The album was voted best Italian album of 1997 by the readers of La Repubblica and critics voted De André as the best Italian artist. The album also received the prestigious Targa Tenco prize for best album of 1997.

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Anime salve  cúmba - The Dove

Pretendente: Gh'aivu 'na bella cùmba ch'à l'é xeûa foea de cà gianca cun'à néie ch'à deslengue a cian d'à sâ   Duv'a l'é duv'a l'é duv'a duv'a l'é Avevo una bella colomba che è volata fuori casa bianca come la neve che si scioglie a pian del sale   dov'è dov'è dove dov'è che l'han vursciua vedde cegâ l'àe a stù casâ spéita cume l'aigua ch'à derua zû p'ou rià   Nu ghe n'é nu ghe nu ghe n'é nu ghe n'é che l'hanno vista piegare le ali verso questo casale veloce come l'acqua che precipita dal rio   non ce n'è non ce non ce n'è non ce n'è Padre: Cau ou mè zuenottu ve porta miga na smangiaxun che se cuscì fise puriesci anàvene 'n gattixun Nu ghe n'é nu ghe n'é nu ghe n'é nu ghe nu ghe n'é Caro il mio giovanotto non vi porta mica qualche prurito che se così fosse potreste andarvene in giro per amorazzi   non ce n'è non ce n'è non ce n'è non ce non ce n'è Pretendente: Vegnu d'â câ du rattu ch'ou magun ou sliga i pë Vegnu c'ou coeu marottu de 'na pasciun che nu ghe n'è nu ghe n'è Vengo dalla casa del topo che l'angoscia slega i piedi Vengo con il cuore malato di una passione che non ha uguali Padre: Chi de cumbe d'âtri ne n'é vegnûe nu se n'é pose Chi gh'é 'na cumba gianca ch'â nu l'é â vostra ch'â l'é a me nu ghe n'é   âtre nu ghe n'é âtre nu ghe n'é nu ghe n'é Qui di colombe d'altri non ne son venute non se ne son posate Qui c'è una colomba bianca che non è la vostra che è la mia non ce n'è   Altre non ce n'è altre non ce n'è non ce n'è Coro:   A l'e xëuâ â l'é xëuâ a cumba gianca   A l'e xëuâ â l'é xëuâ au cian d'â sâ   A l'e xëuâ â l'é xëuâ â cumba gianca   de mazu â truvian au cian d'ou pan.   E' volata è volata la colomba bianca   E' volata è volata a pian del sale   E' volata è volata la colomba bianca   di maggio la troveranno al pian del pane Pretendente: Vui nu vuriesci dàmela sta cumba da maiâ gianca cum'â neie ch'à deslengue 'nt où rià   Nu ghe n'é nu ghe n'é Voi non vorreste darmela questa colomba da maritare bianca come la neve che si scioglie nel rio.   non ce n'è non ce n'è Padre: Miæ che sta comba bella a stâ de longo a barbacîo che no m'a pòsse vedde a scricchî 'nte 'n atro nîo nu ghe n'é   Nu ghe n'é nu ghe n'é Guardate che questa colomba bella sta sempre a cinguettio che non la possa vedere crescere in un altro nido non ce n'è.   non ce n'è non ce n'è Pretendente: A tegnio à dindanàse suttà 'n angiou de melgranâ cù a cua ch'ou l'ha d'â sèa â man lingèa d'ou bambaxia   Duv'a duv'a l'é duv'a duv'a l'é duv'a l'é duv'a l'é La terrò a dondolarsi sotto una pergola di melograni con la cura che ha della seta la mano leggera del bambagiaio   dove dov'è dove dov'è dov'è dov'è Padre: Zuenu ch'âei bén parlòu 'nte sta seian-a de frevâ Saèi che sta cumba à mazu a xeuâ d'â më 'nt â vostra câ Giovane che avete ben parlato in questa sera di febbraio Sappiate che questa colomba a maggio volerà dalla mia nella vostra casa Pretendente: A tegnio à dindanàse suttà 'n angiou de melgranâ Cu 'â cua ch'ou l'ha d'â sea â mân lingea d'ou bambaxia   âtre nu ghe n'é nu ghe nu ghe n'é âtre nu ghe n'é La terrò a dondolarsi sotto una pergola di melograni Con la cura che ha della seta la mano leggera del bambagiaio   Altre non ce n'è non ce non ce n'è altre non ce n'è Coro:   A l'e xëuâ â l'é xëuâ a cumba gianca   de noette â l'é xëuâ au cian d'â sâ   A truvian â truvian â cumba gianca   de mazu â truvian au cian d'ou pan.   E' volata è volata la colomba bianca   di notte è volata a pian del sale   La troveranno la troveranno la colomba bianca   di maggio la troveranno a pian del pane   Duv'a l'é duv'a l'é ch'â ne s'ascunde   se maia se maia au cian dou pan   cum'a l'é cum'a l'é l'é cum'â neie   ch'â ven zu deslenguâ da où rià.   dov'è dov'è che ci si nasconde   si sposerà si sposerà a pian del pane   Com'è com'è è come la neve   che viene giù sciolta dal rio   A l'e xëuâ â l'é xëuâ a cumba gianca   de mazu â truvian au cian d'â sâ   Duv'a l'é duv'a l'é ch'â ne s'ascunde   se maia se maia au cian dou pan   E' volata è volata la colomba bianca   di maggio la troveranno al pian del sale   dov'è dov'è che ci si nasconde   si sposerà si sposerà al pian del pane Cùmba cumbétta beccu de séa sérva à striggiùn c'ou maiu 'n giandùn Martin ou và à pë cun' l'aze deré foegu de légne anime in çé. Colomba colombina becco di seta serva a strofinare per terra col marito a zonzo Martino va a piedi con l'asino dietro fuoco di legna anime in cielo Cùmba cumbétta beccu de séa sérva à striggiùn c'ou maiu 'n giandùn Martin ou và à pë cun' l'aze deré foegu de légne anime in çé. Colomba colombina becco di seta serva a strofinare per terra col marito a zonzo Martino va a piedi con l'asino dietro fuoco di legna anime in cielo  cúmba © 1996 Fabrizio De André/Ivano Fossati " cúmba" is in sharp contrast to "Disamistade." It presents the possibility that a confrontation (between the suitor and the protective father) can end in agreement between simple people, far from the central authority of the state. The percussion in the song, beginning around 1:09, comes from a fragment of a recording by the Japanese taiko drum group Kodō that Piero Milesi found in his music collection after a long search to find just the right rhythm for the song.

Suitor: I had a beautiful dove that flew out of the house, white like the snow that melts on the salt plain,   (Where is it, where is it?) that they saw fold its wings near this farmhouse, fast like the water that rushes from the stream.   (There isn’t one, no there no there isn’t one, there isn’t one.) Father: My dear young man, are you not carrying an itch in your pants, that if it were this way, you could go out and about for a quickie.   (There isn’t one, there isn’t one, there isn’t one, no there no there isn’t one.) Suitor: I come from the house of the rat where anguish unbinds the feet, I come with a heart aching from a passion that has no equal. Father: Here none of the others’ doves have come, not if they were sitting. Here there’s a white dove that isn’t yours, that is mine, there isn’t one.   (There aren’t any others, there aren’t any others, there isn’t one) Chorus: She’s flown, she’s flown, the white dove, she’s flown, she’s flown to the salt plain. She’s flown, she’s flown, the white dove, in May they’ll find her at the bread plain. Suitor: Would you not like to give me this dove to marry? White like the snow that dissolves in the stream.   (There isn’t one, there isn’t one.) Father: See that this beautiful dove is always chirping, that I can’t see her growing up in another nest, there isn’t one.   (There isn’t one, there isn’t one.) Suitor: I held her swaying under a pomegranate arbor, with the care the light hand of a mollycoddler has with silk.   (Where where is she, where where is she, where is she,   where is she?) Father: Young man who spoke well this February evening, you know that this dove in May will fly from my to your house. Suitor: I held her swaying under a pomegranate arbor, with the care the light hand of a mollycoddler has with silk..   (Others there aren’t any, there aren’t there aren’t any,   there aren’t any of them.) Chorus: She flew, she flew, the white dove. At night she flew to the salt plain. They’ll find her, they’ll find her, the white dove. In May they’ll find her at the bread plain. Where is she, where is she who is hiding there? She’ll marry, she’ll marry at the bread plain. How is she, how is she? She’s like the snow that comes down dissolved by the stream. She flew, she flew, the white dove. In May they’ll find her in the salt plain. Where is she, where is she who is hiding there? She’ll marry, she’ll marry in the bread plain. Dove, little dove, beak of silk, maid scrubbing the floor with your husband out wandering. Martino goes by foot with his donkey behind, wood fire, spirits in heaven. Dove, little dove, beak of silk, maid scrubbing the floor with your husband out wandering. Martino goes by foot with his donkey behind, wood fire, spirits in heaven. English translation © 2014 Dennis Criteser Anime salve was released in 1996, the last of De André's thirteen studio albums. The songs were co-written by De André and Ivano Fossati, and the studio recording was co-produced by De André and Piero Milesi. De André referred to the album both as "a type of eulogy for solitude" and "a discourse on freedom." Here you will discover an album with De André at his full powers as lyricist and singer with his rich baritone in a musical setting that is striking, musically sophisticated and varied, with musical references to South America, the Balkans and the Mediterranean. The album was voted best Italian album of 1997 by the readers of La Repubblica and critics voted De André as the best Italian artist. The album also received the prestigious Targa Tenco prize for best album of 1997.

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Anime salve Ho visto Nina volare - I Saw Nina Flying

Mastica e sputa da una parte il miele mastica e sputa dall'altra la cera mastica e sputa prima che venga neve luce luce lontana più bassa delle stelle sarà la stessa mano che ti accende e ti spegne ho visto Nina volare tra le corde dell'altalena un giorno la prenderò come fa il vento alla schiena e se lo sa mio padre dovrò cambiar paese se mio padre lo sa mi imbarcherò sul mare Mastica e sputa da una parte il miele mastica e sputa dall'altra la cera mastica e sputa prima che faccia neve stanotte è venuta l'ombra l'ombra che mi fa il verso le ho mostrato il coltello e la mia maschera di gelso e se lo sa mio padre mi metterò in cammino se mio padre lo sa mi imbarcherò lontano mastica e sputa da una parte la cera mastica e sputa dall'altra parte il miele mastica e sputa prima che metta neve ho visto Nina volare tra le corde dell'altalena un giorno la prenderò come fa il vento alla schiena luce luce lontana che si accende e si spegne quale sarà la mano che illumina le stelle mastica e sputa prima che venga neve Ho visto Nina volare © 1996 Fabrizio De André/Ivano Fossati "Ho visto Nina volare" derives its title from De André's childhood when he lived in the mountains during the war and his childhood playmate was a girl named Nina. The opening and recurring verse about chewing and spitting stems from De André and Fossati having observed old women beekeepers in southern Italy doing just that in order to separate honey from the wax. The image is a wonderful symbol for the old traditional ways that know how to make use of the gifts of nature, and refers to the central theme of the song - the desire of the young to grow up and become independent, to move out from under the authority of the elders, while at the same time being fearful of the unknown. The song is enchanting in its simplicity, and unlike all the other songs on this album, which were reworked and refined intensely, "Ho visto Nina volare" came together within the course of an hour. De André had been working on a lyric inspired by a traditional song he had heard covered by Caetano Veloso, and Fossati had been refining independently a delicate guitar part that had taken shape over a few days. When De André asked Fossati to listen to his lyric, Fossati immediately thought it would go with his guitar. The combination worked and was in final form in just 40 minutes.

Chew and spit, into one part the honey, chew and spit, into the other the wax. Chew and spit, before the snow comes. Light, distant light, lower than the stars, it will be the very same hand that turns you on and turns you off. I saw Nina flying between the ropes of the swing. One day I’ll take her as does the wind at her back. And if my father knows about it, I'll have to change locales. If my father knows of it, I’ll embark on the sea. Chew and spit, into one part the honey, chew and spit, into the other the wax. Chew and spit, before it gets snowy. Tonight a shadow has come, a shadow that imitates me. I showed it the knife and my mulberry mask, and if my father knows about it, I’ll take to the road. If my father knows of it, I’ll embark for afar. Chew and spit, into one part the wax, chew and spit, into the other part the honey. Chew and spit, before the snow sets in. I saw Nina flying between the ropes of the swing. One day I’ll take her as does the wind at her back. Light, distant light that turns on and turns off. Which will be the hand that lights up the stars? Chew and spit, before the snow comes. English translation © 2014 Dennis Criteser Anime salve was released in 1996, the last of De André's thirteen studio albums. The songs were co-written by De André and Ivano Fossati, and the studio recording was co-produced by De André and Piero Milesi. De André referred to the album both as "a type of eulogy for solitude" and "a discourse on freedom." Here you will discover an album with De André at his full powers as lyricist and singer with his rich baritone in a musical setting that is striking, musically sophisticated and varied, with musical references to South America, the Balkans and the Mediterranean. The album was voted best Italian album of 1997 by the readers of La Repubblica and critics voted De André as the best Italian artist. The album also received the prestigious Targa Tenco prize for best album of 1997.

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Anime salve Smisurata preghiera - Boundless Prayer

Alta sui naufragi dai belvedere delle torri china e distante sugli elementi del disastro dalle cose che accadono al disopra delle parole celebrative del nulla lungo un facile vento di sazietà di impunità Sullo scandalo metallico di armi in uso e in disuso a guidare la colonna di dolore e di fumo che lascia le infinite battaglie al calar della sera la maggioranza sta la maggioranza sta recitando un rosario di ambizioni meschine di millenarie paure di inesauribili astuzie coltivando tranquilla l'orribile varietà delle proprie superbie la maggioranza sta come una malattia come una sfortuna come un'anestesia come un'abitudine per chi viaggia in direzione ostinata e contraria col suo marchio speciale di speciale disperazione e tra il vomito dei respinti muove gli ultimi passi per consegnare alla morte una goccia di splendore di umanità di verità per chi ad Aqaba curò la lebbra con uno scettro posticcio e seminò il suo passaggio di gelosie devastatrici e di figli con improbabili nomi di cantanti di tango in un vasto programma di eternità ricorda Signore questi servi disobbedienti alle leggi del branco non dimenticare il loro volto che dopo tanto sbandare è appena giusto che la fortuna li aiuti come una svista come un'anomalia come una distrazione come un dovere Smisurata preghiera © 1996 Fabrizio De André/Ivano Fossati "Smisurata preghiera" is a song where again the lyrics were from De André and the music from Fossati. Five years prior, De André had discovered the writings of the Colombian Alvaro Mutis. He was so taken with them that he reached out to Mutis and asked if he would have any objections to De André taking lines from his books to use in a song he wanted to write. Mutis was game, and De André proceeded to use lines from two novels and one anthology of poems, putting them together and rearranging and changing them until he had built the song he had in mind. To give a couple examples, the opening lines of the song - "High above the shipwrecks from the viewpoint of the towers" comes from Mutis's poem "Stars for Arthur Rimbaud" which includes the line "And from the viewpoint of the highest tower." From another poem, "The Elements of Disaster," De André wove the title into the line "bowed and distant over the elements of disaster." In the first half of the song De André posits a cultural majority that stands above the disastrous fray, insensitive, prideful, small of spirit and going along with the world as it is. The second half of the song brings in those who go their own way, against the tide of the mainstream culture, and De André would include in this mix all marginalized people - the poor, social outcasts, and rebels of many stripes. The song then becomes an invocation and prayer that these "servants disobedient to the laws of the herd" will also be held in the Lord's thoughts and that, perhaps, some good fortune will, even ought, to come their way. "For one who travels in a direction stubborn and contrary, with his special mark of special desperation, and through the vomit of the rejected, he moves the final steps to deliver to death a drop of splendor, of humanity, of truth."

High above the shipwrecks from the lookouts of the towers, bowed and distant over the elements of disaster from the things that happen above the words commemorative of nothing, along an easy wind of satiety, of impunity, on the metallic scandal of arms in use or disuse for guiding the column of sadness and smoke that leaves the infinite battles at the falling of night, the majority stands, the majority stands. Reciting a rosary of petty ambitions, of thousand-year-old fears, of inexhaustible tricks, cultivating calm, the terrible variety of their own arrogances, the majority stands. Like an illness, like a misfortune, like an anesthetic, like a habit. For one who travels in a direction stubborn and contrary, with his special mark of special desperation, and through the vomit of the rejected, he moves the final steps to deliver unto death a drop of splendor, of humanity, of truth. For him who at Aqaba cured leprosy with a faux scepter and sowed his passage with devastating jealousies and children with improbable names, with singers of tango in a vast program of eternity. Remember, Lord, these servants disobedient to the laws of the herd. Don’t forget their face that, after so much disbanding, it’s just right that luck helps them. Like an oversight, like an anomaly, like a distraction, like a duty. English translation © 2014 Dennis Criteser Anime salve was released in 1996, the last of De André's thirteen studio albums. The songs were co-written by De André and Ivano Fossati, and the studio recording was co-produced by De André and Piero Milesi. De André referred to the album both as "a type of eulogy for solitude" and "a discourse on freedom." Here you will discover an album with De André at his full powers as lyricist and singer with his rich baritone in a musical setting that is striking, musically sophisticated and varied, with musical references to South America, the Balkans and the Mediterranean. The album was voted best Italian album of 1997 by the readers of La Repubblica and critics voted De André as the best Italian artist. The album also received the prestigious Targa Tenco prize for best album of 1997. Ivano Fossati

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Le nuvole: Le nuvole - Clouds

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 Vengono vanno 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. Le nuvole © 1990 Fabrizio De André/Mauro Pagani For the opening song of the album, De André chose to have the lyrics recited by two women, one old and one young, who "represented Mother Earth." But the clouds are not intended to be clouds in the sky. "They are these intrusive and damaging characters of our civic, political and economic life that I'm trying to describe in the first part of the album, along with some of their victims. These clouds are the figures who hold power, with all of their arrogance, as bad examples. I was inspired by Aristophanes. . . . My clouds are all those who are terrified of the new, because the new could subvert their positions of power."

They go, they come, every so often they stop, and when they stop they are black like the crow. It seems they’re giving you the evil eye. Certain times they are white and they run and they take the form of the egret, or of the ram or of some other beast. But this they see better, the children, who play at running after them for so many meters. Certain times they warn you with noise before arriving and the earth trembles and the animals stay still. Certain times they warn you with noise. They come, they go, they return, and maybe they stop for so many days that you no longer see the sun or the stars, and you don’t seem to know any more the place where you are. They go, they come. For every true one a thousand are fake and were put there between us and the sky to leave us with only a longing for rain. English translation © 2014 Dennis Criteser It took six years after the tremendous success of Creuza de mä for De André to release his next studio album, Le nuvole (The Clouds). In the meantime, he and Mauro Pagani explored several avenues of musical collaboration which did not come to fruition. De André had this to say about Le nuvole: "I realized that people are just pissed off, and since Le nuvole is a symbol of this dissatisfaction, the transference, the intermediary for this general discontent, I would say that the album was welcomed almost as a banner, like an emblem of the anger in the face of a nation that is going to the dogs, and certainly not through any fault of the citizens." Additionally, Mauro Pagani said the album was a fantastic description of Italy in the 1980s, with parallels to Europe in the early 1800s: "Italy in the early 1980s was like Europe in 1815: the Congress of Vienna, the fall of the Napoleonic empire, the sharing of the goods among the winning powers, social classes built on wealth instead of aristocracy, a society of fake Christianity . . ." The title of and inspiration for the album came from the comedy of the same name by Aristophanes, whom De André greatly admired.

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Le nuvole: Ottocento - The Eighteen Hundreds

Cantami di questo tempo l'astio e il malcontento di chi è sottovento e non vuol sentir l'odore di questo motor che ci porta avanti quasi tutti quanti maschi , femmine e cantanti su un tappeto di contanti nel cielo blu Figlia della mia famiglia sei la meraviglia già matura e ancora pura come la verdura di papà Figlio bello e audace bronzo di Versace figlio sempre più capace di giocare in borsa di stuprare in corsa e tu moglie dalle larghe maglie dalle molte voglie esperta di anticaglie scatole d'argento ti regalerò Ottocento Novecento Millecinquecento scatole d'argento Fine Settecento ti regalerò Quanti pezzi di ricambio quante meraviglie quanti articoli di scambio quante belle figlie da sposar e quante belle valvole e pistoni fegati e polmoni e quante belle biglie a rotolar e quante belle triglie nel mar Figlio figlio povero figlio eri bello bianco e vermiglio quale intruglio ti ha perduto nel Naviglio figlio figlio unico sbaglio annegato come un coniglio per ferirmi , pugnalarmi nell'orgoglio a me a me che ti trattavo come un figlio povero me domani andrà meglio Eine kleine pinzimonie wunder matrimonie krauten und erbeeren und patellen und arsellen fischen Zanzibar und einige krapfen früer vor schlafen und erwachen mit der walzer und die Alka-Seltzer für dimenticar Quanti pezzi di ricambio quante meraviglie quanti articoli di scambio quante belle figlie da giocar e quante belle valvole e pistoni fegati e polmoni e quante belle biglie a rotolar e quante belle triglie nel mar. Ottocento © 1990 Fabrizio De André/Mauro Pagani In "Ottocento," De André sings in the style of opera buffa and the song ends with Tyrolean yodeling, the idea being to describe 20th century society in 19th century style. He explains that "it's a style of singing falsely cultured, an approach suggested to me by the pomposity of a character who, more than a man, is a vacuum cleaner: he breathes in sweet sentiments, affections, vital organs and objects in front of him to which he displays a single mental attitude: the possibility of buying and selling them. . . . Here is painted a portrait of the bourgeoisie, in the exact moment of its affirmation of power: the world of the protagonist is dominated by money and by huge quantities of merchandise." The phrase "bronze of Versace" calls to mind the Riace Bronzes, a nice contrast between the superficial and fleeting beauty that pop culture craves and the more enduring beauty of past treasures of art.

Sing to me about this time, the hatred and the discontent of whoever is downwind and doesn’t want to smell the odor of this engine that carries us forward, almost everyone - males, females and singers - on a carpet of cash in the blue sky. Daughter of my family, you are a marvel, already mature and still pure like papa’s vegetables. Bold and handsome son, bronze of Versace, son ever more capable of playing in the markets, of raping while in motion, and you, wife of big sweaters, of many desires, expert in old junk, silver boxes I will give to you. The eighteen hundreds, the nineteen hundreds, fifteen hundred fine silver boxes of the late seventeen hundreds I'll give to you. How many spare parts, how many marvels, how many articles of exchange, how many beautiful daughters to marry, and how many good valves and pistons, livers and lungs! And how many pretty marbles to roll, and how many fine mullet fish in the sea! Son, son, poor son, you were handsome white and vermilion. Which shady business lost you in the waterway? Son, son, only mistake, drowned like a rabbit to hurt me, to stab my pride, to me, to me, who treated you like a son, poor me, tomorrow will go better. A little pinzimonio, wonderful marriage, sauerkraut and strawberries and limpets and clams, Zanzibar fishes and some donut early before sleeping, and waking up with the waltz and the Alka-Seltzer for forgetting. How many replacement parts, how many marvels, how many articles of exchange, how many beautiful daughters for playing, and how many good valves and pistons, livers and lungs! And how many pretty marbles to roll, and how many fine mullet fish in the sea! English translation © 2014 Dennis Criteser It took six years after the tremendous success of Creuza de mä for De André to release his next studio album, Le nuvole (The Clouds). In the meantime, he and Mauro Pagani explored several avenues of musical collaboration which did not come to fruition. De André had this to say about Le nuvole: "I realized that people are just pissed off, and since Le nuvole is a symbol of this dissatisfaction, the transference, the intermediary for this general discontent, I would say that the album was welcomed almost as a banner, like an emblem of the anger in the face of a nation that is going to the dogs, and certainly not through any fault of the citizens." Additionally, Mauro Pagani said the album was a fantastic description of Italy in the 1980s, with parallels to Europe in the early 1800s: "Italy in the early 1980s was like Europe in 1815: the Congress of Vienna, the fall of the Napoleonic empire, the sharing of the goods among the winning powers, social classes built on wealth instead of aristocracy, a society of fake Christianity . . ." The title of and inspiration for the album came from the comedy of the same name by Aristophanes, whom De André greatly admired.

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