Tutti morimmo a stento: Leggenda di Natale - Christmas Tale

Parlavi alla luna giocavi coi fiori avevi l'età che non porta dolori e il vento era un mago, la rugiada una dea, nel bosco incantato di ogni tua idea nel bosco incantato di ogni tua idea E venne l'inverno che uccide il colore e un Babbo Natale che parlava d'amore e d'oro e d'argento splendevano i doni ma gli occhi eran freddi e non erano buoni ma gli occhi eran freddi e non erano buoni Coprì le tue spalle d'argento e di lana di pelle e smeraldi intrecciò una collana e mentre incantata lo stavi a guardare dai piedi ai capelli ti volle baciare dai piedi ai capelli ti volle baciare E adesso che gli altri ti chiamano dea l'incanto è svanito da ogni tua idea ma ancora alla luna vorresti narrare la storia d'un fiore appassito a Natale la storia d'un fiore appassito a Natale Leggenda di Natale © 1968 Fabrizio De André/Gian Piero Reverberi "Leggenda di Natale" takes inspiration from "Le Père Noël et la petite fille" (1960) by Georges Brassens. While Brassens's song is more like a recitation of the pleasures and gifts a child receives at Christmas, De André's rendition is about the loss of innocence, or worse, the destruction or violation of innocence.

You used to talk to the moon and play with the flowers, you were of an age that wore not sorrows. And the wind was a sorcerer, the rust a goddess in the enchanted forest of each of your ideas, in the enchanted forest of each of your ideas. And there came the winter that kills color, and a St. Nick who spoke of love. And of gold and silver sparkled the gifts, but his eyes were cold and they were not nice, but his eyes were cold and they were not nice. He covered your shoulders with silver and wool, he wove a necklace of leather and emeralds. And while enchanted you stayed to watch him, from head to toe he wanted to kiss you, from head to toe he wanted to kiss you. And now that others call you a goddess, the enchantment has vanished from every one of your ideas. But still you'd like to recount to the moon the story of a faded flower at Christmastime, the story of a faded flower at Christmastime. English translation © 2014 Dennis Criteser Tutti morimmo a stento, released in 1968, was one of the first concept albums in Italy. In De André's own words, the album "speaks of death, not of bubble gum death with little bones, but of psychological death, moral death, mental death, that a normal person can encounter during his lifetime." After the success of Volume I, De André was provided for this next album a cutting edge recording studio complete with an 80-member orchestra, directed by Gian Piero Reverberi, and a children's chorus. The whole project was under the direction of Gian Piero's brother Gian Franco Reverberi. This album also met with commercial success, becoming the highest selling album in Italy in 1968. In 1969 a version of the album was made with De André re-recording the vocals in English. The album was not officially released.

Back to Album List         Back to Song List