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by Zero Assoluto Nov 5, 2007 Keeley asked: "I’m going to Italy with my high school soon and would LOVE to be able to sing the songs that I may here on Deejay or MTV." Oh, dear. I don’t listen to the radio or watch TV at all, so without Ross in the house I don’t have any access to what’s new on the Italian music scene. But there’s always YouTube, and I rememberd that this summer Ross and every other young person in Lecco went to a free concert by Zero Assoluto. So here they are. |
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| ritornello: | refrain: | ||||
| Tu come stai… | How are you? | ||||
| è successo cosa non so tu lo dirai | Something happened I don’t know [what], you won’t say | ||||
| fino a ieri andava tutto bene come mai? | Up to yesterday everything was fine, how on earth? | ||||
| dimmi cosa credi tu non sai | Tell me what you believe, you don’t know | ||||
| dimmi cosa credi tu non vuoi | Tell me what you believe, you don’t want to | ||||
| dimmi che sei sempre tu chi sei | Tell me that you’re always who you are | ||||
| dimmi adesso se ti va | Tell me now – if you want to. | ||||
| è passato un pò troppo di tempo | A little too much time has passed. | ||||
| come stai | How are you? | ||||
| troppo tempo che non sei quella che sai che vuoi | Too much time that you’re not the one who knows what you want | ||||
| forse c’è qualche cosa che non va | Maybe something’s wrong | ||||
| (dimmi cosa credi tu…) | (Tell me what you believe) | ||||
| forse non sai più che conta | Maybe you don’t know what counts anymore | ||||
| (che sei sempre tu) | (That you’re always you) | ||||
| quella che dice quello che pensa sempre | She who always says what she thinks | ||||
| quella che sa guardare nel fondo della gente | She who knows how to look deep into people | ||||
| (o parli chiaro o ti arrendi… | (either speak clearly or give up) | ||||
| dimmi cosa resterà…quello che senti?) | Tell me what will be left… what you feel? | ||||
| o ti confessi o ti tieni tutto dentro | Either confess or keep it all inside | ||||
| (dimmi adesso se ti va di perdere tempo) | (Tell me now, if you want to waste time.) | ||||
| che succede se ti chiamo non rispondi | What’s happening, if I call you don’t answer | ||||
| no, no, non vuoi uscire da giorni… | No, no, you haven’t wanted to go out for days | ||||
| se ti guardo ti volti | If I look at you, you turn away | ||||
| tu che se hai un problema lo risolvi | You, who if you have a problem you resolve it | ||||
| (che si fa?) | (What to do?) | ||||
| ora tu mi parli | Now you talk to me | ||||
| dei tuoi sentimenti spenti | About your extinguished feelings | ||||
| tutti quei momenti che fino a ieri mi sembravano presenti) | All those moments that up to yesterday seemed present to me | ||||
| o cerchi l’occasione dove questa situazione trovi conclusione | Either look for a chance where this situation can find a way to end | ||||
| (c’ho pensato pure troppo) | (I’ve thought about it even too much) | ||||
| dimmi allora che è così | Tell me then that this is how it is | ||||
| (dimmi che c’è sotto) | (Tell me what’s underneath) | ||||
| ah ah…hai provato a parlare lo stesso | Ah, ha, you tried to talk just the same | ||||
| (dimmi che non mi vuoi più) | (Tell me that you don’t want me anymore) | ||||
| dimmelo tu adesso | You tell me now. | ||||
| tutto è troppo semplice | Everything is too easy | ||||
| se non sai distinguere | if you can’t tell apart | ||||
| parlano dei tuoi silenzi | [others] speak of your silences | ||||
| dicono quello che pensi | they say that what you think | ||||
| contano di più | They count for more | ||||
| più di mille chiarimenti | more than a thousand clarifications | ||||
| ma se un giorno tu trovassi le parole | But if one day you were to find the words | ||||
| forse quel giorno capirò le tue paure | Maybe that day I would understand your fears | ||||
| ma adesso non riesco a non lasciarti | But now I can’t manage not to leave you | ||||
| (forse sto buttando tutto | (maybe I’m throwing away everything, | ||||
| non senza rimpianti) | not without regrets) | ||||
| cosa credi tu lo sai | What do you believe, you know | ||||
| dimmi cosa credi tu non vuoi | Tell me what you believe, you don’t want to | ||||
| dimmi che sei sempre tu chi sei | Tell me that you’re always who you are | ||||
| dimmi adesso se ti va | Tell me now – if you want to. | ||||
Category Archives: Italian language
The Name Game: “Il Famoso…”
When my husband was young (and probably still today), Italians played a verbal game in which you made up a name for a fictional somebody of a particular nation. The name had to sound authentic to the nationality chosen, and, of course, it had to be funny.
For example:
Il famoso tuffatore giapponese: Sezoki Maspinto.
The famous Japanese high diver: [Se so chi m’ha spinto] – If I know [knew] who pushed me!
La famosa prostituta greca: Mika Teladogratis.
The famous Greek prostitute: I’m certainly not going to give it to you free! (Mica = not a chance, no way.)
La famosa prostituta del Far West: Calatemi Jeans.
The famous prostitute of the [American] West: Take down my jeans. (A pun on Calamity Jane.)
Il famoso motociclista giapponese: Tofuzo Lamoto.
The famous Japanese motorcyclist: T’ho fuso la moto – I melted your motorcycle [engine].
Il famoso investigatore rumeno: Ora Lipescu.
The famous Rumanian investigator: Now I’ll catch them (li pesco – literally "I’ll fish them").
La famosa prostituta russa: Vagina Seminova.
The famous Russian prostitute: Semi-New Vagina.
Il famoso tuffatore arabo: Momeyet.
The famous Arab diver: Mo’ me getto – (in Roman dialect) – Now I’ll throw myself [in].
Il famoso spedizioniere cinese: C’hon Furgon Cin.
The famous Chinese courier: C’ho un furgoncino = I have a little van!
Got one to add? Aggiungete i vostri!
Everyday Italian: Newspaper Headlines 12
Recent headlines from Sondrio:
Pavia: 4 students from the Sondrio area are robbed – The province: youth disagio, shock data from the Valley
Stop [serving] alcohol from 2 am in the discos: the owners won’t stand for it – Firemen at war with the city hall of Tresivio
Sondrio: [female] student hit [by car or other vehicle] in front of high school – Sondrio: a new political movement is born, here is the team – ask at the newsstand: Marilyn Monroe [a book or something being sold along with the newspaper]
Everyday Italian: Newspaper Headlines 11
The above recent newspaper headlines in Lecco read:
Corruption in court: is it now the turn of professionals and banks? – Lecco [team] beaten at Leganano: third consecutive defeat
Manager attacked and “massacred” with blows in downtown Lecco [NB: He didn’t die – massacrato doesn’t mean killed.] – Young [man] found dead at Lecco [railway] station
A business committee steered the auctions [of public property, I think} – Bariffi murder. The suspect: “I know how Chiara died”
Attempted robbery of a [small house], night of fear in Castello [a neighborhood of Lecco] – another [city] councilor turns in his “pass” [parking pass?]
Everyday Italian: Newspaper Headlines 10
left: The Financial Office inspects [under warrant] the offices of the Twinning Committee. (Throughout Europe you see signs upon entering towns and city saying “This town is twinned with…” followed by one or more names of towns elsewhere in the world. This twinning is used to promote cultural exchange and tourism, I’m not sure with what degree of success.) – Lecco [the team] warms its engines. Sunday to host AC Milan
center left: University student drowns in the lake – Real landslide during practice [This probably refers to practice runs by an Alpine rescue team. Some Italian hikers and climbers volunteer as part of these teams, and for the “Civil Protection” units, it’s part of their job.]
center right: Denounces: If you want to give birth without suffering, you must pay under the table. [Probably refers to the fact that an epidural during labor is far from standard practice in most Italian hospitals. This may be because there aren’t enough anesthesiologists able to administer one, and they are busy with emergencies and surgeries. Some say that it’s (also) because Italian culture and the medical establishment believe women should suffer in labor. Whatever the reason, it can be difficult or impossible to have an epidural for childbirth. If it’s possible to get one only by paying a bribe, well, that’s not good.] – Euthanasia or inexpertise? Manzoni’s doctor investigated.
right: Dead on a motorcycle: incredulity and pain [I don’t get the incredulity – people die on motorcycles frequently around here.] – Crowd on the lakeshore road for the air show.
