Up Patriots to Arms

La fantasia dei popoli che è giunta fino a noi Non viene dalle stelle... Alla riscossa stupidi che i fiumi sono in piena Potete stare a galla E non è colpa mia se esistono carnefici Se esiste l'imbecillità Se le panchine sono piene di gente che sta male Up patriots to arms, Engagez-Vous La musica contemporanea, mi butta giù L'ayatollah Khomeini per molti è santità Abbocchi sempre all'amo Le barricate in piazza le fai per conto della borghesia Che crea falsi miti di progresso Chi vi credete che noi siam, per i capelli che portiam Noi siamo delle lucciole che stanno nelle tenebre Up patriots to arms, Engagez-Vous La musica contemporanea, mi butta giù L'Impero della musica è giunto fino a noi Carico di menzogne Mandiamoli in pensione i direttori artistici Gli addetti alla cultura... E non è colpa mia se esistono spettacoli Con fumi e raggi laser Se le pedane sono piene Di scemi che si muovono Up patriots to arms, Engagez-Vous La musica contemporanea, mi butta giù Up Patriots to Arms © 1980 Franco Battiato In 1975 in a pub in Birmingham, England, Battiato saw "Up Patriots to Arms" emblazoned on a poster. For this new album, he thought it was a good sentiment as he embarked on making changes and trying new things musically. This song begins with a snippet of Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser, over which Battiato speaks in Arabic, which he studied seriously for a while. The last four lines of the 2nd verse are taken from a 1966 song by the Nomads, "Come potete giudicar," a cover of Sonny Bono's "The Revolution Kind."

The popular fantasy that has come down to us doesn’t come from the stars . . . To the rescue, idiots ‘til the rivers are full. You can stay with your head above water and it’s not my fault if executioners exist, if imbecility exists, if the benches are full of sick people. Up patriots to arms, commit yourself. Contemporary music is getting me down. The Ayatollah Khomeini, for many, is sanctity. You always take the bait. The barricades in the plaza you make on behalf of the bourgeoisie, who create false myths of progress. Who do you believe we are, for the hair that we wear? We are some fireflies who stay in the darkness. Up patriots to arms, commit yourself. Contemporary music is getting me down. The empire of music has come down to us laden with lies. Let’s send the artistic directors into retirement, the adepts of culture . . . And it’s not my fault if shows exist with smoke and laser beams, if the risers are full of apes that move around. Up patriots to arms, commit yourself. Contemporary music is getting me down. English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser The final lines of "Venezia-Istanbul" are taken from Inno dei lavoratori, written in 1886 by Filippo Turati, who was instrumental in the founding of the Italian Socialist Party. Patriots was released in 1980. In the lyrics of this album, there emerge a greater emphasis on irony, the use of foreign languages, and the stringing together of disconnected phrases into montages that may or may not yield meaning upon further analysis, and whose purpose may at times be as much musical as semantic. As is typical with Battiato, there are references to literature, art, philosophy, religion, and music, along with snapshots of personal memories, that form a mix of both high and everyday culture.

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