Quello che fu - That Which Was

Ah! Questo passato Dove il mio rifugio presso di te Fu quello che fu Dove la polvere più pura sulla tua soglia Fu quella che fu Duri come pietre Come due amici eravamo insieme Preso del tuo cuore Ho detto che il nostro legame Fu quello che fu Irragionevole Non ci poteva niente Non potevo immaginarmi senza La follia Fu quella che fu Fu quella che fu L'impero delle parole La distinzione tra bene e male La ripida discesa dal cielo alla terra Disperata Verso l'incarcerazione Fu quello che fu La circumnavigazione I nomi che si diedero alle cose La gioia e il dolore dell'esistere L'enigma del consenso Le emozionali imprese della specie Fu quello che fu Tutto fu quello che fu Quel che deve ancora avvenire Il sorgere della città di Dio L'emblema che ci fa forti e sicuri Oppure pazzi e disperati Ti gridavo: sono disperso Disperso Quello che fu © 1998 Franco Battiato & Manlio Sgalambro

Ah, this past where my shelter, in your nearness, was what it was. Where the purest dust on your doorstep was what it was. Hard like rocks, like two friends we were together. Taken by your heart, I said that our connection was what it was. Irrational, we were powerless (??) I couldn’t imagine myself without the madness. It was what it was. It was what it was. The empire of words, the distinction between good and bad, the steep descent from Heaven to Earth, desperate, towards the incarceration – it was what it was. The circumnavigation, the names that were given to things, the joy and the sadness of existing, the enigma of the agreement, the emotional undertakings of the species – it was what it was. Everything was what it was. That which still has to take place, the emergence of the city of God, the emblem that makes us strong and secure, or else crazy and desperate. I shouted to you: I am missing, missing. English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser Gommalacca (Shellac) was released in 1998. The lyrics were by the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro, with Battiato's input on the first four songs. For Gommalacca, Battiato embraced music technology, using loops, sampling, synths and electric guitars to create a techno rock masterpiece - the album reached #1 on the charts and was recognized with the prestigious Targa Tenco award for best album of the year.

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