Friday, August 9, 2019

Il vuoto - Emptiness

Tempo non c'è tempo sempre più in affanno
Inseguo il nostro tempo vuoto di senso
senso di vuoto
E persone quante tante persone
un mare di gente nel vuoto

Year play rest my way day
thing man your world life
The hand part my child eye
woman cry place work weekend
your end case point government
tu sei quello che tu vuoi
the company my company
ma non sai quello che tu sei
Number group the problem is
in fact money money money……

Danni fisici psicologici
collera e paura stress
Sindrome da traffico ansia stati emotivi
Primordiali malesseri pericoli imminenti
E ignoti disturbi sul sesso

Venti di profezia parlano di Dei che avanzano

Year play rest my way day
thing man your world life
The hand part my child eye
woman cry place work weekend
your end case point government
tu sei quello che tu vuoi
the company my company
ma non sai quello che tu sei
Number group the problem is
in fact money money money……

Tempo non c'è tempo sempre più in affanno
Inseguo il nostro tempo vuoto di senso
senso di vuoto

Danni fisici psicologici
collera e paura stress
Sindrome da traffico ansia stati emotivi
Primordiali malesseri pericoli imminenti
E ignoti disturbi sul sesso

Il vuoto © 2007 Franco Battiato & Manlio Sgalambro

The idea for "Il vuoto" came from a study done by Oxford on the 100 most used words in the world. Battiato took the top 20 and rearranged and built on them. They are sung by the members of the group MAB, who also played on the track.

Time, there is no time, always more in trouble.
I follow our time empty of sense,
sense of emptiness.
And people, how many, so many people,
a sea of people in the emptiness.

Year play rest my way day
thing man your world life
the hand part my child eye
woman cry place work weekend
your end case point government
(you are that which you want)
the company my company
(but you don’t know what you are)
number group the problem is
in fact money money money . . .

Damages physical and psychological,
rage and fear, stress,
syndromes from traffic anxiety, emotional states,
primordial discomforts imminent dangers,
and unknown disturbances around sex.

Winds of prophesy talk of Gods that advance.

Year play rest my way day
thing man your world life
the hand part my child eye
woman cry place work weekend
your end case point government
(you are that which you want)
the company my company
(but you don’t know what you are)
number group the problem is
in fact money money money . . .

Time, there is no time, always more in trouble.
I follow our time empty of sense,
sense of emptiness.

Damages physical and psychological,
rage and fear, stress,
syndromes from traffic anxiety, emotional states,
primordial discomforts imminent dangers,
and unknown disturbances around sex.

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



Il vuoto was released in 2007. Battiato said of the album, "All of this disc is talking essentially of emptiness. And for "emptiness" I don't mean only that as it relates to thoughts or considerations of a philosophical order, but precisely the problems and circumstances that each one of us is obligated to live every day." And of course there's the flip side of this negative emptiness: the emptiness one can reach through meditation which then allows the realization of new possibilities. The lyrics are again a collaboration between Battiato and the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro.
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Thursday, August 8, 2019

I giorni della monotonia - Days of Monotony

Stavi giù distesa sopra il letto
E ti lasciavi andare come alla deriva
Passavamo così attraverso impervie vie
I giorni della monotonia
Tutti e due le labbra sulle tue
Gli attimi vissuti intensamente
Sono spenti

Stare insieme a te fu il delirio
Di una storia della nostra estrema diversità
E mi innamorai ossessivamente
Per distruggermi "..stringimi.."
Mi sussuravi piano: "caro amore"

Giorni di immensa meraviglia
E giorni di cattività
Tra noi due poi scoppiò il diluvio

Lux eterna domine in excelsis deo

Passavamo così attraverso impervie vie
I giorni della monotonia
Tutti e due le labbra sulle tue
Gli attimi vissuti intensamente
Sono spenti

Sto con me tra noi due ho scelto me

I giorni della monotonia © 2007 Franco Battiato & Manlio Sgalambro

"I giorni della monotonia" is a breakup song in the style of Battiato/Sgalambro.

You were down there stretched out on the bed,
and you let yourself drift around.
We passed thus across impervious ways –
days of monotony.
Both of the lips on yours,
the moments lived intensely
were spent.

Being together with you was the delirium
of a story of our extreme diversity.
And I fell in love obsessively
to destroy myself “..hold me..”
you whispered to me: “sweet love.”

Days of immense marvel
and days of captivity.
Then between the two of us the deluge fell.

Eternal light of God in all the high places, Lord.

We passed thus across impervious ways –
days of monotony.
Both of the lips on yours,
the moments lived intensely
were spent.

I am with myself; between us, I chose me.

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



Il vuoto was released in 2007. Battiato said of the album, "All of this disc talks essentially of emptiness. And for "emptiness" I don't mean only that as it relates to thoughts or considerations of a philosophical order, but precisely the problems and circumstances that each one of us is obligated to live every day." And of course there's the flip side of this negative emptiness: the emptiness one can reach through meditation which then allows the realization of new possibilities. The lyrics are again a collaboration between Battiato and the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro.
Back to Album List         Back to Song List

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Aspettando l'estate - Awaiting Summer

L'allegrezza del vento fuga i cattivi pensieri
Mentre ogni ombra fugge via
le giornate si accorciano
La sera i fuochi inondano i dintorni di luce

La tristezza non prevale su me
Col canto la tengo lontana
Le giornate si allungano
Sto aspettando l'estate

Anche se non ci sei tu sei sempre con me
Per antiche abitudini
Perchè ti rivedrò dovunque tu sia

Aspettando l'estate all'ombra dell'ultimo sole
Sospeso tra due alberi a immaginare
L'estasi dei momenti d'ozio
Voglio riscoprire aspettando l'estate

Anche se non ci sei tu sei sempre con me
E sono ancora sicuro che io ti rivedrò
Dovunque tu sia

Aspettando l'estate © 2007 Franco Battiato & Manlio Sgalambro

"Aspettando l'estate" introduces nature as a counterpoint to the sense of emptiness that is the theme of the album.

The joy of the wind dispels bad thoughts.
While every shadow runs away
the days become shorter.
At night, fires flood the surroundings with light.

Sadness doesn’t prevail over me,
with singing I hold it distant.
The days become longer,
I’m awaiting summer.

Even if you’re not here you are always with me,
out of ancient habit,
because I will see you again wherever you may be.

Awaiting summer in the shadow of the last sun,
suspended between two trees to imagine
the ecstasy of idle moments
I want to rediscover, awaiting summer.

Even if you’re not here you are always with me,
and I am still certain that I’ll see you again
wherever you might be.

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



Il vuoto was released in 2007. Battiato said of the album, "All of this disc talks essentially of emptiness. And for "emptiness" I don't mean only that as it relates to thoughts or considerations of a philosophical order, but precisely the problems and circumstances that each one of us is obligated to live every day." And of course there's the flip side of this negative emptiness: the emptiness one can reach through meditation which then allows the realization of new possibilities. The lyrics are again a collaboration between Battiato and the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro.
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Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Niente è come sembra - Nothing Is As It Seems

Rovinò lungo la china
solo chi ha un destino rovina
Non voglio che l'impuro ti colga
Ti darò a una rondine in volo
Niente è come sembra niente è come appare
Perché niente è reale

Ti darò a un ruscello
che scorre o alla terra piena di mimose
Qualcuno si ferma al tuo passare
Niente è come sembra niente è come appare
Perché niente è reale

I was in my car watching for the bend
I was looking for you

Dal balcone ammiravo il vuoto
che ogni tanto un passante riempiva...
È stato solo un presentimento
ti voglio ricordare che
Niente è come sembra niente è come appare
Perchè niente è reale

Niente è come sembra © 2007 Franco Battiato & Manlio Sgalambro

"Niente è come sembra" was inspired by a Buddhist concept that nothing has an inherent existence.

He hurtled along the slope –
only one who has a destiny hurtles.
I don’t want the impure to take hold of you.
I’ll give you to a swallow in flight.
Nothing is as it seems, nothing is as it appears,
because nothing is real.

I’ll give you to a brook
that runs to the land full of mimosas.
Someone stops as you pass by.
Nothing is as it seems, nothing is as it appears,
because nothing is real.

I was in my car watching for the bend,
I was looking for you.

From the balcony I admired the emptiness
that every now and then replenishes a passerby . . .
It was only a premonition,
I love to remind you that
nothing is as it seems, nothing is as it appears,
because nothing is real.

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



Il vuoto was released in 2007. Battiato said of the album, "All of this disc talks essentially of emptiness. And for "emptiness" I don't mean only that as it relates to thoughts or considerations of a philosophical order, but precisely the problems and circumstances that each one of us is obligated to live every day." And of course there's the flip side of this negative emptiness: the emptiness one can reach through meditation which then allows the realization of new possibilities. The lyrics are again a collaboration between Battiato and the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro.
Back to Album List         Back to Song List

Monday, August 5, 2019

Tiepido Aprile - Mild April

Attraversi il bosco tiepido Aprile
Consoli da sempre il viandante

Pensieri leggeri si uniscono alle resine dei pini
Si fa chiara la mente come nuvola
Pensieri leggeri si uniscono alle luci e ai colori
Al silenzio lontano delle nuvole
Entri dentro le case tiepido Aprile
Risvegli all'amore gli amanti

Mi affido al vento
ai profumi del tempo
Agli umori delle stagioni a meridione
Pensieri leggeri si uniscono alle resine dei pini
Al silenzio lontano delle nuvole

Tiepido Aprile © 2007 Franco Battiato & Manlio Sgalambro

"Tiepido Aprile" is a romantic lied, or art song, inspired by Battiato's love of nature.

You traverse the woods, mild April,
consoling the traveler since forever.

Light thoughts coalesce in the pine resins,
the mind like a cloud is made clear.
Light thoughts coalesce in the lights and colors,
in the distant silence of the clouds.
You enter inside the houses, mild April,
awakening lovers to love.

I give myself over to the wind,
to the weather’s smells,
to the moods of the seasons to the South.
Light thoughts coalesce in the pine resins,
in the distant silence of the clouds.

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



Il vuoto was released in 2007. Battiato said of the album, "All of this disc talks essentially of emptiness. And for "emptiness" I don't mean only that as it relates to thoughts or considerations of a philosophical order, but precisely the problems and circumstances that each one of us is obligated to live every day." And of course there's the flip side of this negative emptiness: the emptiness one can reach through meditation which then allows the realization of new possibilities. The lyrics are again a collaboration between Battiato and the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro.
Back to Album List         Back to Song List

Sunday, August 4, 2019

The game is over

The game is over in the dark night
I knock at your door

When I reach the selfish stage
I enjoy a certain pleasure
But sometimes a vague fear
which I cannot describe

Dov'è che stiamo andando
nel succedersi del tempo
Avrai un progetto o no per la tua vita?...
andiamo

To ask the mind to kill the mind
is like making the thief
When I reach the selfish stage
I enjoy a certain pleasure
But sometimes a vague fear
which I cannot describe

Dov'è che stiamo andando
nel succedersi del tempo
Avrai un progetto o no per la tua vita?
... adesso

Discover the nature of mind...
no matter how many planets
And stars are reflected in a lake
no matter how many universes there are

The game is over © 2007 Franco Battiato & Manlio Sgalambro

"The game is over" samples a song, "Huhu Namil," from an album called Songs of Mongolia, featuring throat singing and the national instrument, the morin khuur. Joining Battiato on vocals is Alice Dionis (Psycho Jeremy) of MAB.

The game is over in the dark night,
I knock at your door.

When I reach the selfish stage
I enjoy a certain pleasure,
but sometimes a vague fear
which I cannot describe.

Where is it that we’re going
in the succession of time?
Do you have a plan or not for your life?
Let’s go!

To ask the mind to kill the mind
is like making the thief.
When I reach the selfish stage
I enjoy a certain pleasure,
but sometimes a vague fear
which I cannot describe.

Where is it that we’re going
in the succession of time?
Do you have a plan or not for your life?
. . . now!

Discover the nature of mind . . .
no matter how many planets
and stars are reflected in a lake,
no matter how many universes there are.

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



Il vuoto was released in 2007. Battiato said of the album, "All of this disc talks essentially of emptiness. And for "emptiness" I don't mean only that as it relates to thoughts or considerations of a philosophical order, but precisely the problems and circumstances that each one of us is obligated to live every day." And of course there's the flip side of this negative emptiness: the emptiness one can reach through meditation which then allows the realization of new possibilities. The lyrics are again a collaboration between Battiato and the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro.
Back to Album List         Back to Song List

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Era l'inizio della primavera -                                                 It Was the Beginning of Spring

La Primavera cominciò un po' di tempo prima
E l'erba si vedeva appena e noi stavamo bene
Nell'aria mite del mattino le felci ancora chiuse
Tu che abbassavi spesso gli occhi
e sempre prima di me
La Primavera cominciò all'ombra di betulle
Come risposta al mio umore
Lanciavi un'occhiata era l'inizio tra noi due
Piangevo prima di te

It was in the early spring
The grass was barely showing
The stream was flowing the air mild
The trees were turning green

It was in the early morning
Shepherd's pipe as yet was silent
The ferns were still tightly furled
in the pine wood

It was in the early spring
In the shade of the birch trees
When with a smile
you lowered your eyes before me

In reply to my love you lowered....
You lowered .... your glance

Oh life - oh wood - oh youth
Oh sunlight ..and hope
La Primavera cominciò un po' di tempo prima
E l'erba si vedeva appena e noi stavamo bene

Era l'inizio della primavera © 2007 Franco Battiato

"Era l'inizio della primavera" is Battiato's rendition in Italian and English of "It Was in Early Spring" by Petr Tchaikovsky, with lyrics by Aleksey Tolstoy. The English lyrics are sung by Lisa Masia of the group MAB, which was featured on the opening song of the album.

Spring began just a little earlier
and grass was just appearing and we were well.
In the mild morning air, the ferns still closed,
you who often lowered your eyes,
and always ahead of me.
Spring began in the shadow of birches.
In response to my mood,
you cast a glance. It was the beginning for us.
I cried before you did.

It was in the early spring
The grass was barely showing
The stream was flowing the air mild
The trees were turning green

It was in the early morning
Shepherd's pipe as yet was silent
The ferns were still tightly furled
in the pine wood

It was in the early spring
In the shade of the birch trees
When with a smile
you lowered your eyes before me

In reply to my love you lowered....
You lowered .... your glance

Oh life - oh wood - oh youth
Oh sunlight ..and hope
Spring began just a little earlier
And grass was just appearing and we were well.

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



Il vuoto was released in 2007. Battiato said of the album, "All of this disc talks essentially of emptiness. And for "emptiness" I don't mean only that as it relates to thoughts or considerations of a philosophical order, but precisely the problems and circumstances that each one of us is obligated to live every day." And of course there's the flip side of this negative emptiness: the emptiness one can reach through meditation which then allows the realization of new possibilities. The lyrics are again a collaboration between Battiato and the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro.
Back to Album List         Back to Song List

Friday, August 2, 2019

Io chi sono? - Who Am I?

Io sono. Io chi sono?
Il cielo è primordialmente puro ed immutabile
Mentre le nubi sono temporanee
Le comuni apparenze scompaiono
Con l'esaurirsi di tutti i fenomeni
Tutto è illusorio privo di sostanza
Tutto è vacuità

E siamo qui ancora vivi di nuovo qui
Da tempo immemorabile
Qui non si impara niente sempre gli stessi errori
Inevitabilmente gli stessi orrori
da sempre come sempre

Però in una stanza vuota
la luce si unisce allo spazio
Sono una cosa sola inseparabili
La luce si unisce allo spazio in una cosa sola

Io sono. Io chi sono?

La luce si unisce allo spazio
in una cosa sola indivisibili

Io sono. Io chi sono?

Io chi sono? © 2007 Franco Battiato & Manlio Sgalambro



I am. Who am I?
The sky is primordially pure and immutable
while the clouds are temporary.
Common occurrences disappear
with the exhaustion of all phenomena.
Everything is illusory, without substance.
Everything is emptiness.

And we are still here alive, here again
from time immemorial.
Here one never learns, always the same mistakes.
Inevitably the same horrors,
since forever as always.

But in an empty room
the light comes together with the space.
I am a thing alone, inseparable.
The light comes together with the space in a single thing.
I am. Who am I?

The light comes together with the space
in a single indivisible thing.

I am. Who am I?

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



Il vuoto was released in 2007. Battiato said of the album, "All of this disc talks essentially of emptiness. And for "emptiness" I don't mean only that as it relates to thoughts or considerations of a philosophical order, but precisely the problems and circumstances that each one of us is obligated to live every day." And of course there's the flip side of this negative emptiness: the emptiness one can reach through meditation which then allows the realization of new possibilities. The lyrics are again a collaboration between Battiato and the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro.
Back to Album List         Back to Song List

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Stati di gioia - States of Joy

Le azioni del mondo
non influenzano il sole
E i nemici è sicuro
sono dentro di noi
Com'è possibile restare ciechi
per così lungo tempo

Mi trovavo a lottare
contro i miei fantasmi
Spostandomi in avanti
per quanto lo permette la catena
Scopersi per caso lo stato
che ascende alla Gioia
Masticavo semi di mela
alla luce del mattino
Le increspature dell'aria
sembravano pulsare
Mi giungevano frasi,
odori di erbe bruciate
Scintille di fuochi suoni lontani

Masticavo semi di mela
alla luce del mattino
Le increspature dell'aria
sembravano pulsare

Era l'estate del '63
un pomeriggio assolato
Da un juke-box di un bar
completamente vuoto
"She loves you ye ye ye"

Riti di purificazione
dentro stati di Gioia
Senza Luce né Oscurità

Stati di gioia © 2007 Franco Battiato & Manlio Sgalambro

"Stati di gioia" is based on an experience Battiato had in an ashram in India.

The actions of the world
don’t influence the sun,
and the enemies, it is certain,
are inside of us.
How is it possible to stay blind
for such a long time?

I found myself struggling
against my phantasms,
moving myself forward
as much as the chain allowed it,
discovering by chance the state
that rises up towards Joy.
I used to eat apple seeds
in the morning light.
The rippling air
seemed to pulse.
Phrases came to me,
smells of burned grass,
sparkles of fire, distant sounds.

I used to eat apple seeds
in the morning light.
The rippling air
seemed to pulse.

It was the summer of ’63,
a sunny afternoon.
From a jukebox of a café
completely empty –
“She loves you ya ya ya.”

Rites of purification
inside states of Joy,
without Light or Darkness.

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



Il vuoto was released in 2007. Battiato said of the album, "All of this disc talks essentially of emptiness. And for "emptiness" I don't mean only that as it relates to thoughts or considerations of a philosophical order, but precisely the problems and circumstances that each one of us is obligated to live every day." And of course there's the flip side of this negative emptiness: the emptiness one can reach through meditation which then allows the realization of new possibilities. The lyrics are again a collaboration between Battiato and the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro.
Back to Album List         Back to Song List

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Tra sesso e castità - Between Sex and Chastity

Andando a caso consideravo
girando per strade vuote
Che l’equilibrio si vede da sè
si avverte immediatamente
Ribussa ai miei pensieri
un desiderio di ieri
Ed è l’eterna lotta
tra sesso e castità

Chissà com’è la tua vita oggi
E chissà perché avrò abdicato

Scorrono gli anni nascosti dal fatto
che c’è sempre molto da fare
E il tempo presente si lascia fuggire
con scuse condizionali
Ribussa ai miei pensieri
un desiderio di ieri
Ed è l’eterno scontro
tra sesso e castità

Chissà com’è la tua vita oggi
E chissà perché avrò abdicato

Tra i sussurri l’indolente ebbrezza
di ascendere e cadere qui
Tra la vita e il sonno,
la luce e il buio
dove forze oscure
Da sempre si scatenano

Felici i giorni in cui il fato ti riempie
di lacrime ed arcobaleni
Della lussuria che tenta i papaveri
con turbinii e voglie

… Chissà perché avrò abdicato
con te riproverei ...
Per capriccio gioco per necessità
Mi divido così
tra astinenza e pentimenti
Tra sesso e castità

Tra sesso e castità © 2004 Franco Battiato & Manlio Sgalambro

"Tra sesso e castità " is a

Going around randomly, I considered,
wandering the empty streets,
that the equilibrium one sees by itself
is felt immediately.
Knocking again at my thoughts is
a desire from yesterday,
and it’s the eternal struggle
between sex and chastity.

Who knows how your life is today,
and who knows why I’ll have abdicated?

The years flow by hidden from the fact
that there is always much to do,
and the present time is left to flee
with conditional excuses.
Knocking again at my thoughts is
a desire from yesterday,
and it’s the eternal encounter
between sex and chastity.

Who knows how your life is today,
and who knows why I’ll have abdicated?

Between whispers the indolent intoxication
of rising and falling here.
Between life and sleep,
light and darkness,
where obscure forces
since forever have been unleashed.

Happy the days in which fate fills you
with tears and rainbows,
with the lust that tempts the poppies,
with whirlwinds and desires.

Who knows why I will have abdicated,
with you I would try again . . .
On a whim I play for necessity.
I divide myself thus,
between abstinence and regrets,
between sex and chastity.

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



Dieci stratagemmi - Attraversare il mare per ingannare il cielo was released in 2004. The title is a takeoff on the Chinese essay Thirty-Six Stratagems, which discusses strategies used in war and politics. The lyrics were mostly co-written by Battiato and the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro.
Back to Album List         Back to Song List

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Le aquili non volano a stormi -                                       Eagles Don't Fly in Flocks

Giorni e mesi corrono veloci
La strada è oscura e incerta
E temo di offuscarmi
Non prestare orecchio alle menzogne
Non farti soffocare dai maligni
Non ti nutrire di invidie e gelosie

In silenzio soffro i danni del tempo
Le aquile non volano a stormi
Vivo è il rimpianto della via smarrita
Nell'incerto cammino del ritorno

Seguo la guida degli antichi saggi
Mi affido al cuore ed attraverso il male
A chi confessi i tuoi segreti?
Ferito al mattino a sera offeso
Salta su un cavallo alato
Prima che l'incostanza offuschi lo splendore

In silenzio soffro i danni del tempo
Le aquile non volano a stormi
Vivo è il rimpianto della via smarrita
Nell'incerto cammino del ritorno

Shizukani tokino kizuni kurushimu
Murewo kundewa tobanai taka
Furuki oshiewo tadotte
Kokoronomamani konokanashimiwo norikoete

Le aquili non volano a stormi © 2004 Franco Battiato, Yashima Kinimori & Manlio Sgalambro

The lyrics of "Le aquili non volano a stormi" are based on verses of the Chinese poet Qu Yuan, while the music is a reworking of "Tabida-chi" played by the Yoshida Brothers.

Days and months run quickly.
The road is dark and uncertain
and I fear obfuscating myself
Don’t lend an ear to the falsehoods,
don’t force yourself to suffocate on evils,
don’t feed yourself envies and jealousies.

In silence I suffer the damages of time –
eagles don’t fly in flocks.
Alive is the regret about the road not taken
in the uncertain path of return.

I follow the guide of the ancient wise ones,
I trust my heart and cross over evil.
To whom do you confess your secrets?
Injured in the morning, evenings offended,
jump on a winged horse
before inconstancy obfuscates the splendor.

In silence I suffer the damages of time,
eagles don’t fly in flocks.
Alive is the regret of the road not taken
in the uncertain path of return.

It is quietly wearing a crack
Do you not end up murmuring?
Following School of Evolution
Leave this sadness as it is.

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



Dieci stratagemmi - Attraversare il mare per ingannare il cielo was released in 2004. The title is a takeoff on the Chinese essay Thirty-Six Stratagems, which discusses strategies used in war and politics. The lyrics were mostly co-written by Battiato and the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro.
Back to Album List         Back to Song List

Monday, July 8, 2019

Ermeneutica - Hermeneutics

Eiacula precocemente l'impero
Tornano i vecchi testamenti
Gli stati mostri si avventano sui regimi fascisti

Tensioni di tensioni di frustrazioni
si manifestano
Nel nostro seme si nascondono
si riproducono germi di desideri infetti
In my dreams I see you in a different way
The emotional colours of life
are changing completely

Sometimes we need to expel our seed
Where tensions of tensions hide

Mostruosa creatura (human virus)
Il suo nome è fanatismo
Solo quando il sacro parla (human virus)
L'eccelso prende forma

(human virus is coming inside us)

Deus est filius dei
Tutte le macchine al potere
gli uomini a pane ed acqua

And what is cosmos?
what is the meaning of the word?
History is bunk

Eiacula precocemente l'impero
Ritorna il circolo dei combattenti
Gli stati servi si inchinano
a quella scimmia di presidente
S'invade si abbatte
si insegue si ammazza il cattivo
Si inventano democrazie

A monstrous creature its name fanaticism
(human virus)
When the consecrated word speaks
Magnificence takes form

And now I am far from you
Now I’m far from you
And now I am far from you
Now I’m far from you

Ermeneutica © 2004 Franco Battiato & Manlio Sgalambro

"Ermeneutica" was written after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. While Battiato felt that it wasn't the role of music to address social questions, he was sufficiently indignant, as he was formerly when he wrote "Povera Patria," to speak out. The song takes its title from a philosophical term that means the theory and methodology of interpretation. Battiato said, "We can't accept certain insults to reason. These scoundrels want to pass on the idea that if they kill five Marines it's a massacre willed by the forces of evil, while it's fair to count up 15,000 innocent victims in Iraq or 10,000 in Afghanistan, because those are the enemy. We know the truth, we must shout that Bush is a lying criminal."

The empire ejaculates precociously,
the old testaments return,
the monster states pounce on the Fascist regimes.

Tensions of tensions of frustrations
manifest themselves;
in our seed, germs of infected desires
hide and reproduce themselves.
In my dreams I see you in a different way.
The emotional colours of life
are changing completely.

Sometimes we need to expel our seed
where tensions of tensions hide.

Monstrous creature (human virus) –
its name is fanaticism.
Only when the sacred speaks (human virus)
does the exalted take form.

(human virus is coming inside us)

God is son of god.
All the machines to power,
the men to bread and water.

And what is cosmos?
what is the meaning of the word?
History is bunk.

The empire ejaculates precociously,
the circus of combatants returns.
The servant states bow
down to that ape of a president,
the bad is invaded, beaten down,
followed, murdered,
democracies are invented.

A monstrous creature its name fanaticism
(human virus).
When the consecrated word speaks,
magnificence takes form.

And now I am far from you
Now I’m far from you
And now I am far from you
Now I’m far from you

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



Dieci stratagemmi - Attraversare il mare per ingannare il cielo was released in 2004. The title is a takeoff on the Chinese essay Thirty-Six Stratagems, which discusses strategies used in war and politics. The lyrics were mostly co-written by Battiato and the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro.
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