La mia gente - My people

La mia gente La mia gente muore La mia gente muore E nessuno se ne accorge Io sto a guardare Fuori, fuori che piove E di questo morire Non ne voglio capire La mia gente La mia gente muore La mia gente muore E nessuno se ne accorge Li han lasciati accoppare Dietro a una ciminiera Gli avevano detto Che era l'ultima sera Sì, ma tu Che con la tua automobile Hai scambiato la vita Per una bella donna sfiorita Ricordati che c'è C'è ancora qualcuno Che aspetta la filovia E quando l'ha presa Tira fuori un sorriso Perché ormai l'han convinto Che andrà in paradiso La mia gente La mia gente canta La mia gente canta E nessuno se ne accorge Io sto ad ascoltare Ma non capisco le parole E allora di rabbia Alzo il volume della radio Alzo il volume della radio E canto con lei E canto con lei Contro la mia gente Contro la mia gente Contro la mia gente... La mia gente © 1969 Enzo Jannacci "La mia gente" talks about how the people of Milan are being slowly killed in the industrial smoke of its chimneys, while the singer turns up the radio to tune out what's going on around him.

My people, my people are dying, my people are dying and no one notices. I am watching outside, outside where it’s raining, and of this dying I don’t want to understand. My people, my people are dying, my people are dying and no one notices. They let them kill behind a chimney, they told them that it was the final night. Yes, but you, who with your automobile traded your life for a beautiful faded woman, remember that there is, there is still someone who waits for the trolley, and when he takes it a smile breaks out because they’ve long convinced him that he’ll go to heaven. My people, my people sing, my people sing and no one notices. I’m listening but I don’t understand the words. And now out of anger I turn up the volume of the radio, I turn up the volume of the radio, and sing with her, and sing with her, against my people, against my people, against my people . . . English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser La mia gente is Jannacci's fourth studio album, released in 1970. After being disappointed by his showing at the 1968 Canzonissima song competition, Jannacci decided to distance himself from the world of show business and dedicate himself instead to further training in his chosen field of study, medicine. However, he was still under contract to RCA and owed them more albums. La mia gente reflects some of the bitterness and disillusionment that Jannacci felt in those years about the music world.