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Se Lei sapesse cos'è la vita sociale non mi starebbe a seccare perché io La faccia passare. Se Lei sapesse essere un uomo civile aspetterebbe il Suo turno come fa tutta l'altra gente. -Senta, ma Lei non sa chi sono io: sono il commendatore Tale, parente del ministro Tale! - Mi spiace, ma questo non mi importa niente, lo dica pure al suo parente, io non mi lascio influenzare. La vuol capire? questa è la vita sociale: commendatori o cavalieri, per noi la gente è tutta uguale. Impari un poco a essere un uomo civile, a essere un poco più gentile con chi fa il proprio dovere. - Senta, La prego, mi faccia passare, se in mezz'ora non ho fatto io sono un uomo rovinato! - Spiacente, ma non ci posso fare niente, prima di Lei c'è altra gente che ha diritto di passare. La vuol capire? questa è la vita sociale: se mi lasciassi impietosire tutti verrebbero a pregare. In fondo poi un vero uomo civile anche se ha i problemi suoi deve sapersi controllare. - Ma senta, un'ultima cosa vorrei dire... Ho giusto diecimila lire... di cui non so proprio che fare. - Va bene... visto che Lei insiste tanto daremo ascolto al sentimento, va bene, passi pure avanti. Ma si ricordi, e almeno sia riconoscente, che al posto mio tanta altra gente ne avrebbe chiesto ventimila! Vita sociale © 196? Luigi Tenco |
If you knew what community life is, you wouldn’t bother me to let you pass. If you knew how to be a civilized man, you’d wait your turn like all the other people. “Listen, but you don’t know who I am: I’m the commander Joe, relative of the minister Joe!” “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t care less about this, you can tell your relative, I don’t let myself be influenced.” Do you want to understand? This is community life: commander or horseman, for us, the people, it’s all equal. Learn a little about being a civilized man, about being a little kinder with whoever does their duty. “Listen, I pray you, let me pass. If I haven’t done it in half an hour, I am a ruined man!” “Sorry, but I can’t do anything about it, ahead of you there are other people who have the right to pass.” Do you want to understand? This is community life: if I let them move me to pity, everyone would come to pray. Basically then, a true civilized man, even if he has his problems, should know how to control himself. “But listen, one last thing I’d like to say . . . I’ve got just ten thousand lira . . . that I don’t know what to do with.” “Alright . . . seeing that you insist so, we’ll give a listen to the sentiment, alright, just go on ahead. But remember, and at least be grateful, that in my place so many others would have asked for twenty thousand!” English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser Luigi Tenco canta Tenco, De André, Jannacci, Bob Dylan was posthumously released in 1972. It contains recordings from when Tenco was with the Jolly label, which released his second album in 1965. Most of the songs were probably recorded in 1964 and 1965, all unreleased until this album. |
I began exploring Italian popular songs as part of learning Italian. Here are my translations for some of my favorite "canzoni" by Italian singers, songwriters, and bands whose work I admire. It's a work in progress that can serve as a curated introduction to Italian popular music, with an emphasis on the 1950s through the 1990s. If you speak Italian, send me a message if you see lyrics I've misunderstood.
