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Ha tutte le carte in regola Per essere un artista Ha un carattere melanconico Beve come un irlandese Se incontra un disperato Non chiede spiegazioni Divide la sua cena Con pittori ciechi, musicisti sordi Giocatori sfortunati, scrittori monchi Ha tutte le carte in regola Per essere un artista Non gli fa paura niente Tantomeno un prepotente Preferisce stare solo Anche se gli costa caro Non fa alcuna differenza Tra un anno ed una notte Tra un bacio ed un addio Questo è un miserere Senza lacrime Questo è il miserere Di chi non ha più illusioni Ha tutte le carte in regola Per essere un artista Detesta lavorare Intorno a un parassita Vive male la sua vita Ma lo fa con grande amore Ha amato tanto due donne Erano belle, bionde, alte, snelle Ma per lui non esistono più È perché è solo un artista Che l'hanno preso per un egoista La vita è una cosa Che prende, porta e spedisce Ha tutte le carte in regola © 1973 Piero Ciampi, Gianni Marchetti "Ho tutte le carte in regola" reads like an epitaph for Ciampi's rocky and intensely-lived time on this planet. |
He has all the cards in order to be an artist. He's by character melancholic, he drinks like an Irishman. If he meets a desperate man, he asks no explanations. He shares his meal with blind painters, deaf musicians, unlucky gamblers, crippled writers. He has all the cards in order to be an artist. He’s not afraid of anything, least of which a bully. He prefers to be alone even if it costs him dearly. There’s no difference between a year and a night, between a kiss and a farewell. This is a “Miserere” without tears, this is the “Miserere” for one with no illusions. He has all the cards in order to be an artist. He detests working around a parasite. He lives his life poorly but does so with great love. He dearly loved two women, they were beautiful, blond, tall, thin, but for him they don’t exist anymore. It’s because he’s only an artist whom they took to be self-involved. Life is something that he grabs, carries, and dispatches. English translation © 2021 Dennis Criteser Io e te abbiamo perso la bussola (You and I Have Lost the Way) was released in 1973 and was again produced and arranged by Gianni Marchetti, who also composed the music. |
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.
