Learn Italian in Song: Tu Vuo’ Fa’ o’ Talebano

by Deirdre Straughan on August 22, 2010   

“Gino the Chicken” was a phenomenon in Italy a few years ago. Today a reader comment on my translation of Tu Vuo’ Fa’ L’Americano directed me to YouTube, where I ran across Gino’s version of the song, directed at Osama bin Laden:

You Want to Be a Taliban

Tienni la barba longa chiù d’un metro, You wear your beard longer than a meter
nu turbantiello e ‘na casacca usata, a little turban and a used cassock
passi spiritato su Al Jazeera you appear possessed on Al Jazeera
comme ‘nu ‘uappo pe’ te fa’ guarda’: like a Mafioso to get yourself looked ad
Tu vuo’ fa ‘o talebano, talebano, talebano, You want to be a Taliban
siente a me, chi t’o fa fa’? Listen to me, who forces you to?
Hai i precetti del Corano, You have the precepts of the Koran
ma poi schianti l’aeroplano, But then you crash airplanes
tutto il mondo vuo’ disfa’. You want to undo the whole world
Tu skif’ ‘o rock’n roll, You find rock ‘n’ roll disgusting
tu skif’ ‘o baseball, You find baseball disgusting
ma i sordi p’a jihad But the money for jihad
chi te li dà? Who gives it to you?
U petrolio di papà? Daddy’s oil?
Tu vuo’ fa ‘o talebano, talebano, talebano, You want to be a Taliban
ma si’ nato in Arabia: but you were born in Arabia
Sient’ a me, non ce sta nient ‘a fa’, Listen to me, there’s nothing to be done
capisc Osamà, tu vuo’ fa’ ‘o taleba’, Understand, Osama, you want to be a Taleban
Bin Laden ‘o taleba’. Bin Laden the Taliban.
Ai maomettani parli comme a un prete, To the Muslims you talk like a priest
ca si tu si’ mullah i’ so’ cinese, But if you’re a mullah, I’m Chinese
e lieggi ‘nata vota ‘stu Curano, Go read the Koran for once
lasciaci ‘n pace e vattene co’ Omar! Leave us alone or go away with Omar
Tu vuo’ fa ‘o talebano, talebano, talebano, You want to be a Taliban
attent’ a te, chi t’o fa fa’? Look out, who makes you do it?
Spacci oppio co’ l’afgano You push opium with the Afghans
dal confine pakistano, from the Pakistan border
ce lo porti fino a qua. you bring it to us all the way here
Tu skif’ ‘o rock’n roll, You find rock ‘n’ roll disgusting
tu skif’ ‘o baseball, You find baseball disgusting
ma i sordi p’a jihad But the money for jihad
chi te li dà? Who gives it to you?
L’eroina afganista’? Afghan heroin?
Tu vuo’ fa ‘o talebano, talebano, talebano, You want to be a Taliban
ma si’ nato in Arabia: but you were born in Arabia
Sient’ a me, non ce sta nient ‘a fa’, Listen to me, there’s nothing to be done
Capisc Osamà, tu vuo’ fa’ ‘o taleba’, Understand, Osama, you want to be a Taleban
Bin Laden ‘o taleba’. Bin Laden the Taliban.
Collin Pauell, Giorg’ Bush… Colin Powell, George Bush…

 

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

Simone September 12, 2011 at 12:19 pm

This isn’t Italian, this is Neapolitan! People, don’t learn this thinking that is italian.

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