Tag Archives: Bertoli

Learn Italian in Song: Maria Teresa

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Another beautiful song by Pierangelo Bertoli. Maria Teresa forse troppa fantasia, Maria Teresa, perhaps too much imagination giornate uguali, poche notti di follia, days all the same, few nights of folly fragili ricordi, fragile memories sulla fronte qualche ruga in piu’ a few more lines on the forehead volti appena scorti, faces barely seen poco Read More…

Another beautiful song by Pierangelo Bertoli.

Maria Teresa forse troppa fantasia, Maria Teresa, perhaps too much imagination
giornate uguali, poche notti di follia, days all the same, few nights of folly
fragili ricordi, fragile memories
sulla fronte qualche ruga in piu’ a few more lines on the forehead
volti appena scorti, faces barely seen
poco amore nella gioventu’ little love in youth
Giovanni ha gli occhi come un cielo a primavera Giovanni has eyes like a sky in spring
e i suoi vent’anni sono un varco alla frontiera, and his 20 years are a breach in the frontier
soffre d’innocenza, He suffers from innocence
prende dalla vita quel che c’e’ takes what there is from life
come in una danza As in a dance
lui si aspetta che con te He expects that with you
non resteranno giorni bui there will be no more dark days
se solo tu sarai con lui if only you will be with him
fin quando tu lo cercherai as long as you look for him
finche’ al suo amore crederai as long as you believe in his love
finche’ vincerai as long as you win
fino a quando sulle soglie del suo mondo as long as on the thresholds of his world
lui vorra’ sapere che ci sei he will want to know that you are (there)
Maria Teresa quanta gente non approva Maria Teresa, how many people don’t approve
quell’espressione, quella faccia quasi nuova that expression, that face almost new
frugano i tuoi sogni they rifle through your dreams
alzando le barriere dell’eta’ raising the barriers of age
contano i tuoi giorni, they count your days
pesano la tua diversita’ and weigh your diversity
Maria Teresa quanta voglia di poesia, Maria Teresa, how much desire for poetry
convalescente di un’eterna malattia convalescent of an eternal malady
la tua strada aperta your open road
mostra della vita quel che c’? demonstrates what there is of life
fuori dalla porta outside the door
lui si aspetta che con te He expects that with you
non resteranno giorni bui there will be no more dark days
se solo tu sarai con lui if only you will be with him
fin quando tu lo cercherai as long as you look for him
finche’ al suo amore crederai as long as you believe in his love
finche’ vincerai as long as you win
fino a quando sulle soglie del suo mondo as long as on the thresholds of his world
lui vorra’ sapere che ci sei he will want to know that you are (there)

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Learn Italian in Song: Il Pescatore

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by Pierangelo Bertoli The song requires one or more male voices and a female voice. I can’t find any video of Bertoli, the singer-songwriter. This video features i Nomadi singing with Giulia (winner of an American Idol-style TV contest a few years ago), and was evidently done by a fan of Giulia. The original vocals Read More…
by Pierangelo Bertoli

Pierangelo Bertoli - Frammenti di Perangelo Bertoli - Pescatore

The song requires one or more male voices and a female voice. I can’t find any video of Bertoli, the singer-songwriter. This video features i Nomadi singing with Giulia (winner of an American Idol-style TV contest a few years ago), and was evidently done by a fan of Giulia.

The original vocals by Bertoli and Fiorella Mannoia are below.

Il Pescatore

The Fisherman
Getta le tue reti Throw your nets
buona pesca ci sarà There’ll be good fishing
e canta le tue canzoni And sing your songs
che burrasca calmerà To calm the storm
pensa pensa al tuo bambino Think, think of your child
al saluto che ti mandò Of the goodbye he sent you
e tua moglie sveglia di buon mattino And your wife, awake early in the morning
con Dio di te parlò, [who] spoke with God of you
con Dio di te parlò [who] spoke with God of you
“Dimmi dimmi mio Signore “Tell me, tell me, my Lord,
dimmi che tornerà Tell me he will return.
l’uomo mio difendi dal mare Defend my man from the sea
dai pericoli che troverà From the dangers he will find
troppo giovane son io Too young am I
ed il nero è un triste colore And black is a sad color
la mia pelle bianca e profumata My skin, white and perfumed,
ha bisogno di carezze ancora Needs caresses still
ha bisogno di carezze ora” Needs caresses now”
Pesca forza tira pescatore Fish, come on, pull, fisherman!
pesca e non ti fermare Fish and don’t stop
poco pesce nella rete Little fish in the net
lunghi giorni in mezzo al mare Long days in the middle of the sea
mare che non ti ha mai dato tanto A sea that has never given you much
mare che fa bestemmiare A sea that makes [you] blaspheme
quando la sua furia diventa grande When its fury grows great
e la sua onda è un gigante And its wave is gigantic.
la sua onda è un gigante And its wave is gigantic.
“Dimmi dimmi mio Signore “Tell me, tell me, my Lord,
dimmi se tornerà Tell me whether he will return
quell’uomo che sento meno mio That man whom I feel less mine
ed un altro mi sorride già And another already smiles at me
scaccialo dalla mia mente Banish him from my mind
non indurmi nel peccato Don’t tempt me into sin
un brivido sento quando mi guarda I feel a shiver when he looks at me
e una rosa egli mi ha dato And he gave me a rose.
una rosa lui mi ha dato And he gave me a rose.
Rosa rossa pegno di amore Red rose, sign of love
rosa rossa malaspina Red rose [of the] evil thorn
nel silenzio della notte ora In the silence of the night now
la mia bocca gli è vicina My mouth is close to him
no per Dio non farlo tornare No, by God, don’t let him return
dillo tu al mare You tell the sea
è troppo forte questa catena This chain is too strong
io non la voglio spezzare I don’t want to break it
io non la voglio spezzare” I don’t want to break it”
Pesca forza tira pescatore Fish, come on, pull, fisherman!
pesca non ti fermare Fish and don’t stop
anche quando l’onda ti solleva forte Even when the wave lifts you hard
e ti toglie dal tuo pensare And takes you out of your thoughts
e ti spazza via come foglia al vento And brushes you away like a leaf on the wind
che vien voglia di lasciarsi andare So that you want to let yourself go
più leggero nel suo abbraccio forte Lighter in its strong embrace
ma è così cattiva poi la morte? But is death really so bad?
è così cattiva poi la morte? Is death really so bad?
“Dimmi dimmi mio Signore “Tell me, tell me, my Lord,
dimmi che tornerà Tell me he will return.
quell’uomo che sento l’uomo mio That man I feel [to be] my man
quell’uomo che non saprà That man who will not know
che non saprà di me, Who will not know of me,
di lui e delle sue promesse vane Of him and his vain promises
di una rosa rossa qui tra le mie dita Of a red rose here between my fingers
di una storia nata già finita Of a story born and already over.”
di una storia nata già finita Of a story born and already over.
Pesca forza tira pescatore Fish, come on, pull, fisherman!
pesca non ti fermare Fish and don’t stop
poco pesce nella rete Little fish in the net
lunghi giorni in mezzo al mare Long days in the middle of the sea
mare che non ti ha mai dato tanto A sea that has never given you much
mare che fa bestemmiare A sea that makes [you] blaspheme
e si placa e tace senza resa That [becomes] calm and silent, without surrender
e ti aspetta per ricominciare And awaits you to start again.
e ti aspetta per ricominciare And awaits you to start again.

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An Italian Song for Valentine’s Day: Per Dirti T’Amo

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Pierangelo Bertoli: To Say “I Love You” Avrei voluto dedicarti una canzone — I would have liked to dedicate a song to you con le parole della televisione — with the words of the television tutti quei fiori e quei discorsi complicati — all those flowers and complicated discourses che al cine fanno nei locali Read More…

Pierangelo Bertoli: To Say “I Love You”

Avrei voluto dedicarti una canzone — I would have liked to dedicate a song to you
con le parole della televisione — with the words of the television
tutti quei fiori e quei discorsi complicati — all those flowers and complicated discourses
che al cine fanno nei locali raffinati. — which in films they do in refined places
Ma mi sembra di commettere un reato — But that seems to me to be committing a crime
perché per dirti che sono innamorato — because, to say that I’m in love with you
perché per dirti cosa penso in fondo al cuore — because, to say what I think in the bottom of my heart
non c’é motivo che mi finga un grande attore. — there’s no reason for me to pretend I’m a great actor

ritornello: — refrain:
Per dirti t’amo, amo te, bastava solo che guardassi intorno a me — To say I love you, it’s you I love, it was enough to look around me
per dirti ti vorrei sposare, é giusto dirlo, dirlo in modo naturale. — To say I’d like to marry you, it’s right to say it, say it naturally

Non voglio chiuderti in nessun mondo fatato — I don’t want to close you in any enchanted world
e non ho voglia di tornare nel passato — and I don’t want to return to the past
io so, potremmo avere il mondo nelle mani — I know, we could have the world in our hands
se siamo forti e fiduciosi nel domani. — if we’re strong and have faith in tomorrow.
Avremo un posto dove andare a lavorare — We’ll have a place to go and work
e avremo figli da allevare e da curare — and we’ll have children to raise and take care of
e tanto amore tanta gente come noi — and much love, and many people like us
e avremo un mondo, un mondo nuovo intorno a noi. — and we’ll have a world, a new world around us.

(refrain)

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Learn Italian in Song: Cent’Anni di Meno

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Pierangelo Bertoli – One Hundred Years Younger Stesi nell’erba tra i fiori di campo / Stretched out in the grass among the flowers of the field Persi a narraci future fortune coi sensi colmi di voglia di vita / Lost in narrating [our] future fortunes with our senses filled with the desire for life In Read More…

Pierangelo Bertoli – One Hundred Years Younger

Stesi nell’erba tra i fiori di campo / Stretched out in the grass among the flowers of the field
Persi a narraci future fortune coi sensi colmi di voglia di vita / Lost in narrating [our] future fortunes with our senses filled with the desire for life
In tasca solo speranza infinita / In our pocket only infinite hope
E una fiducia infinita nel seno / and an infinite faith in our breast
Quando avevamo cent’anni di meno / When we were 100 years younger.

Quando una donna era fatta di nebbia e dalle labbra stillava rugiada / When woman was made of fog and her lips dripped dew
Da quella bocca spandeva all’intorno / From that mouth spread all around
Inni alla nascita nuova del giorno / Hymns to the new birth of the day
E i suoi capelli odoravan di fieno / And her hair smelled of hay
Quando avevamo cent’anni di meno / When we were 100 years younger.

Mille cannoni perduti da un bacio / A thousand cannons lost for a kiss
Noi credevamo alla pace nel mondo / We believed in peace in the world
Bastava un dolce sorriso, uno sguardo / A sweet smile, a glance were enough
Tutti abbracciati in un bel girotondo / Everyone embraced in a nice ring-around-the-rosie
Anche al diluvio davamo il suo freno / We even put the brakes on the flood
Quando avevamo cent’anni di meno / When we were 100 years younger.

Oltre i confini di un chiaro orizzonte nascevan solo mattini di pace / Beyond the borders of a clear horizon were born only mornings of peace
La fame, il freddo, la tetra miseria o il malgoverno di qualche incapace / Hunger, cold, dark misery or the bad government of some incapable [idiot]
Tutto sfumava in un cielo sereno / Everything faded away in a serene sky
Quando avevamo cent’anni di meno / When we were 100 years younger.

Luce accecante ci entrava negli occhi e dipingeva di rosa il cammino / Blinding light entered our eyes and painted our path in pink
Gli sfruttatori, gli schiavi del vizio o i giustizieri di un vecchio ronzino / The exploiters, the slaves of vice, or the vigilantes of an old nag
Li lasciavamo fuori dal treno / We left them off the train*
Quando avevamo cent’anni di meno / When we were 100 years younger.

Sopra alle sponde di un lago di pane noi portavamo l’intero creato / Above the banks of a lake of bread we carried all of creation
Poi cantavamo canzoni all’amore / Then we sang songs to love
Nudi tra gli alberi ai bordi di un prato, paghi d’amore col cuore ripieno / Naked among the trees at the edges of a meadow, repaid with love with our hearts full
Quando avevamo cent’anni di meno / When we were 100 years younger.

Sotto alle stelle in un bar dentro casa senza deciderci ad andare a dormire / Beneath the stars in a bar at home, without deciding to go and sleep
Noi volavamo su Marte o la Luna felici solo di starci a sentire / We flew to Mars or the moon, happy just to stay and listen
E credevamo a un domani sereno / and we believed in a serene tomorrow
Quando avevamo cent’anni di meno. / When we were 100 years younger.

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Learn Italian in Song: Certi Momenti

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Certain Moments Pierangelo Bertoli, 1980 A song in favor of a woman’s right to choose, from a time when either choice to be made for an unwanted pregnancy resulted in social stigma. Unfortunately, the song is relevant still today. For the moment (2008), abortion is legal in Italy, but the political right wing and the Read More…

Certain Moments

Pierangelo Bertoli, 1980

A song in favor of a woman’s right to choose, from a time when either choice to be made for an unwanted pregnancy resulted in social stigma. Unfortunately, the song is relevant still today. For the moment (2008), abortion is legal in Italy, but the political right wing and the Catholic church are doing what they can to make obtaining an abortion – or even birth control – more difficult. Teenage pregnancy has not been a big phenomenon in Italy to date, but at this rate…

A year or two ago we went out to dinner at Taverna ai Poggi, a restaurant near our home in Lecco. The only table left was in the basement, alongside a large (pre-arranged) banquet of some sort. We were a merry little bunch, and the restaurant staff kept apologetically asking us to quiet down so we wouldn’t disturb the other group. Perforce, we listened to them, and were astonished to hear a long recital of vitriolic anti-abortion poetry. Had I had my wits about me, I should have replied with this song.
Anna che hai scavalcato le montagnee hai preso a pugni le tue
tradizioni

lo so che non é facile il tuo giorno

ma il tuo pensiero é fatto di ragioni

i padri han biasimato la tua azione

la chiesa ti ha bollato d’eresia

i cambiamento impone la reazione

e adesso sei il nemico e cosi’ sia

ritornello:

Credo che in certi momenti il cervello non sa piu’ pensare

e corre in rifugi da pazzi e

non vuole tornare

poi cado coi piedi per terra e

scoppiano folgore e tuono

non credo alla vita pacifica non credo al perdono

Adesso quando i medici di turno rifiuteranno di esserti d’aiuto

perchÉ venne un polacco ad insegnargli

che é piu’ cristiano imporsi col rifiuto

pretenderanno che tu torni indietro

e ti costringeranno a partorire

per poi chiamarlo figlio della colpa

e tu una Maddalena da pentire.

(ritornello)

Volevo dedicarti quattro righe,

per quanto puo’ valere una canzone

credo che tu abbia fatto qualche cosa

anche se questa é solo un’opinione

che lascerai il tuo segno nella vita e i poveri bigotti reazionari

dovranno fare senza peccatrici

saranno senza scopi umanitari

(ritornello x2)

 Anna, [you] who have climbed the mountainsand have beaten up your traditions

I know your day isn’t easy

but your thought is made up of [correct] reasons

The fathers have censured your action

the church has declared you a heretic

change requires reaction

and now you’re the enemy, and so be it.

refrain:

I believe that in certain moments the brain doesn’t know how to think anymore

and runs into crazy refuges and doesn’t want to return

then I fall with my feet on the ground

and lightning and thunder explode

I don’t believe in the peaceful life,

I don’t believe in pardon.

Now that the doctors on duty

will refuse to help you

because a Polack* came to teach them

that it is more Christian to impose oneself by refusal

They will expect that you turn back

and they will force you to give birth

to then call him “child of shame” and you a Magdalene to repent.

(refrain)

I wanted to dedicate four lines to you, for whatever a song may be worth

I believe you have done something,

although this is only an opinion,

that will leave your sign in life

and the poor reactionary bigots

will have to do without [female] sinners

they will be without humanitarian aims.
* Polacco in Italian is not a pejorative term. It merely connotes a male citizen of Poland, in this specific case, Karol Wojtyla, aka the late Pope John Paul II. However, I think the context justifies using the pejorative English term rather than the neutral (and potentially confusing, in spite of capitalization) “Pole”.

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