“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 chiu’ 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 da’ ? | Who gives it to you? | ||
| U petrolio di papa’ ? | 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 Osama’ , 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 da’ ? | 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… |
