Tag Archives: Osama bin Laden

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

“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…