La la lalala lalalalalala...
What a smell of lemon and jasmine
it comes up from the ground when you walk
I feel strong, and I have heart of a lion
looking at these people smiling at me
Arabs, Normans, Phoneicians,
barbarians, Sicanians and four suitors of Penelope
They were three thousand of the Greeks
There was a black saint and the Africans
Centuries have past and the faces
have all remained just the same
We're the sons of those who ruled
Half of us Catholics, and half of us Muslims
I don't know how to live without this sun
This sea, I'm afraid
I can only live well when I'm home, 9-2-1001
I don't know how to live without this sun
this sea, I'm afraid and I cry...
I can only live well when I'm home, 9-2-100
The subjugation, the wars, the mafia
made the street dry and prickly
We live under the protection of the three giants
and we are people with ready hands
Germans, Japanese, and two French people
Stowaways, stupid Americans
Pippo Baudo2, Garibaldi3, and Goethe4
Sciascia5, Pirandello6, and Camilleri7
Earthquakes and landslides have gone by
The poor people have big cars
The faces of sycophantic politicians
Rule violations, obligations, and amnesties
I don't know how to live without this sun
This sea, I'm afraid
I can only live well when I'm home, 9-2-100
I don't know how to live without this sun
this sea, I'm afraid and I cry...
I can only live well when I'm home, 9-2-100
La la lalala lalalalalala...
The father says, "Oh son, don't make a mistake,
get away from this land, it's no good!"
but I was born here, and I gotta die here
But without the rhythm and the sound of bells
In this place we're all friends
If we litigate then we make peace
We'll understand everyone and be united
For this, we'll kill like dogs
Centuries have past and the faces
have all remained just the same
We're the sons of those who ruled
Half of us Catholics, and half of us Muslims
I don't know how to live without this sun
This sea, I'm afraid
I can only live well when I'm home, 9-2-100
I don't know how to live without this sun
this sea, I'm afraid and I cry...
I can only live well when I'm home, 9-2-100
La la lalala lalalalalala...
1. The CAP number of Agrigento, Sicily. CAP is basically the Italian equivalent of the American ZIP code system.2. Italian TV personality, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pippo_Baudo3. Italian nationalist who helped to create the modern nation-state of Italy, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Garibaldi4. The most famous German poet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe See also this article: http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art149.htm5. Italian author: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_Sciascia6. Italian dramatist: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_Pirandello7. another writer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Camilleri