He then moved back to his family in Modena and attended the local "istituto magistrale". He worked for a couple otf years as a reporter for a local newspaper Gazzetta di Modena. In 1960 the Guccinis moved to Bologna where Francesco studied at the local university. From 1965 to 1985 he held italian courses at the Dickinson College (an American school) in Bologna.
He played in local bands such as The Hurricanes and Gatti and achieved success in the 1960s writing songs for a legendary Italian band, Nomadi, also from Modena. Some of these successes include "Noi non ci saremo" and "Dio è morto". In the 1970s, Nomadi recorded two albums of Guccini's songs as well as a live album, Album Concerto, featuring him. Guccini's debut album was Folkbeat, No. 1 (1967).
Guccini always declared his first two works, Folk Beat n.1 and Due anni dopo, being merely tentatives, a nature probably noticeable in the quite essential musical arrangements. The latter, however, contained classics like the title-track and "La primavera di Praga" ("Prague Spring"). His first mature album is therefore L'Isola Non Trovata ("The Not Found Island") of 1970, which shows many the themes which were to be present in the future releases: a certain melancholy for a perceived nearness of death, as well as the portrait of outcasts figures like "Il frate" ("The Friar").
Radici ("Roots", 1972), is one of Guccini's finest works, and contains some of his most famous songs. These include: the title-track, a nostalgic declaration of love for Guccini's youth spent in the Appennine mountains; "La locomotiva", a long ballad about the solitary, unlucky revolt of a Bolognese railwayman during the 19th century; "Il vecchio e il bambino", a melancholic story about the dreams of an old man, and the different way in which they are perceived by the boy accompanying him; "Piccola città" ("Small City"), about Guccini's early years in the Emilia-Romagna provincial world.
Stanze di vita quotidiana ("Stanzas of Everyday Life") of 1974 deals with more private themes, sometimes with nearly desperate accents. The album contains at least one masterwork, the yearning "Canzone delle osterie di fuori porta".
In 1976 Guccini scored his greatest commercial success with the album Via Paolo Fabbri 43. The title is his residence street in Bologna. He declared this choice was an error, because many of his fans made true pilgrimages there to meet and talk with him. The album features the famous "L'avvelenata", a catchy ballad in which Guccini unleashes his rage against musics critics and people perceiving in a distorted way his career ans popularity as singer-songwriter.
Amerigo (1978), whose title-track is about the story of the emigration of Guccini's Pavanese uncle to the United States, Metropolis (1981), and Guccini (1983), showed that the Bolognese singer's inspiration was left untouched by the general switch to the more commercial themes that characterized the Italian musical world starting from the end of 1970s.
The 1984 live tournée was highly successful, and was soon collected in a double live LP, Fra la Via Emilia e il West ("Between the Via Aemilia and the West"). Emilia Romagna and the Old West symbolize well the double ties of Guccini to his native land and to America. Guccini declared to have knwown the latter soon in his life, through the comics and magazines imported by US soldiers during World War 2, but also through his uncle's tales. After the war, like many Italians of the period, he was of course influenced by American songs and Hollywood movies, and finally managed to touch with hand this kind of myth during his personal voyages to US (including a love story with an American girl).
Last album of 1980s was Signora Bovary (1987), containing notable pieces like "Scirocco". After several interlocutory albums in the 1990s, Guccini returned at his best with Stagioni ("Seasons") of 2000: the title-track is an effective, merciless accusation against media invadence and moral corruption of Italy.
Guccini's last studio release is Ritratti of 2004.
Certo Non Sai
Francesco Guccini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coi tuoi capelli sparsi e abbandonati sul cuscino
Neri e lucenti, come degli stormi
Di corvi in volo chiaro del mattino.
Certo non so che cosa puoi sognare quando sogni
E appare solo appena un lieve affanno nel respiro
Che ti esce piano e si mescola coi suoni
Di questa notte che si consuma in giro.
Io vorrei asciugarle, io vorrei parlarti,
Dirti cose vane ma c'è in me il timore
Di spezzarti il sonno, forse di svegliarti.
Forse non sai quando sia felice nel vederti
Addormentata e persa accanto a me, stesa vicino;
Quanto sia bello il gioco dell'averti
In sogno verso chissà quale destino.
Certo non sai quanto mi commuovi quando dici
Parole strane e quasi senza senso a mezza voce,
Forse ricordi di attimi felici
Persi in un atomo onirico veloce.
Certo non so con cosa o chi sorride quel sorriso;
Dicon con gli angeli ma il nostro cielo è quello umano,
Un lampo breve che dà luce al viso
Accarezzato da questa mia mano.
Questa breve notte lenta si frantuma
Ed il nuovo giorno piano sta arrivando,
Già sull'est albeggia, non c'è più la luna;
Sveglia ti alzi e chiedi: "Cosa stai guardando?"
Forse non sai quando di sonno e di notte sei bagnata
Quanto ti ami e quanto siano vuote le parole;
Chiedo: "Che sogni ti hanno accompagnata?"
E fuori il giorno esplode al nuovo sole.
In "Certo Non Sai," Guccini sings about observing a sleeping lover, marveling at her beauty and wondering what she dreams about. He is hesitant to disturb her slumber, but at the same time, he longs to speak with her and comfort her, especially when he sees droplets of sweat on her forehead. He loves watching her sleep and dreams of the possibilities that lie ahead for them. Guccini sings about how moved he is when his lover speaks in her sleep, even if he cannot always understand her words. Despite the fact that their happiness is fleeting and only for a moment, Guccini cherishes their time together and their shared human experience. The song captures the bittersweet feeling of being in love – both the joy and the fear that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Certo non sai quanto sei dolce e bela quando dormi
You don't know how sweet and beautiful you are when you're asleep
Coi tuoi capelli sparsi e abbandonati sul cuscino
With your hair scattered and abandoned on the pillow
Neri e lucenti, come degli stormi
Black and shining, like flocks of crows in the clear morning sky
Di corvi in volo chiaro del mattino.
Flying clearly in the morning, like a flock of crows
Certo non so che cosa puoi sognare quando sogni
I don't know what you dream of when you dream
E appare solo appena un lieve affanno nel respiro
Only a slight shortness of breath appears
Che ti esce piano e si mescola coi suoni
That comes out slowly and blends with the sounds
Di questa notte che si consuma in giro.
Of this night that is consumed around us
E sulla tua fronte gocce di sudore;
And on your forehead, drops of sweat;
Io vorrei asciugarle, io vorrei parlarti,
I would like to dry them, I would like to talk to you,
Dirti cose vane ma c'è in me il timore
To tell you useless things but I am afraid
Di spezzarti il sonno, forse di svegliarti.
Of disturbing your sleep, maybe waking you up.
Forse non sai quando sia felice nel vederti
Maybe you don't know how happy I am to see you
Addormentata e persa accanto a me, stesa vicino;
Asleep and lost next to me, lying close;
Quanto sia bello il gioco dell'averti
How beautiful it is to have you in my dreams
In sogno verso chissà quale destino.
In a dream towards some unknown destiny.
Certo non sai quanto mi commuovi quando dici
You don't know how moved I am when you speak
Parole strane e quasi senza senso a mezza voce,
Strange and almost senseless words whispered softly,
Forse ricordi di attimi felici
Maybe memories of happy moments
Persi in un atomo onirico veloce.
Lost in a fast dream atom.
Certo non so con cosa o chi sorride quel sorriso;
I don't know what or who that smile is for;
Dicon con gli angeli ma il nostro cielo è quello umano,
They say it's with the angels, but our heaven is human,
Un lampo breve che dà luce al viso
A brief flash that illuminates your face
Accarezzato da questa mia mano.
Caressed by my hand.
Questa breve notte lenta si frantuma
This slow, short night is breaking
Ed il nuovo giorno piano sta arrivando,
And the new day is slowly arriving,
Già sull'est albeggia, non c'è più la luna;
Dawn is already breaking in the east, the moon is gone;
Sveglia ti alzi e chiedi: "Cosa stai guardando?"
You wake up and ask, "What are you looking at?"
Forse non sai quando di sonno e di notte sei bagnata
Maybe you don't know how wet you get from sleep and the night
Quanto ti ami e quanto siano vuote le parole;
How much I love you and how empty words are;
Chiedo: "Che sogni ti hanno accompagnata?"
I ask, "What dreams have accompanied you?"
E fuori il giorno esplode al nuovo sole.
And outside, the day explodes with the new sun.
Contributed by Wyatt D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Antonio Gambardella
Una vera poesia pura 👏👏👏💪💪💪✌✌✌🌠🌠🌠🌄🌄🌄
Fabio Berry
Incredibile come riesca a descrivere un momento della donna al tuo fianco che sta dormendo, in maniera così poetica! UN SECONDO CHE PARE ETERNO...
EHCLIW
Poesia pura
Giulia Coppola
Quanto deve sentirsi lusingata una donna che si sente dedicare queste parole?
Ferdinando domè
Bellissima!!!
scorpionechef
Un ricordo indelebile. Giusy sembra che ho raccontato tutto a F. Guccuccini e a scritto questa poesia su di noi,
Roberto Colonna
bella bella......... quanti ricordi
Tigellio Concas
che dire: bella questa canzone commovente, lacrima di chi è solo magari con un po' di velleità di trovare una compagna o una compagnia
Antonio Maietta
guccini e guccini unico
Valter Pezzini
fantastica , nessuno grande come Guccini