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.
La Tua Libertà
Francesco Guccini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
della città
un orizzonte insegue un orizzonte;
a un’autostrada, un’altra seguirà,
gli spazi sono fatti per andare;
la tua libertà,
se vuoi, la puoi trovare.
E un uomo saggio
una prigione fatta di parole;
i carcerieri
di una società
ti impediranno di cercare il sole;
la tua libertà,
se vuoi, la puoi avere.
Fossi un uccello
alto nel cielo
potrei volare senza aver padroni;
se fossi un fiume
potrei andare
rompendo gli argini nelle mie alluvioni
E boschi e boschi
cerco attorno a me
dov’è la terra che non ha barriere?
dov’è quel vento
che ci spingerà
come le vele o le bandiere;
la tua libertà
se vuoi la puoi avere.
Fossi un uccello
alto nel cielo
potrei volare senza aver padroni;
se fossi un fiume
potrei andare
rompendo gli argini nelle mie alluvioni
Ma sono un uomo
uno fra milioni
e come gli altri ho il peso della vita
e la mia strada
lungo le stagioni
può essere breve, ma può essere infinita;
la tua libertà
cercala, che si è smarrita
cercala, che si è smarrita.
The lyrics of "La Tua Libertà" by Francesco Guccini are about freedom, specifically the idea that true freedom can only be found beyond the walls and rules of society. Guccini employs imagery of horizon-chasing and highways to emphasize the limitless possibilities that exist beyond traditional boundaries, while also recognizing the existence of societal "jailers" who try to confine us with rules and words. Ultimately, though, the song urges listeners to seek out their own freedom, even if it means breaking through barriers like a river bursting its banks or a bird soaring through the sky.
The second half of the song shifts to a more personal perspective as Guccini reflects on his own limitations as a human being. He wishes he were a bird or a river, able to break free from the constraints of his own mortality and live without masters or barriers. But as a man, he accepts that his life may be short and uncertain, and that the pursuit of freedom is an ongoing process that requires constant effort and attention.
Overall, the lyrics of "La Tua Libertà" offer a thoughtful reflection on the complex nature of freedom and its relationship to society, mortality, and personal identity. It reminds us that the quest for freedom is a lifelong journey that cannot be completed solely by breaking down physical boundaries or rebelling against authority, but requires an ongoing process of self-exploration and self-discovery.
Line by Line Meaning
Oltre le mura
della città
un orizzonte insegue un orizzonte;
Beyond the walls of the city, one horizon chases another;
a un’autostrada, un’altra seguirà,
gli spazi sono fatti per andare;
To a highway, another will follow, spaces are made for going;
la tua libertà,
se vuoi, la puoi trovare.
Your freedom, if you want, you can find it.
E un uomo saggio
regole farà,
una prigione fatta di parole;
And a wise man will make rules, a prison made of words;
i carcerieri
di una società
ti impediranno di cercare il sole;
The guardians of a society will prevent you from seeking the sun;
la tua libertà,
se vuoi, la puoi avere.
Your freedom, if you want, you can have it.
Fossi un uccello
alto nel cielo
potrei volare senza aver padroni;
If I were a bird high in the sky, I could fly without having bosses;
se fossi un fiume
potrei andare
rompendo gli argini nelle mie alluvioni
If I were a river, I could go breaking the banks in my floods;
E boschi e boschi
cerco attorno a me
dov’è la terra che non ha barriere?
And forests and forests I search around me, where is the land without barriers?
dov’è quel vento
che ci spingerà
come le vele o le bandiere;
Where is that wind that will push us like sails or flags;
la tua libertà
se vuoi la puoi avere.
Your freedom, if you want, you can have it.
Ma sono un uomo
uno fra milioni
e come gli altri ho il peso della vita
But I'm a man one among millions, and like the others, I have the weight of life,
e la mia strada
lungo le stagioni
può essere breve, ma può essere infinita;
And my path throughout the seasons can be short, but it can be infinite;
la tua libertà
cercala, che si è smarrita
cercala, che si è smarrita.
Your freedom, search for it, that it's lost, search for it, that it's lost.
Contributed by Makayla W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Paola Gentili
Canzone poco conosciuta ma veramente bella , stupendo anche il video con un Francesco giovane e anche discreto direi
Raniero Cicconetti
Liberta' di pensiero, espressione, azione, aggregazione, di progredire nei propri orizzonti culturali e mentali, di sognare, di sperare, di lottare per i propri ideali!
Liberta': bene inestimabile di cui si avverte l'importanza quando si inizia a percepirne la mancanza!
Anna Bordino
È proprio una bella canzone! Io adoro Guccini, con le sue belle canzon, profonde e sensibili e mai banali, delle vere poesie, mi ha accompagnata per tutta la vita. Grazie Francesco!
Antonio Gambardella
Grande maestro ✌✌✌💪💪💪🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤🌄🌄🌄🌠🌠🌠
decurtiis
Y bosques y bosques busco a mi alrededor.A donde esta la tierra q no tiene barreras?A donde esta ese viento q nos empujara,como las velas,como las banderas?Tu libertad si quieres puedes obtenerla.Si fuera un aves, alto en el cielo, podria volar sin tener padrones.Si fuera un rio podria irme, rumpendo los disques de mi inundaciones.Pero soy un hombre, uno entre millones y como todos siento el peso de la vida y mi camino puede ser corto como puede ser infinito.Tu libertad buscala q se ha perdida.
Milizia Alcolica
chiudere gli occhi e viaggiare,che melodia,che parole,grande brano,uno dei più belli in ASSOLUTO.grande FRANCESCO!
luciana melis damme o cane
Semplice ed emozionante, ti adoro Maestrone bello.
Gianfelice Fusco
Il maestro è sempre stato un uomo libero.
TRW
Gentle and meaningful.
Thank-you
Pietro Ferrari
non la conoscevo, mi piace moltissimo anche il video; mi ricorda gli anni '70, le girate in campagna, l'estate, quello che non c'é più..