He is considered one of the most original personalities in Italian music from the 1970s to now. Battiato's songs are dreamy, controversial collages of images and sensations, very experimental and convoluted, rich of esoteric, philosophical and East Asian religious themes.
His collaborations (from 1994 onward) with the nihilistic-cynical philosopher Manlio Sgalambro have added further depth to his apparently nonsensical lyrics, with references to Emil Cioran, Friedrich Nietzsche and other anarchistic and problematic thinkers.
Paranoia
Franco Battiato Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
non trovo più il guru forse sarà in cielo
adesso mangia che ti fa bene
non sono malato so cosa fare.
La birra gelata ti fa molto male
perché non bevi
dell'acqua con me;
te l'ho detto mille volte.
Un giorno usciremo per le strade
cambieremo i semafori e le luci
offriremo cipolle agli amici
dormiremo insieme in calde stanze tutte rosa.
Romperemo l'asfalto con dei giardini colorati.
Romperemo l'asfalto con dei giardini colorati.
The lyrics of Franco Battiato's Paranoia express the thoughts of someone who is dealing with paranoia, and it can be interpreted in a few ways. The person singing the song is talking to someone, telling them that they could have just said that he was not present, and that he could not find his guru anymore, and wondered if he was in heaven. He then tells the other person to eat because it is good for them, and that he is not sick and knows what to do. These lines can imply that the person singing is feeling confused and lost, searching for guidance, and wondering why the other person did not let him know that he was not there.
The next lines talk about how drinking cold beer is harmful, and the person advises that they should drink water instead. He then tells the other person that they do not know how to take care of the cheese, and that he has mentioned this to them on numerous occasions. These lines can be perceived as the person being overprotective and controlling, or they may be concerned about the well-being of the other person.
The song concludes with the person singing about their aspirations of breaking free from the constraints of society, changing the traffic lights and streetlights, and gifting friends with onions. They fantasize about cozying up together in warm pink rooms and breaking up the asphalt to create vibrant gardens filled with colors. These lines exemplify the desire to escape from a mundane existence and create a more colorful, and fulfilling reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Potevi dire che io non c'ero
You could have said that I wasn't there
non trovo più il guru forse sarà in cielo
I can't find the guru anymore, maybe he's in heaven
adesso mangia che ti fa bene
Now eat, it's good for you
non sono malato so cosa fare.
I'm not sick, I know what to do
La birra gelata ti fa molto male
Cold beer is very bad for you
perché non bevi dell'acqua con me;
Why don't you drink water with me?
il formaggio non lo sai tenere te l'ho detto mille volte.
You don't know how to store cheese, I've told you a thousand times
Un giorno usciremo per le strade
One day we'll walk the streets
cambieremo i semafori e le luci
We'll change the traffic lights and the street lights
offriremo cipolle agli amici
We'll offer onions to our friends
dormiremo insieme in calde stanze tutte rosa.
We'll sleep together in warm, all-pink rooms
Romperemo l'asfalto con dei giardini colorati.
We'll break the asphalt with colorful gardens
Romperemo l'asfalto con dei giardini colorati.
We'll break the asphalt with colorful gardens
Contributed by Aubrey W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.