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.
Strani Giorni
Franco Battiato Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ascoltavo ieri sera un cantante uno dei tanti
e avevo gli occhi gonfi di stupore
I've seen many things in this part of the world
nel sentire: "il cielo azzurro appare limpido e regale"
let me tell you something
(il cielo a volte, invece, ha qualche cosa d'infernale).
Strani giorni viviamo strani giorni.
Cantava:
life can be short or long
sento un rumore di swing provenire dal Neolitico,
it depends
dall'Olocene.
where you go at night
Sento il suono di un violino
alone and walking alone through the grey Sunday streets
e mi circondano l'alba
looking for someone
e il mattino.
the place was clean well lit
Chissà com'erano allora
I went in and I said (I suppose I said)
il Rio delle Amazzoni
whisky please
ed Alessandria la grande
the place was clean well lit
e le preghiere e l'amore?
two men in a corner were waiting
chissà com'era il colore?
I saw it from their hands
you look at the hands
not at the face
if you want to stay out of trouble
Mi lambivano suoni che coprirono rabbie e vendette
di uomini con clave
ma anche battaglie e massacri di uomini civili.
looking for someone
L'Uomo Neozoico
where you go at night
dell'Era Quaternaria.
Strani giorni viviamo strani giorni.
strange days I lived through strange days
Nella voce di un cantante
si rispecchia il sole
ogni amata ogni amante.
Strani giorni viviamo strani giorni.
I've fallen into reverie
I dreamed a vague outline
the whisky flowed
sending me into the past
action roll the cameras
here comes a lighting tour of my life
the two in the corner didn't say a word
The song "Strani Giorni" by Italian singer-songwriter Franco Battiato paints a picture of a surreal world, where the singer looks back at his life on earth since his birth in 1945. The lyrical content is a mixture of memories and observations, both real and imagined. The opening lines "In nineteen fortyfive I came to this planet" introduces the audience to a world that is both familiar yet strange. The singer recounts a listening experience of a singer "one of the many" whose music fills him with awe, while a swing sound comes from the Paleolithic and the Holocene epochs.
He talks about the Amazon River and Alexandria, alluding to different geographies and cultures that play a role in shaping his life. The line "Mi lambivano suoni che coprirono rabbie e vendette di uomini con clave ma anche battaglie e massacri di uomini civili" that translates to "I licked sounds that covered up angers and revenges of men with keys, but also battles and massacres of civilians," speaks of the violence humans inflict on others. The song concludes with an admonition to look at people's hands, not their faces, to avoid trouble.
In summary, "Strani Giorni" is about the strange and surreal world that Battiato has lived in, drawing on his experiences of different cultures, geographies, and time periods. It's a reflection on human violence and the need to be cautious when interacting with others.
Line by Line Meaning
Ascoltavo ieri sera un cantante uno dei tanti
e avevo gli occhi gonfi di stupore
(let me tell you something)
nel sentire: "il cielo azzurro appare limpido e regale"
(il cielo a volte, invece, ha qualche cosa d'infernale).
I've seen many things in this part of the world. Let me tell you something: The blue sky appears clear and grand, but sometimes there is something infernal in it.
Strani giorni viviamo strani giorni.
We live in strange days.
Cantava:
(life can be short or long)
sento un rumore di swing provenire dal Neolitico,
(it depends)
dall'Olocene.
(where you go at night)
Sento il suono di un violino
(alone and walking alone through the grey Sunday streets)
e mi circondano l'alba
(looking for someone)
e il mattino.
(the place was clean well lit)
He sang: Life can be short or long, depends on where you go at night. I hear the sound of swing coming from the Neolithic, from the Holocene. I hear the sound of a violin while walking alone through the grey Sunday streets, looking for someone. The dawn and morning surround me. The place was clean and well-lit.
Chissà com'erano allora
(I went in and I said (I suppose I said))
il Rio delle Amazzoni
(whisky please)
ed Alessandria la grande
(the place was clean well lit)
e le preghiere e l'amore?
(two men in a corner were waiting)
chissà com'era il colore?
(I saw it from their hands)
I wonder how it was back then. I went in and asked for whisky, Rio delle Amazzoni, and Alessandria la grande. How were the prayers and love? Two men in a corner were waiting. I wonder what the color was. I saw it from their hands.
you look at the hands
not at the face
if you want to stay out of trouble
If you want to stay out of trouble, you look at the hands, not at the face.
Mi lambivano suoni che coprirono rabbie e vendette
di uomini con clave
ma anche battaglie e massacri di uomini civili.
(looking for someone)
L'Uomo Neozoico
(where you go at night)
dell'Era Quaternaria.
Sounds of men with clubs covered rage and revenge, and also battles and massacres of civilians. Looking for someone, the Neozoic man of the Quaternary era.
Strani giorni viviamo strani giorni.
(strange days I lived through strange days)
We live in strange days, strange days I lived through.
Nella voce di un cantante
si rispecchia il sole
ogni amata ogni amante.
In the voice of a singer, the sun is reflected, every lover is reflected.
Strani giorni viviamo strani giorni.
We live in strange days.
I've fallen into reverie
I dreamed a vague outline
the whisky flowed
sending me into the past
action roll the cameras
here comes a lighting tour of my life
the two in the corner didn't say a word
I fell into reverie and dreamed of a vague outline while the whisky flowed, sending me into the past. Action, roll the cameras, here comes a lighting tour of my life. The two in the corner didn't say a word.
Contributed by Lily E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.