Read Full Bio ↴Gino Paoli (born 23 September 1934) is an Italian singer-songwriter.
Paoli was born in Monfalcone, but moved very early to Genoa.
After several different jobs, he was called by Ricordi with his friends Luigi Tenco and Bruno Lauzi. His first success was the single "La gatta". This was followed by "Sapore di sale", arranged by Ennio Morricone. In the same year he attempted suicide by shooting at his heart, but he survived.
In 1974 he returned with the LP I semafori rossi non sono Dio, followed by Il mio mestiere (1977). Both showed a more mature inspiration than his 1960s works. In the 1980s Paoli procuded a series of successful albums, and in 1985 he toured Italy together with Ornella Vanoni.
In 1987 he was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies for the Italian Communist Party. He abandoned politics in 1992.
He was married with actress Stefania Sandrelli, from whom he divorced. Their daughter Amanda Sandrelli is also an actress.
wikipedia.org
La donna dei peccati
Gino Paoli Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ma non c'eri tu,
Io mi son guardato bene in giro
Ed ho detto "torno giù"
Faccio tre o quattro peccati
Come li sai fare tu
E poi posso anche tornare indietro
Ed andrò dove vai tu...
Ma non c′eri tu,
Tu che hai sempre l'ombrello dietro
Quando viene giù
E ripari col buonsenso anche un matto come me
E che adesso dentro questo sogno
Vuole fare come te...
Devo fare come te
Quando con la gentilezza
Che ti viene facile
Rubi agli altri l'amicizia
Devo fare come te
Quando uccidi con dolcezza
Tutta la stupidità
Di chi non ha torto mai...
Ho sognato ch′ero in Paradiso eh
Ma non c′eri tu,
Io mi son guardato bene in giro ed ho detto
"Torno giù"
The lyrics of Gino Paoli's La donna dei peccati tell a story of a dream where the singer is in paradise, but the person he desires is nowhere to be found. He looks around and decides to return to earth to commit a few sins, as only his love interest knows how to do. The dream then shifts to a scenario where it's raining heavily, and again, the person he desires is not there. This person always has an umbrella and is willing to share it with him even when others wouldn't. The singer then wants to do what this person would do and treat others with kindness, even those who don't deserve it. In the end, the dreamer decides to come back to reality since there's no paradise without the person they desire.
The song's first verse paints a picture of a paradise that lacks completeness, as the person the lyricist desires is not there. It's symbolic of the emptiness and dissatisfaction that people feel despite having everything they could ever want. Perhaps it's a reflection of how society conditions us to always strive for more and how people feel inadequate if they don't have everything they desire.
In the next verse, the singer talks about the person who is always there to shield him from the rain, and he wants to imitate their good qualities. He wants to have empathy and treat people with kindness, even those who don't deserve it, showing the importance of being a better person.
Finally, the song highlights how our desires and dreams can sometimes contradict each other. The dreamer wants to stay in paradise, but they eventually choose to come back to reality, realizing that paradise is incomplete without the person they desire.
Line by Line Meaning
Ho sognato ch′ero in Paradiso
I dreamt that I was in Heaven
Ma non c'eri tu,
But you were not there,
Io mi son guardato bene in giro
I looked around carefully
Ed ho detto "torno giù"
And I said, "I'm going back down"
Faccio tre o quattro peccati
I commit three or four sins
Come li sai fare tu
Just like you know how
E poi posso anche tornare indietro
And then I can even go back
Ed andrò dove vai tu...
And I will go where you go...
Ho sognato che pioveva forte
I dreamt that it was raining heavily
Ma non c′eri tu,
But you were not there,
Tu che hai sempre l'ombrello dietro
You who always have an umbrella with you
Quando viene giù
When it comes down
E ripari col buonsenso anche un matto come me
And you fix even a crazy person like me with your common sense
E che adesso dentro questo sogno
And now in this dream
Vuole fare come te...
I want to be like you...
Devo fare come te
I have to be like you
Quando con la gentilezza
When with kindness
Che ti viene facile
That comes easily to you
Rubi agli altri l'amicizia
You steal the friendship of others
Devo fare come te
I have to be like you
Quando uccidi con dolcezza
When you kill with sweetness
Tutta la stupidità
All the stupidity
Di chi non ha torto mai...
Of those who are never wrong...
Ho sognato ch′ero in Paradiso eh
I dreamt that I was in Heaven
Ma non c′eri tu,
But you were not there,
Io mi son guardato bene in giro ed ho detto
I looked around carefully and said
"Torno giù"
"I'm going back down"
Writer(s): PAOLA PENZO, GINO PAOLI
Contributed by Grace T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gian Franco Dazzan
anche se poco nota certamente tra le più belle di Gino
luca jean loup Baule
bella!
Giorgio Galbiati
Dolcissima come tutte le sue canzoni
Donatella Catani
bella👍😂
rosaria primerano
Gino sono quì guardati intorno. son sono in paradiso. sono ha Milano. sabato sono sempre al Portello ti vedo triste. non oso disturbarti. guardati ontorno occhi verdissimi. capelli ramati. seno purtroppoabbondante. tutti dicono bellissima. ti sorriderò birbante
Donatella Monsellato
...ma non c'eri tu