Il Nuovo Canzoniere Italiano is the name of a group of artists and scholars… Read Full Bio ↴Il Nuovo Canzoniere Italiano is the name of a group of artists and scholars formed in 1962 in Milan, which gave birth to a music magazine and a band of the same name. These musicians wanted to rediscover and reaffirm the rich tradition of Italian socially conscious songs, which in the years of the post-war economic boom was in danger of disappearing.
The group came to prominence when on June 20th 1964, at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Michele Straniero sang the WWI era anti-war song "O Gorizia, tu sia maledetta," which caused a great scandal. Members included Caesar Bermani, Gianni Bosio, Sergio Liberovici, Michele L. Straniero, Gianni Bosio, Roberto Leydi, Fausto Amodei, Ivan Della Mea, Giovanna Daffini, Giovanna Marini, Caterina Bueno, Alessandro Portelli, Alberto D'Amico, Piero Nissim, Nuccio Ambrosino, Dante Bellamio and Paolo Ciarchi.

Bella Ciao
Il Nuovo Canzoniere Italiano Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Una mattina mi sono alzato,
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao!

Una mattina mi sono alzato
E ho trovato l′invasor.

O partigiano portami via,
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao

O partigiano portami via
Che mi sento di morir.

E se io muoio da partigiano,
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,

E se io muoio da partigiano
Tu mi devi seppellir.

Seppellire lassù in montagna,
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,

Seppellire lassù in montagna
Sotto l'ombra di un bel fior.

E le genti che passeranno,
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,

E le genti che passeranno
Mi diranno "che bel fior."

Questo è il fiore del partigiano,
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,

Questo è il fiore del partigiano
Morto per la libertà

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Bella Ciao" tell the story of an Italian partisan during World War II who wakes up one morning to find that the enemy has invaded. The singer, who is on the side of the resistance, asks his fellow partisans to take him away as he feels like he is going to die. He then tells them that if he were to die fighting for the cause, he would like to be buried in the mountains under the shade of a beautiful flower. The ending of the song seems to suggest that the singer has indeed died for the cause, and the flower that he spoke about has become a symbol of the resistance.

Line by Line Meaning

Una mattina mi sono alzato,
One morning, I woke up,

O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao!
Oh beautiful goodbye, beautiful goodbye, beautiful goodbye goodbye goodbye!

E ho trovato l'invasor.
And I found the invader.

O partigiano portami via,
Oh partisan, take me away,

O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
Oh beautiful goodbye, beautiful goodbye, beautiful goodbye goodbye goodbye

Che mi sento di morir.
As I feel like dying.

E se io muoio da partigiano,
And if I die as a partisan,

O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,
Oh beautiful goodbye, beautiful goodbye, beautiful goodbye goodbye goodbye,

E se io muoio da partigiano
And if I die as a partisan,

Tu mi devi seppellir.
You must bury me.

Seppellire lassù in montagna,
Bury me up in the mountain,