Mani In Alto
Jovanotti Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Uh uh ah ah ah ah
Uh uh uh ah ah ah ah
Uh uh ah ah ah ah
Uh uh uh

L'elefante scappa il topo l'insegue
Il topo scappa il gatto l'insegue
Il gatto scappa il cane l'insegue
Il cane scappa il padrone lo insegue
Il padrone scappa il ladro lo insegue
Il ladro scappa la volante lo insegue

Mani in alto in nome della legge
Di quale legge del lupo o del gregge?
Non sparare in nome di dio
Di quale dio del tuo o del mio?

Mani in alto
Uh uh ah ah ah ah
Uh uh uh ah ah ah ah
Uh uh ah ah ah ah
Uh uh uh

Il tempo scappa il vecchio lo insegue
Il vecchio scappa il bimbo lo insegue
Il bimbo scappa il tempo lo insegue
Il tempo scappa e l'ombra lo insegue
E l'ombra scappa e il solo l'insegue
Il sole scappa il mondo l'insegue
Il mondo scappa la luna l'insuegue
La luna scappa il poeta l'insegue
Il poeta scappa la morte l'insegue
La morte scappa l'amore l'insegue

Mani in alto in nome della legge
Di quale legge del lupo o del gregge?
Non sparare in nome di dio
Di quale dio del tuo o del mio?

Mani in alto

Mani in alto in nome della legge
Di quale legge del lupo o del gregge?
Non sparare in nome di dio
Di quale dio del tuo o del mio?

Mani in alto

Yeah

Mi fai venire voglia di rischiare ancora
Come chi gioca come chi si innamora
Mi fai venire voglia di rischiare ancora
Come chi lotta come chi si innamora
Mi fai venire voglia di rischiare ancora
Come chi vive come chi si innamora
Mi fai venire voglia di rischiare ancora
Come chi crede come chi si innamora
Mi fai venire voglia di rischiare ancora
Come chi resta come chi si innamora
Mi fai venire voglia di rischiare ancora
Come chi va come chi si innamora
Mi fai venire voglia di rischiare ancora
Come chi parte come chi si innamora
Mi fai venire voglia di rischiare ancora
Come chi resiste come chi si innamora
Mi fai venire voglia di rischiare ancora
Come chi gioca come chi si innamora
Mi fai venire voglia di rischiare ancora
Di rischiare ancora




Di rischiare ancora
Di rischiare ancora

Overall Meaning

The song "Mani in Alto" by Jovanotti is about the concept of chasing and being chased. It starts off with a simple example of an elephant running away from a mouse, followed by the mouse running away from a cat, then the cat running away from a dog, and so on. Each chase builds upon the previous one until it finally reaches humans. The ultimate chase being that of the police officer chasing a criminal. The chorus, "Mani in alto in nome della legge" means "Hands up in the name of the law", but then questions the validity of the law being followed, asking which law should be followed, that of the wolf or of the flock. It then challenges the notion of killing or hurting others in the name of God, questioning whose God is the right one to follow.


The song then moves on to more abstract examples of chasing and being chased. The old chasing after time, the child chasing after the old, and both being chased by time itself. The shadow chasing the light, and the light chasing the world. The world chasing after the moon, the poet chasing after the moon, the poet being chased by death, and finally, death being chased by love. The chorus is repeated again, ultimately questioning the legitimacy of the law being upheld and whose God should be followed.


Overall, the song is about the cyclical nature of chasing and being chased, and questioning the authority of those in power and the ideologies they follow. It urges the listener to take risks and follow their own beliefs, like those who play, love, and fight.


Line by Line Meaning

L'elefante scappa il topo l'insegue
Big things may try to run away, but they still have their problems to face.


Il topo scappa il gatto l'insegue
Even if you think you can escape your problems, they will come after you eventually.


Il gatto scappa il cane l'insegue
When you try to run away from your problems, they only get bigger and more difficult to deal with.


Il cane scappa il padrone lo insegue
Eventually, you'll have to confront your problems or they will keep chasing you forever.


Il padrone scappa il ladro lo insegue
Escaping from your problems is not always possible, and trying to can lead to even greater trouble.


Il ladro scappa la volante lo insegue
Even those who think they can escape justice will eventually face it in one form or another.


Mani in alto in nome della legge!
When faced with trouble, it's important to stay calm and follow the law.


Di quale legge del lupo o del gregge?
However, you must also question whether the law is just or serves the people's best interests.


Non sparare in nome di dio
Violence should never be used in the name of a higher power or belief system.


Di quale dio del tuo o del mio?
It's important to recognize that different people have different beliefs, and one should not impose their own beliefs on others.


Il tempo scappa il vecchio lo insegue
Time waits for no one, and it can often feel like it's running away from us.


Il vecchio scappa il bimbo lo insegue
In a way, the young are always chasing after the old, trying to catch up and learn from them.


Il bimbo scappa il tempo lo insegue
As we grow older, we often wish we could go back in time or slow it down, but time keeps moving forward.


Il tempo scappa e l'ombra lo insegue
Even the passing of time cannot escape the inevitable shadow of death.


E l'ombra scappa e il solo l'insegue
Even death cannot escape the feeling of loneliness that comes with it.


Il sole scappa il mondo l'insegue
The pursuit of worldly riches and success can often feel like a race against time and the rest of the world.


Il mondo scappa la luna l'insegue
Even the vastness of the world cannot escape the pull of natural forces like the moon and its tides.


La luna scappa il poeta l'insegue
The beauty and mystery of the world often drive poets and artists to try and capture it in their work.


Il poeta scappa la morte l'insegue
Despite our best efforts to escape it, death always looms over us and will eventually catch up.


La morte scappa l'amore l'insegue
Love is one of the few things that can transcend death and live on in memory and legacy.


Mi fai venire voglia di rischiare ancora
The ups and downs of life can make us feel alive and push us to take risks.


Come chi gioca come chi si innamora
Taking risks can bring joy and excitement, like playing a game or falling in love.


Come chi lotta come chi si innamora
Taking risks can also be a struggle, but the reward of success or love is worth it.


Come chi vive come chi si innamora
Living life to the fullest means embracing risk and the potential for love and joy that comes with it.


Come chi crede come chi si innamora
Taking risks requires belief in oneself and the possibility of success.


Come chi resta come chi si innamora
Sometimes, staying and fighting for what you believe in is just as brave as taking a risk or falling in love.


Come chi va come chi si innamora
Taking risks requires action and movement, like going on a journey or falling in love.


Come chi parte come chi si innamora
Leaving behind what we know and taking a risk is like falling in love, it's scary but could lead to something great.


Come chi resiste come chi si innamora
Taking risks requires persistence and determination, like fighting for what you believe in or fighting to keep a relationship alive.


Di rischiare ancora
In the end, taking risks is what makes life meaningful and exciting.


Di rischiare ancora
Take risks boldly and passionately.


Di rischiare ancora
Do not fear the unknown, embrace it and it might lead to something special.


Di rischiare ancora
Risks won't guarantee success or love, but it's better than living a life without trying.


Di rischiare ancora
Take risks and live life to the fullest.


Di rischiare ancora
Take the leap and see where life takes you.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Lorenzo Cherubini, Michele Canova Jorfida, Michele Iorfida

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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