She became famous still very young as "the Piper girl", from the name of a fashion music club in Rome where she used to sing in the '60 years. She has experimented every kind of music over the 40 years of her career, from early pop songs to electronic, chinese music and rock; her masterpiece is the record "Oltre l'Eden...", published in 1989 and reprinted on CD again in 2006.
Captivity
Patty Pravo Lyrics
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Con i volti insanguinati
Da bambini siamo stati
Nella faccia sfigurati
Il dolore è già acquisito
Nell'aspetto inorridito
Sempre qui su questa terra
Riduciamo tutto in melma
Questo è un mondo fragile
Stanco e vulnerabile
E noi qui
Questo è un mondo fragile
Stanco e vulnerabile
E noi qui
C'è qualcosa che non torna
Se la guerra è ancora guerra
Siamo stati condannati
Anche a corto di peccati
Tutto sembra già deciso
Tutto è come è sempre stato
Il potere a chi ha già tutto
E la fame a chi è affamato
Ma questo è un mondo fragile
Stanco e vulnerabile
E noi qui
Questo è un mondo
Stanco e vulnerabile
Fragile
Questo è un mondo stanco
Stanco e vulnerabile
Fragile
E noi qui
E noi qui
The lyrics to Patty Pravo's song "Captivity" explore themes of humanity's capacity for violence and destruction, as well as the vulnerability of the world we inhabit. The opening lines, "We are barbaric and uncivilized / With bloody faces / Since we were children / Our faces have been disfigured" suggest that our violent tendencies are deeply ingrained and have been present from a young age. The pain and horror of these experiences are already evident in our appearance, indicating that these experiences have had a profound impact on us.
The song goes on to suggest that the world we live in is fragile, tired, and vulnerable, and that we are all complicit in contributing to its downfall. The line "Everything seems already decided / Everything is as it has always been / Power to those who already have everything / And hunger to those who are hungry" suggests that the structures of power that govern our world are unjust and reinforce inequality, leading to suffering for those who are already marginalized and disadvantaged.
Despite these bleak reflections, the song ends with a sense of urgency and the call to action, "But this is a fragile world / Tired and vulnerable / And we are here." The repetition of the line "and we are here" seems to suggest that we have a responsibility to confront the violence and injustice of the world we live in, and to work towards a different, more just and equitable future.
Line by Line Meaning
Siamo barbari incivili
We are uncivilized barbarians
Con i volti insanguinati
With bloodied faces
Da bambini siamo stati Nella faccia sfigurati
As children, we were disfigured
Il dolore è già acquisito Nell'aspetto inorridito
The pain is already acquired, reflected in our horrified faces
Sempre qui su questa terra Riduciamo tutto in melma
Always here on this earth, we reduce everything to mud
Questo è un mondo fragile Stanco e vulnerabile E noi qui
This is a fragile, tired, and vulnerable world, and we are still here
C'è qualcosa che non torna
There's something that doesn't add up
Se la guerra è ancora guerra Siamo stati condannati Anche a corto di peccati
If war continues to be war, we are condemned, even if we have not sinned excessively
Tutto sembra già deciso Tutto è come è sempre stato Il potere a chi ha già tutto E la fame a chi è affamato
Everything seems already decided, and it is as it has always been: power to those who already have everything, and hunger to those who are hungry
Ma questo è un mondo fragile Stanco e vulnerabile E noi qui
But this is a fragile, tired, and vulnerable world, and we are still here
Questo è un mondo Stanco e vulnerabile Fragile Questo è un mondo Stanco Stanco e vulnerabile Fragile E noi qui E noi qui
This is a tired and vulnerable, fragile world, and we are still here
Contributed by Logan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.