Pierangelo Bertoli (November 5, 1942 - October 7, 2002) was an Italian sing… Read Full Bio ↴Pierangelo Bertoli (November 5, 1942 - October 7, 2002) was an Italian singer-songwriter and poet. Close to libertarian communist issues his works told mainly about the environment, laïcité, antimilitarism and social issues regarding marginalized and rebellious people.
Born in Sassuolo, in the Province of Modena and belonging to a working class family, when he was 4 he suffered of poliomyelitis and he lost the use of his legs. He started his singing career at the end of 1973, with the album Rosso colore dell'amore and one year later with the self-produced album Roca Blues. One of his most famous albums was the 1979 "A muso duro".
Married to Bruna, he had 3 sons, Emiliano, Petra and Alberto, also a singer.
In 1990 he worked with Elio e le Storie Tese, and in 1991 with Tazenda. In 1992 he took part in the Sanremo Music Festival.
Bertoli died in Modena on October 7, 2002.

Cose
Pierangelo Bertoli Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Corre verso il terminale il treno
nella notte due stelle solitarie
indicano rotte binarie
e i cavalli mordono il freno
Ho conosciuto il tempo delle viole
da sul ciliegio i fiori
sono caduti sui falsi amori
di un'infanzia trascorsa al sole

Un vento caldo ha spazzato la valle
nell'estate che una donna
con più nomi di Madonna
ha percorso poi volgendomi le spalle
Gli eventi preannunciati dai profeti
reclinano la testa
e il giorno della festa
rimane dentro agli occhi dei poeti
Ma ancora nella notte una candela
e ancora il navigante vuol partire
perchè chi spera è l'ultimo a morire
e il sole già si sfuma nella vela
Gli eroi che nelle storie dei miei avi
parlavano ad un cuore
di un bimbo sognatore
hanno affogato coi pirati le loro navi
Tutte le sfumature dei contorni
hanno segnato il viso
e un morbido sorriso
è diventato il ghigno dei miei giorni
Ma ancora nella notte una candela
e ancora il navigante vuol partire

perchè chi spera è l'ultimo a morire
e il sole già si sfuma nella vela.

Overall Meaning

The first verse of Pierangelo Bertoli's song "Cose" describes a train racing towards its destination in the night, with two solitary stars indicating the railway's course, while horses are chomping at their bits in anticipation. The second verse is a recollection of the singer's youth, when he experienced the time of violets, but with flowers landing on counterfeit loves of a childhood spent in the sun. The third verse mentions the end of summer with the passage of a particular woman, who looked back at the singer with a variety of Madonna's names. The last verse is about heroes who used to communicate with a dreaming child's heart in the stories the singer's ancestors told, but who succumbed to their ships in pirate infested waters.

The theme of this song is about the persistence of hope in the face of life's obstacles, and not giving up in one's journey, even if the sun appears to be setting. The use of metaphors in the lyrics reinforces this message, describing the train as a vehicle speeding towards a goal and the stars as glowing lighthouses directing the way. Even if the heroes of old have succumbed to their losses, there remains still a candle lit in the night, symbolizing the hope that endures even in difficult times.

Line by Line Meaning

Corre verso il terminale il treno
The train runs towards the terminal

nella notte due stelle solitarie
In the night, two solitary stars

indicano rotte binarie
Indicate binary routes

e i cavalli mordono il freno
And the horses bite the bit

Ho conosciuto il tempo delle viole
I have known the time of violets

da sul ciliegio i fiori
From the cherry tree, the flowers

sono caduti sui falsi amori
Have fallen on false loves

di un'infanzia trascorsa al sole
Of a childhood spent in the sun

Un vento caldo ha spazzato la valle
A hot wind has swept through the valley

nell'estate che una donna
In the summer that a woman

con più nomi di Madonna
With more names than Madonna