[edit] Biography
Vecchioni was born in Carate Brianza, province of Milan, to a family of Neapolitan origin. In 1968 he graduated in Ancient Literatures at the Università Cattolica of Milan, where he remained for two years as assistant lecturer of History of Religions. Later he become literature and history teacher in a Milanese High School, an activity he never stopped.
His work for the Italian music world began in the late 1960s as songwriter for singers like Ornella Vanoni, Gigliola Cinguetti, Mina, Iva Zanicchi and others. His first solo album is Parabola of 1971. In 1973 he took part to the Sanremo Festival with "L'uomo che si gioca il futuro a dadi", continuing to released works as singer-songwriter in the following years. His 1974 LP, Il re non si diverte, obtained the Best Year's Album Award from the Italian musical critics. In 1976 he published his first successful work, Elisir, but he became famous only in the following year, with Samarcanda. With this work Vecchioni gained a fame as one of the most skillful italian singer-songwriters: his inspiration draws mainly from autobiographical themes, intermingled with dreamy, literary and historical (often mythological) ones. His friend Angelo Branduardi played violin in the LP.
Vecchioni's skills were confirmed in the following works, Calabuig, Stranamore e altri incidenti (1978), where the literature citations are predominant, and Robinson (come salvarsi la vita) (1979), where instead the autobiographical inspiration prevails. The songs "Signor giudice" and "Lettera da Marsala" of the latter work deal with the problems Vecchioni had had in the preceding years: respectively, a charge for marijuana possession (from which he was totally unscathed) and a cause with its former production house. The following album, Montecristo, was released indeed by the old and the new labels together.
After Hollywood Hollywood of 1982, whose songs are influenced by the world of cinema, Vecchioni in 1984 released the double LP Il grande sogno ("The Big Dream"), in which he collected new songs together with new versions of his past successes. The eponymous song featured Francesco De Gregori playing blues harp. The LP was accompanied by his first literary attempt, a short book with the same name. Many of the cover of Vecchioni's LPs of this period were disegned by the famous Italian comic book artist and painter Andrea Pazienza.
While continuing a successful career as a renowned singer-songwriter in the 1980s and the 1990s, Vecchioni increased his work as a writer. His prose works include the story collection Viaggi nel tempo immobile (1996) and the novels Le parole non potrano le cicogne (2000) and Il libraio di Selinunte. He also taught History of Italian Author Music for two years, and was called to writer the Enciclopedia Treccani article about Italian singer-songwriters. His best late works include Sogna ragazzo sogna ("Dream, boy, dream") of 1999 and Il lanciatore di coltelli ("The Knife Thrower") of 2002.
Papa
Roberto Vecchioni Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Papà
Il palco illuminava un grande re
E per la prima volta in un passato senza te
Riflessa nei tuoi gesti vidi me.
E piansi a quindici anni come a sei
Perchè
In te vidi il bambino che vorrei
Rinchiuso nel suo mondo
E pronto a dimostrare che
Senza di lui nessun mondo c'è.
Una volta mi hai detto:
"adesso finalmente ho te
Qualcuno che mi assomiglia un po'"
E io allora ho capito
Che fin quando ci sarai
Unica qua fuori non sarò.
Hai amato chi ti ha amato
Più di quanto ti ami te
E questo sai che non è facile
Ma per lei sei cresciuto
A 50 anni ed io lo so
Che nemmeno il tuo Alessandro ci provò.
Vedrai che lo scudetto prima o poi arriverà
Vedrai che quel sorriso che ci manca tornerà
E presto quell'ulivo ben fiorito tu vedrai
E nessuna viola sentirai.
E c'è ancora del tempo per quella cartoleria
Per sognare, amare e scrivere poesia
Per vedere i ragazzi innamorarsi come te
E capire che allora forse un senso c'è.
Sai che ho voluto bene
Sai che ho amato e che amerò
Sai che so già chi sono
Chi son stata e chi sarò
Sai che so ciò che voglio
E sai che ce la farò
Ma quanto tu mi hai dato, questo no.
E ti chiedo perdono
Se ogni tanto anch'io
Ti deludo con un pianto o un addio
Sappi che da quel giorno
Tu non mi hai deluso mai
E sono sicura che mai lo farai
Non lo farai
The lyrics to Roberto Vecchioni's song "Papà" tell the story of a son reflecting on the relationship he had with his father, who he lost in the past. The song opens with the son recounting a concert from years ago where he saw himself reflected in his father's movements, and cried at the age of fifteen as though he were six again upon seeing the child he wished his father could have been for him. The son acknowledges that his father loved those who loved him more than he loved himself, and recognizes the difficulty in that. However, he also understands that his father sacrificed his own dreams and ambitions to help raise his children.
The song then takes a more hopeful turn, with the son expressing his belief that his father is watching over him and the family - that he will see the day when his beloved football team wins a championship, and that the happiness that has been missing since his father's passing will return. There is still time for dreams and love, the son says, and for understanding the world as his father did. The song ends with the son asking for forgiveness if he ever disappoints his father, but also acknowledging that he has never been let down by him.
The lyrics to "Papà" are deeply personal and emotional, with the son's reflections on his father's life and influence interwoven with his own feelings of love, admiration, and regret. Through his words, we come to understand the complicated and loving bond that exists between father and son, and the lasting influence that a father's love and sacrifice can have on a child.
Line by Line Meaning
Ad un concerto di qualche anno fa
At a concert from a few years ago
Papà
Dad
Il palco illuminava un grande re
The stage lit up a great king
E per la prima volta in un passato senza te
And for the first time in a past without you
Riflessa nei tuoi gesti vidi me.
Reflected in your gestures I saw myself.
E piansi a quindici anni come a sei
And I cried at fifteen like I was six
Perchè
Because
In te vidi il bambino che vorrei
In you, I saw the child I wish I had
Per me
For me
Rinchiuso nel suo mondo
Trapped in his own world
E pronto a dimostrare che
And ready to prove that
Senza di lui nessun mondo c'è.
Without him, there is no world.
Una volta mi hai detto:
Once you told me:
"adesso finalmente ho te
"now I finally have you
Qualcuno che mi assomiglia un po'"
Someone who resembles me a bit"
E io allora ho capito
And then I understood
Che fin quando ci sarai
That as long as you'll be here
Unica qua fuori non sarò.
I won't be the only one outside.
Hai amato chi ti ha amato
You loved those who loved you
Più di quanto ti ami te
More than you love yourself
E questo sai che non è facile
And you know that it's not easy
Ma per lei sei cresciuto
But for her, you grew up
A 50 anni ed io lo so
At 50 years old, and I know
Che nemmeno il tuo Alessandro ci provò.
That not even your Alessandro tried.
Vedrai che lo scudetto prima o poi arriverà
You'll see that the championship will come sooner or later
Vedrai che quel sorriso che ci manca tornerà
You'll see that the missing smile will come back
E presto quell'ulivo ben fiorito tu vedrai
And soon you'll see that well-flowered olive tree
E nessuna viola sentirai.
And you won't hear any violet(Brazilian football club)
E c'è ancora del tempo per quella cartoleria
And there's still time for that stationery store
Per sognare, amare e scrivere poesia
To dream, love, and write poetry
Per vedere i ragazzi innamorarsi come te
To see young people fall in love like you did
E capire che allora forse un senso c'è.
And to understand that maybe there's a meaning to it all.
Sai che ho voluto bene
You know that I have loved
Sai che ho amato e che amerò
You know that I have loved and will continue loving
Sai che so già chi sono
You know that I already know who I am
Chi son stata e chi sarò
Who I have been and who I will be
Sai che so ciò che voglio
You know that I know what I want
E sai che ce la farò
And you know that I'll make it
Ma quanto tu mi hai dato, questo no.
But how much you gave me, that I don't know.
E ti chiedo perdono
And I ask for your forgiveness
Se ogni tanto anch'io
If sometimes I, too,
Ti deludo con un pianto o un addio
Disappoint you with a cry or a goodbye
Sappi che da quel giorno
Know that since that day
Tu non mi hai deluso mai
You have never disappointed me
E sono sicura che mai lo farai
And I'm sure you never will.
Non lo farai
You won't do it.
Contributed by Anthony N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anna Carolfi
Sono sillabe che identificano la naturalità del neonato : le più spontanee e naturali...Mamma e Papà