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La guerra di Piero

Fabrizio De André
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INGLESE / ENGLISH [3]
PETER'S WAR

You lie buried in a barley field
There's no rose, and not a tulip
Watching on you from the ditches
But it's a thousand of red poppies

"Along the banks of my brook
I want silver trouts to swim
Not soldiers' corpses
Carried by the flow"

That's what you said, and it was in winter
While, with the others, heading to hell
Marching sadly, as those who have to
Wind was spitting snow in your face

Stop, Peter, stop for a moment
Let the wind come to you
You carry the voices of those who fell
Who gave his life got a cross in return

But you didn't listen, and time passed
And so did seasons, step after step
And you finally got to the border
In a beautiful spring morning

And you were marching, your soul on your shoulders
When you saw a man from the distance
Walking, in your very same mood
Clothed in different colours

Shoot him, Peter, shoot him now
As you do it, shoot him again
Until you see him bloodless
Fall on his own blood

And if I hit his head or heart
He'll have no time but for dying
But I'll have my time for watching
Watching the eyes of a dying man

And while you behave so kindly to him
He turns, sees you and fears
And, his hands on his rifle,
He doesn't return your kindness

You fell on the ground without a moan
And you knew at once
That your life was ending that day
And there was no coming home

"Jenny, darling, dying in May
That takes way too much courage
Sweet Jenny, straight to hell
I'd have rather gone in winter"

And as the barley listened
Holding your rifle in your hand
Holding words within your mouth
Too cold to melt in the sun

You lie buried in a barley field
There's no rose, and not a tulip
Watching on you from the ditches
But it's a thousand of red poppies
PETE'S WAR

Lying down buried in a field of rye
't's neither the rose's nor the tulip's eye
Watching your sleep in the ditches' ol' bed
But it's a thousand red poppies instead

"Down by the banks of the stream in my town
I want the silvery pikes to swim down
No more the corpses of soldiers laid low
Carried along by the slithering flow"

That's what you said during Winter's cold kiss
And like the others straight toward the abyss
Sadly you go forth like someone who must
Wind's spitting snow in your face with a gust

Pete you should stop now, stop right away
Let the wind blow on your skin while you may
Let it relay you the voice of the dead
Who gave his life got a cross back instead

You did not hear it though time just went by
Along with the seasons you'd march in a line
Till you arrived at the border gateway
It was a pleasant and sunny Spring day

While you were marching your soul on your back
Y'spotted a man in the valley's dark crack
Inside he was feeling exactly like you
Except that his uniform differed in hue

Shoot him now Pete with the shotgun you bore
Fire one shot and then keep shooting more
Till you will see him drop down in the mud
Flat on the ground on top of his blood

"Now if I aim at his heart or his head
I'll leave him time just to see that he's dead
But I'll have time to look down where he lies
See for the first time a dying man's eyes"

While you reflect on a kind way to kill
The other one sees you and turns in a chill
Taken his gun he gets ready to fight
Pulls on the trigger, not quite as polite

Y'dropped on the pavement without a moan
And understood in a moment alone
You would not have enough time to pray for
God to forgive all the sins that you bore

Y'dropped on the pavement without a moan
And understood in a moment alone
That your own life was to end on that day
And that this journey was only one-way

"My little Janet it's over today
Don't have the guts to be dying in May
My little Janet, descending to hell
Would have been better in Winter's cold spell"

And while the rye would its ears to you lend
'Gainst your own shotgun your arms you would bend
'Gainst your own teeth came out words of defeat
Far too ice-cold to dissolve in the heat

Lying down buried in a field of rye
't's neither the rose's nor the tulip's eye
Watching your sleep in the ditches' ol' bed
But it's a thousand red poppies instead


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