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Ballad Of Richard Campos

Barbara Dane
Langue: anglais


Barbara Dane


Parole e musica di Luis e Danny Valdez.
Interpretata da Barbara Dane nel disco “F.T.A.! Songs et the GI Resistance”, Paredon Records 1970.

barbara dane“This is one of two existing versions of this idea, both written by brothers.
Luis Valdez is the director of the Teatro Campesino, a marvelous people's theatre which came out of the California grape strike. His brother Danny was a young musician trying to make it in the big city, who quit and joined the Teatro when he saw how important this cultural extension of the strike could be to his people.
Danny wrote this song and then Luis wrote another of the same theme in Spanish, to show how empty the idea of "making it" in the Army or in any phase of present-day American life today could be. They wanted to address the "rnachismo" concepts in Latin culture too and put to rest the idea that the only way you could be a man, please your woman, or honor your mother, was to do as "the man" says. Apart from the obvious things in the song, they wanted to say that it is far more manly to fight for your own people, your own dignity, than to be duped into fighting against your own best interests. Both Danny and Luis, and hundreds of other Latin brothers and sisters, are working every day to help educate and organize Chicano (Mexican-American) people in the Southwest and all along the Central Valley of California to fight for their own, just as Latin brothers in the Army are beginning to find each other.”
(Nota introduttiva al brano dal libretto che accompagna l’album citato)

(Alessandro)
In a terminal in Oakland
lies a brown body of a man
Dead at twenty-seven
Dead and gone to Heaven
Killed far away in Viet Nam
So they ship you back to where you came from
Like a dummy you were tucked around in an aeroplane
Back to the hell from which you tried to escape
Back to the so-called free United States..

But, should a man, should he have to kill
in order to live like a human being in this country?
Should a man, should he have to kill
in order to live like a human being in this country?

You've never had an old man
and your mother died just trying to keep you alive
Year after year she worked so hard and long
the money she made was never quite enough
What was her reward?

But should a man, should he have to kill
in order to live like a human being in this country?
Should a man, should he have to kill
in order to live like a human being in this country?

Welcome home Richard Campos, welcome home
welcome home to a hero's grave
You had died and you had killed and destroyed
now let to be weeping for this Mexican boy
Let America honor his name.

But should a man, should he have to kill
in order to live like a human being in this country?
Should a man, should he have to kill
in order to live like a human being in this country?

They will come Richard Campos, they will come
They will come for your body soon
Your military fathers will pay their respects
They will all come around they'll be looking their best
They will bury you this afternoon.


But should a man, should he have to kill
in order to live like a human being in this country?
Should a man, should he have to kill
in order to live like a human being in this country?

You are dead Richard Campos, you are gone
You are dead and they bid goodbye
But now that you're gone there's a doubt in my mind:
What would it be happened if you never would have died
Would they treat you the same?
Or they'd send you on your way with a medal stuck in your hand
saying: Thank you boy, thank you very much,
you have paid your debt to Uncle Sam.

But should a man, should he have to kill
in order to live like a human being in this country?
Should a man, should he have to kill
in order to live like a human being
in this country!

envoyé par giorgio - 20/6/2008 - 19:50



Langue: italien

Versione italiana di giorgio
LA BALLATA DI RICHARD CAMPOS

In una stazione di Oakland
giace il corpo bruno di un uomo
morto a ventisette anni,
morto e andato in Cielo
ucciso laggiù in Vietnam…
Così ti hanno rispedito dove sei partito
Come un pupazzo ti hanno cacciato da qualche parte dentro un aereo
per tornare all'inferno che avevi tentato di sfuggire,
tornare nei cosiddetti liberi Stati Uniti..

Ma un uomo deve, deve essere costretto a uccidere
per poter vivere come un essere umano in questo paese?
Ma un uomo deve, deve essere costretto a uccidere
per poter vivere come un essere umano in questo paese?

Non hai mai avuto un padre
e tua madre è morta solo per tenerti in vita
anno dopo anno si è massacrata di lavoro
il denaro che guadagnava non era mai abbastanza:
Che ne ha avuto in cambio?

Ma un uomo deve, deve essere costretto a uccidere
per poter vivere come un essere umano in questo paese?
Ma un uomo deve, deve essere costretto a uccidere
per poter vivere come un essere umano in questo paese?

Bentornato a casa, Richard Campos, bentornato a casa,
bentornato a una tomba da eroe
Sei stato ucciso e hai massacrato e ucciso
che si pianga questo ragazzo messicano
Che l'America renda onore al suo nome.

Ma un uomo deve, deve essere costretto a uccidere
per poter vivere come un essere umano in questo paese?
Ma un uomo deve, deve essere costretto a uccidere
per poter vivere come un essere umano in questo paese?

Verranno, Richard Campos, verranno,
verranno presto a prendere il tuo corpo
I tuoi "padri" militari ti renderanno omaggio
ti verranno intorno in bella parata
ti seppelliranno oggi pomeriggio.

Ma un uomo deve, deve essere costretto a uccidere
per poter vivere come un essere umano in questo paese?
Ma un uomo deve, deve essere costretto a uccidere
per poter vivere come un essere umano in questo paese?

Sei morto, Richard Campos, sei andato
sei morto e ti danno l'ultimo addio
Ma ora che te ne sei andato per sempre mi viene in mente un dubbio:
Cosa sarebbe accaduto se tu non fossi mai morto?
Ti tratterebbero allo stesso modo?
O ti manderebbero per i cazzi tuoi rifilandoti in mano una medaglia
dicendo: Grazie, ragazzo, grazie tante
hai assolto il tuo debito con lo zio Sam.

Ma un uomo deve, deve essere costretto a uccidere
per poter vivere come un essere umano in questo paese?
Deve un uomo, deve essere costretto a uccidere
per vivere da essere umano
in questo paese!

envoyé par giorgio - 20/6/2008 - 19:54




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