Bella ciao
Encyclopedia
"Bella ciao" is an Italian partisan
song of World War II
.
Another interpretation has been given following the discovery in 2006 by Fausto Giovannardi of the CD "Klezmer - Yiddish swing music" including the melody "Koilen" played in 1919 by Mishka Ziganoff.[1]
The song was used as part of the soundtrack for Yugoslavian Film MOST in 1969.
Also, there are several verses which differ in the Italian version, i.e. different ways to sing those verses. Those are written in brackets.
Anita Lane's version is unique, as it is both literal, and singable. She has kept "Bella Ciao" phrase untranslated, and this helps the translation to mirror the original theme of the song.
, the song has been recorded by various artists in many different languages, including Arabic
, Bosnian
, Breton
, Chinese
, Croatian
, Danish
, English
, Esperanto, Finnish
, German
, Hungarian
, Japanese
, Kabyle
, Kurdish
, Norwegian
, Russian
, Serbian
, Slovenian
, Spanish
, Tibetan
, Tunisian
, Turkish
and Tagalog
.
Italian resistance movement
The Italian resistance is the umbrella term for the various partisan forces formed by pro-Allied Italians during World War II...
song of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
History
The song Bella Ciao was sung by the left-wing anti-fascist resistance movement in Italy, a movement composed of anarchists, communists, socialists and also by militant anti-fascist partisans. The author of the lyrics is unknown, and the music seems to come from an earlier folk song sung by riceweeders.Another interpretation has been given following the discovery in 2006 by Fausto Giovannardi of the CD "Klezmer - Yiddish swing music" including the melody "Koilen" played in 1919 by Mishka Ziganoff.[1]
The song was used as part of the soundtrack for Yugoslavian Film MOST in 1969.
Lyrics
Note: rhymes are not rendered in English in the translation below, and several short Italian words (bella, ciao) translate into long English words (beautiful, goodbye), without keeping meter.Also, there are several verses which differ in the Italian version, i.e. different ways to sing those verses. Those are written in brackets.
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Alternate translations
Alternate, less literal and more "singable" translation - which also makes explicit some aspects that are left implicit in the Italian text:- SWEETHEART GOODBYE
- One morning when I awakened
- Oh beauty bye, beauty bye, beauty bye-bye-bye!
- One morning when I awakened
- I found invaders all around
- Oh partisan, come take me with you
- Oh beauty bye, beauty bye, beauty bye-bye-bye!
- Oh partisan, come take me with you
- Because I feel ready to die
- If I die fighting as a partisan
- Oh beauty bye, beauty bye, beauty bye-bye-bye!
- If I die fighting as a partisan
- You must come and bury me
- Bury me there, up in the mountains
- Oh beauty bye, beauty bye, beauty bye-bye-bye!
- Bury me there, up in the mountains
- Shade my grave with a lovely flower
- So all the people who pass that way
- Oh beauty bye, beauty bye, beauty bye-bye-bye!
- So all the people who pass that way
- Will say "Oh see that lovely flower! - "
- "Ah that's the flower of the partisan fighter - "
- Oh beauty bye, beauty bye, beauty bye-bye-bye!
- "Ah that's the flower of the partisan fighter
- who died for freedom's sake!"
-
- Anita Lane's Translation:
Anita Lane's version is unique, as it is both literal, and singable. She has kept "Bella Ciao" phrase untranslated, and this helps the translation to mirror the original theme of the song.
- And in one morning I was awakenend
- oh Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
- and in one morning I was awakenend
- and found the enemy was here.
- Oh Partisan, take me from this place
- oh Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
- oh Partisan, take me from this place
- because I feel I´m dying here.
- And if I die, up on that mountain
- oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
- and if I die, up on that mountain,
- then you must bury me up there.
- Bury me high up, up on that mountain
- oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
- bury me high up, up on that mountain
- and let the flowers mark my grave.
- Oh Partisan, take me from this place
- oh Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
- oh Partisan, take me from this place
- because I feel I´m dying here.
- Ciao Ciao Ciao
-
- Chumbawamba interpretation:
- This is the version sung by the english band chumbawambaChumbawambaChumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
- The world is waking outside my window
- Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
- Drags my senses into the sunlight
- For there are things that I must do
- Wish me luck now, I have to leave you
- Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
- With my friends now up to the city
- We're going to shake the Gates of Hell
- And I will tell them - we will tell them
- Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
- That our sunlight is not for franchise
- And wish the bastards drop down dead
- Next time you see me I may be smiling
- Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
- I'll be in prison or on the TV
- I'll say, "the sunlight dragged me here!"
International versions
In addition to the original ItalianItalian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, the song has been recorded by various artists in many different languages, including Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Bosnian
Bosnian language
Bosnian is a South Slavic language, spoken by Bosniaks. As a standardized form of the Shtokavian dialect, it is one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
, Breton
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
, Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Esperanto, Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
, Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, Kabyle
Kabyle language
Kabyle or Kabylian is a Berber language spoken by the Kabyle people north and northeast of Algeria. Estimates about the number of speakers range from 5 million to about 7 million speakers worldwide, the majority in Algeria.-Classification:The classification of Kabyle is Afro-Asiatic, Berber and...
, Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
, Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
, Slovenian
Slovenian language
Slovene or Slovenian is a South Slavic language spoken by approximately 2.5 million speakers worldwide, the majority of whom live in Slovenia. It is the first language of about 1.85 million people and is one of the 23 official and working languages of the European Union...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Tibetan
Standard Tibetan
Standard Tibetan is the most widely used spoken form of the Tibetan languages. It is based on the speech of Lhasa, an Ü-Tsang dialect belonging to the Central Tibetan languages. For this reason, Standard Tibetan is often called Central Tibetan...
, Tunisian
Tunisian Arabic
Tunisian Arabic is a Maghrebi dialect of the Arabic language, spoken by some 11 million people. It is usually known by its own speakers as Derja, which means dialect, to distinguish it from Standard Arabic, or as Tunsi, which means Tunisian...
, Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
and Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
.
- The song is sung in a slightly different manner by Norwegian socialistsSocialismSocialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
. This NorwegianNorwegian languageNorwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
version describes the oppression of workers on the rice fields, and speaks of the freedom to come. - Bella Ciao is the end theme song for the YugoslavYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
movie Most (The Bridge, The Savage Bridge). - A rewritten version of the song can be heard on Chumbawamba'sChumbawambaChumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
acoustic album "A Singsong and a ScrapA Singsong and a ScrapA Singsong and a Scrap is a Chumbawamba album released in 2005. It shows more folk influence than their previous album Un and features guest appearances from folk musicians such as Coope Boyes and Simpson, Andy Cutting and John Jones and Ian Telfer of Oysterband...
". - Another version of the song was recorded by the punk rock band Dog Faced Hermans on the album "Every Day Time Bomb."
- Former Yugoslav punk rockPunk in YugoslaviaPunk in Yugoslavia was the punk subculture of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a state which existed until 1991. The most developed punk scenes across the federation existed in Socialist Republic of Slovenia, the Adriatic coast of Socialist Republic of Croatia, the Socialist Autonomous...
bands KUD IdijotiKUD IdijotiKUD Idijoti is a punk-rock band from Pula, Croatia. The band was formed on February 2, 1981 and released their first album in 1986...
and later GobliniGobliniGoblini are a Serbian punk rock band from Šabac.- Formation, rise to prominence :...
recorded their versions of the track. - Hungarian punk rock band AuroraAurora (punk band)Aurora is a punk band formed in Győr, Hungary in 1983.The band is the longest standing and best known band in the Hungarian punk scene.-Discography:*"1988" *"Viszlát Iván" *"Előre Kurvák, Gengszterek" *"Fel Támadás"...
has performed the song. - Boston, Ma based band HUMANWINEH.U.M.A.N.W.I.N.E.H.U.M.A.N.W.I.N.E. is a band based out of Boston, Massachusetts. Their name is an acronym of the phrase, "Humans Underground Making Anagrams Nightly While Imperial Not-Mes Enslave". This is a reference to the subtly-coded lyrics that comprise most of their songs...
performed a version of the song based on Chumbawamba'sChumbawambaChumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
rewrite at their 6/27/09 concert at the ParadiseParadise Rock ClubThe Paradise Rock Club, formerly known as the Paradise Theater, is a small music venue in Boston, Massachusetts which opened on September 22, 1977...
in Boston and has closed many shows since then with this number. - Finnish hardcore punk band Riistetyt recorded a version of the song for their Proloaded Millenium album.
- Finnish glam punkGlam punkGlam Punk is a music genre that mixes elements of glam rock with protopunk or punk rock ....
band Pyhät Nuket, a later incarnation of hardcore punk band Riistetyt, recorded a version of the song on their Enkelit Sulkivat Silmänsä album. - The German hip-hop group Chaoze One has recorded an electronic version of the song with opera singing on their album "Neue Kreise."
- Renowned filk musician Leslie FishLeslie FishLeslie Fish is a filk musician, author, and anarchist political activist.-Music:Along with The DeHorn Crew, in 1976 she created the first commercial filk recording, Folk Songs for Folk Who Ain't Even Been Yet...
has written and performed several versions of the song, one of which can be found on the album "Smoked Fish". - Folk artist MirahMirahMirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn , is an American musician based in San Francisco California. She has released five albums under the K Records label.- Background :...
lent her voice to this song on her 2004 album To All We Stretch the Open ArmTo All We Stretch the Open Arm"To All We Stretch the Open Arm" is a collection of political songs by a variety of songwriters, performed by Mirah and the Black Cat Orchestra.-Track listing:#"Per I Morti Reggio Emilia" – 2:30 #"Monument" – 3:40...
. - Anita LaneAnita LaneAnita Lane is an Australian singer and songwriter who directly influenced the early 1980s European post-punk landscape.-Birthday Party:Lane was born in Melbourne, Australia in the late 1950s. Lane began singing and writing songs at age 16. She was a classmate with Rowland S. Howard who would...
recorded a version in English for her 2001 album "Sex O'Clock". - Breton folk punk band Les Ramoneurs de menhirsLes Ramoneurs de menhirsLes Ramoneurs de menhirs is a Breton celtic punk group formed in 2006. Its members include Éric Gorce on the bombardon, Richard Bévillon on the bagpipes, the traditional vannetais singer Maurice Jouanno and Loran, guitarist from the group Bérurier Noir. They play concerts at fest noz as well as...
recorded a version in BretonBreton languageBreton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
and FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
but called it BellARB. - Titubanda, a brass marching band from Rome, performed Bella Ciao on Wall Street during the 2008 financial meltdown at a rally with the Billionaires for Bailouts formerly known as Billionaires for BushBillionaires for BushBillionaires for Bush is a culture jamming political street theater organization that satirically purports to support George W. Bush for those activities which are perceived to benefit corporations and the super-wealthy...
. - This song is used in internet motion to protest against the censorship that was applied in TunisiaTunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
in Ben AliZine El Abidine Ben AliZine El Abidine Ben Ali is a Tunisian political figure who was the second President of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011. Ben Ali was appointed Prime Minister in October 1987, and he assumed the Presidency on 7 November 1987 in a bloodless coup d'état that ousted President Habib Bourguiba, who was...
regime. The censor was called in Tunisia as a funny way "Ammar 404" until the freedom of internet access with the Jasmine Revolution - During the manifestation after Iranian election of June 2009 , the mixed video of this song with the pictures of protests and killed persons , made it a symbol for Iranian Green movement.
- Turkish protest music band Grup YorumGrup YorumGrup Yorum is a Turkish band known for their political songwriting. Grup Yorum has released nineteen albums since 1987. Some of the group's concerts and albums were banned over the years, and some of the group members were arrested or tortured. Yorum remains popular and their albums continue to...
has performed the song around 1980, under the name "Çav Bella". - Danish psychedelic rock group Savage Rose have recorded a version of this song on the albums "En Vugge Af Stål" from 1982 and "Ild Og Frihed" from 1989.
- Mexican punk band La PlebeLa Plebe (band)La Plebe is a Mexican/American punk rock band from San Francisco, California. Formed in early 2001, the band has been a consistent part of various music scenes ever since, marked notably by multiple tours of Mexico, and The Balkans. Their latest album, Brazo en Brazo, was released in the U.S...
perform Bella Ciao on their album Brazo en Brazo. - Spanish ska-punk band Ska P commonly performs the song live, especially at concerts in Italy.
- Singer Manu ChaoManu ChaoManu Chao , is a French singer of Spanish roots . He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Galician, Arabic and Portuguese and occasionally in other languages...
has also recorded a version of the song. - American folk/rock band Foolproof Four recorded a version of Bella Ciao in 2011, available for free download on their Facebook page.
- Nino BurjanadzeNino BurjanadzeNino Burjanadze is a Georgian politician and lawyer who served as Chairperson of the Parliament of Georgia from November 2001 to June 2008...
used bella ciao at meetings in TbilisiTbilisiTbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, 2011. - Spanish punk band BoikotBoikot- History :The band started in 1987 playing at bars, parties and every type of dive. After a pair of adjustments to the band's lineup they recorded two albums with the label Barrabás. They made themselves known by playing in venues across Madrid until 1995 when they split with Barrabás and decided...
have incorporated a Spanish translation of "Bella ciao" into their song "No Pasarán". - In September 2011, during the so-called Arab SpringArab SpringThe Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...
, an ArabicArabic languageArabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
version appeared on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
sung by an amateurAmateurAn amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
in Syrian dialect. - Kurdish singer Ciwan Haco has included the song in his album Çaw Bella 1989 – Bochum – Germany.
See also
- Fischia il ventoFischia il ventoFischia il vento is an Italian popular song whose text was written in September 1943, at the inception of the resistenza. The lyricist was Felice Cascione and the intention was to spur on the partisan movement...
- another song associated with the Italian partisans - Alexandrov Ensemble - one of the performers of this song
- Alexandrov Ensemble soloistsAlexandrov Ensemble soloistsThis is an alphabetical list of the basso profondo, bass, bass-baritone and tenor soloists who have performed with the Alexandrov Ensemble since its establishment in 1928. It is difficult to differentiate between regular and guest soloists, since many have alternated between the one category and...
- some of whom recorded this song - Alexandrov Ensemble discographyAlexandrov Ensemble discographyThis is a list of recordings made by the Alexandrov Ensemble since 1928. Within each section they are in alphabetical order of record labels.- Facets: Leningrad Cowboys - Total Balalaika Show :...
- which includes this song - Hungarian version of the song - a dal Magyar változata.
External links
- A slightly different Italian version from the website of the Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d'Italia
- Rimini.it Bella Ciao and other partisans songs from the website of the Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d'Italia section of Rimini
- Text of Bella ciao in 30 languages, with commentaries
- Alternative histories of Bella ciao
- Ma Belle Adieu, translated and sung in French by Laurence Biasizzo with Pavos Rojos
- Bella ciao - Gómez Naharro at YouTube.com