Modena City Ramblers - I Cento Passi
This song tells the story of Peppino Impastato, a Sicilian activist who was killed in 1978 for opposing mafia. He was killed on the very same day in which Aldo Moro was killed. The song and the music video feature scenes and dialogues taken from the movie “I cento passi”, a movie telling the story of Impastato’s life.
“Sei andato a scuola, sai contare?” “si so contare”
“Did you go to school? Can you count?” “Yes, I can”
“E sai camminare?” “so camminare”
“And can you walk?” “I can walk”
“E contare e camminare insieme lo sai fare?” “credo di si”
“And can you count and walk at the same time?” “I think so”
“Allora forza, conta e cammina.. 1,2,3,4..” “ma dove stiamo andando?”
“Ok, then, count and walk… 1,2,3,4…” “But where are we going?”
“..conta e cammina..95,96,97,98,99,100..lo sai chi ci abita qui?
“Count and walk… 95,96,97,98,99,100… do you know who lives here?”
U zu Tano ci abita qui.. cento passi ci sono da casa nostra, cento passi!”
“U zu Tano lives here… it’s only 100 steps away from our home, 100 steps!”
Nato nella terra dei vespri e degli aranci, tra Cinisi e Palermo parlava alla sua radio..
He was born in the land of vespers and oranges, he spoke with his radio between Cinisi and Palermo
Negli occhi si leggeva la voglia di cambiare, la voglia di Giustizia che lo portò a lottare..
You could read in his eyes the will to change, the will of Justice that made him fight
Aveva un cognome ingombrante e rispettato, di certo in quell'ambiente da lui poco onorato..
He had a cumbersome and respected surname, more so in that field that he honored so little
Si sa dove si nasce ma non come si muore e non se un'ideale ti porterà dolore..
You know where you’re born but not how you’ll die or whether an ideal will bring you pain
“Ma la tua vita adesso puoi cambiare solo se sei disposto a camminare,
“But now you can change your life, only if you’re willing to walk,
gridando forte senza aver paura, contando cento passi lungo la tua strada”..
shouting out loud with no fear, counting 100 steps along your way”
Allora.. 1,2,3,4,5,10,100 passi!..1,2,3,4,5,10,100 passi!
So, 1,2,3,4,5,10,100 steps!… 1,2,3,4,5,10,100 steps!
Poteva come tanti scegliere e partire, invece lui decise di restare..
He could have chosen to leave like many others, but he chose to stay
Gli amici, la politica, la lotta del partito.. alle elezioni si era candidato..
His friends, politics, the fight for his party… he had decided to run for office…
Diceva da vicino li avrebbe controllati, ma poi non ebbe tempo perchè venne ammazzato..
He said he would have checked on them, but he never had the chance because he was killed
Il nome di suo padre nella notte non è servito, gli amici disperati non l'hanno più trovato..
The name of his father in the night was of no use, his friends, desperate, never found him
“Allora dimmi se tu sai contare, dimmi se sai anche camminare, contare, camminare insieme a cantare
“So tell me if you can count, tell me if you can walk too, count and walk while singing
la storia di Peppino e degli amici siciliani”..
the history of Peppino and his sicilian friends
Allora.. 1,2,3,4,5,10,100 passi!..1,2,3,4,5,10,100 passi!
So, 1,2,3,4,5,10,100 steps!… 1,2,3,4,5,10,100 steps!
Era la notte buia dello Stato Italiano, quella del nove maggio settantotto..
It was the darkest night of the Italian state, that of May 9th, 1978
La notte di via Caetani, del corpo di Aldo Moro, l'alba dei funerali di uno stato..
The night of Via Caetani, of Aldo Moro’s body, the dawn of the funeral of a state…
“Allora dimmi se tu sai contare, dimmi se sai anche camminare, contare, camminare insieme a cantare
“So tell me if you can count, tell me if you can walk too, count and walk while singing
la storia di Peppino e degli amici siciliani”..
the history of Peppino and his sicilian friends
Allora.. 1,2,3,4,5,10,100 passi!..1,2,3,4,5,10,100 passi!
So, 1,2,3,4,5,10,100 steps!… 1,2,3,4,5,10,100 steps!
“E’ solo un mafioso, uno dei tanti”
“He’s just a mafioso, one of many”
“E’ nostro padre” “mio padre, la mia famiglia, il mio paese.. ma io voglio fottermene
“He’s our father” “My father, my family, my country… but I want not to give a damn
io voglio scrivere che la mafia è una montagna di merda, io voglio urlare!”
I want to write out that mafia is a pile of shit, I want to shout!