Vittorio Arrigoni, with his Italian passport and trademark pipe. His shirt says "Gaza."
I'm learning the lyrics and chords to Bella, Ciao. After Vittorio Arrigoni was killed, I saw the song popping up everywhere, and I realized I'd heard it before. After the New Years Eve demonstration in Bil'in, I was sitting on my friend Farhad's stoop, hanging out with him and his wife and little toddler Labiba (Lulu). Farhad had picked grapefruits from his tree and was making juice for me and the other internationals who were walking back from the demo, and a group of Italian musicians came up and joined us. They reminded me of the gutter punks that perform in New Orleans. I always see them at Hare Krishna (free Indian food on Sundays!), at open mics, and in the French Quarter. Great musicians, great harmonies. Anyway, back to Bil'in. The Italians circled around with drums, saxophones, fiddles and clarinets, and played Bella, Ciao. It was awesome. Afterwards I asked one of the musicians what the song meant, and he just replied "it's anti-fascist song."
This is the first time I've learned Italian outside of voice lessons. I always sang mezzo arias about shepherds and flowers. Well, the flowers were always metaphorical, but not for partisans who died for freedom against fascism.
Una mattina mi sono svegliato,
o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
Una mattina mi sono svegliato,
e ho trovato l'invasor.
O partigiano, portami via,
o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
O partigiano, portami via,
ché mi sento di morir.
E se io muoio da partigiano,
o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
E se io muoio da partigiano,
tu mi devi seppellir.
E seppellire lassù in montagna,
o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
E seppellire lassù in montagna,
sotto l'ombra di un bel fior.
Tutte le genti che passeranno,
o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
Tutte le genti che passeranno,
Mi diranno «Che bel fior!
È questo il fiore del partigiano
o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
È questo il fiore del partigiano,
morto per la libertà!
English translation:
One morning I woke up
Oh goodbye darling, goodbye darling, goodbye darling, bye bye!
One morning I woke up
And I found the invader
Oh partisan, carry me away
Oh goodbye darling, goodbye darling, goodbye darling, bye bye!
Oh partisan, carry me away
For I feel I'm dying
And if I die as a partisan
Oh goodbye darling, goodbye darling, goodbye darling, bye bye!
And if I die as a partisan
Then you must bury me
Bury me up in the mountain
Oh goodbye darling, goodbye darling, goodbye darling, bye bye!
Bury me up in the mountain
Beneath the shadow of a beautiful flower
And the people who pass by
Oh goodbye darling, goodbye darling, goodbye darling, bye bye!
And the people who pass by
Will say to me: "what a beautiful flower"
This is the flower of the partisan
Oh goodbye darling, goodbye darling, goodbye darling, bye bye!
This is the flower of the partisan
Who died for freedom
This is a video of Italian activists singing Bella, Ciao at a Bil'in demo a few months earlier...
