Bella ciao
Bella ciao is an Italian partisan song of the World War II. The origins of the song are uncertain. The music seems to come from a predating folk song and the author of the lyrics is unknown.
Italian Lyrics
- Una mattina, mi sono alzato
- o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao
- Una mattina mi sono alzato
- 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 muoio da partigiano
- o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao
- e se 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
- E le genti che passeranno
- o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao
- e le genti che passeranno
- ti 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
Note: rhymes could not be rendered in English, and several short Italian words (bella, ciao) translate into long English words (beautiful, goodbye), so that the result quite "heavier" than in the original version.
- This morning I awakened
- Oh Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye Goodbye
- This morning I awakened
- And I found the invader
- Oh partisan carry me away
- Oh Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye Goodbye
- Oh partisan carry me away
- Because I feel death approaching
- And if I die as a partisan
- Oh Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye Goodbye
- And if I die as a partisan
- Then you must bury me
- Bury me up in the mountain
- Oh Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye Goodbye
- Bury me up in the mountain
- Under the shade of a beautiful flower
- And those who shall pass
- Oh Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye Goodbye
- And those who shall pass
- Will tell you what a beautiful flower it is
- This is the flower of the partisan
- Oh Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye Goodbye
- This is the flower of the partisan
- Who died for freedom
Music file
Media:Bella-ciao.mid (MIDI File)
Chumbawamba Remake
The Anarchist punk/pop group Chumbawamba released a contextually similar song for the anglosphere with the same refrain and title (in Italian), but completely different structure and lyrics.