La Locomotiva [English translation]

I don’t know what face he had, nor his name

with what voice he spoke, with what voice then he sang

how many years he had seen then, what color his hair

but in my imagination I have his image

heroes are all young and beautiful

heroes are all young and beautiful

heroes are all young and beautiful

I know instead the era of the facts, what was his occupation

the first years of the century, machinist, railroad man

the days when the war started, the holy war of the poor

the train seemed likewise a legend of progress

speeding over the continent

speeding over the continent

speeding over the continent

and the locomotive seemed to be a strange monster

that Man dominated with his thoughts and his hand

roaring it left behind it distances that seemed infinite

it seemed to have inside a tremendous power

the same power as dynamite

the same power as dynamite

the same power as dynamite

But another great force then spread it’s wings

words that said “all men are equal”

and against the kings and tyrants it burst in the street

the proletarian bomb and it lit up the air

the torch of anarchy

the torch of anarchy

the torch of anarchy

A train every day passed by his station

a luxury train, far destination

he saw respected people, he thought of that velvet and gold

he thought of the lean days of the people around him

he thought of the train full of lords

he thought of the train full of lords

he thought of the train full of lords

I don’t know what happened, why he made the decision

maybe an ancient rage, generations without name

that cry out for revenge, they blinded his heart

he forgot piety, he forgot his goodness

his bomb, the steam engine

his bomb, the steam engine

his bomb, the steam engine

And on the track was the locomotive

the pulsating machine seemed to be alive

it seemed a young buck that, the brake just freed

bit the rail with muscles of steel

with the blind force of lightning

with the blind force of lightning

with the blind force of lightning

And one day like all the others, but maybe with more anger in his body

he thought that it held the key to repair some wrongs

he got up on the sleeping monster, he tried to drive away his fear

and before thinking of what he was about to do

the monster devoured the plains

the monster devoured the plains

the monster devoured the plains

The other train ran unaware and almost without hurry

no one imagined it was headed towards revenge

but at the station in Bologna arrived the news in a flash

“notice of emergency, act with urgency

a madman has launched himself against the train

a madman has launched himself against the train

a madman has launched himself against the train”

But meanwhile the locomotive runs, runs, runs

and the steam whistles and seems almost alive

and the whistle that fills the air seems to say to the stooped farmers

“Brother don’t fear, I run to my duty

Triumph to the proletarian justice!

Triumph to the proletarian justice!

Triumph to the proletarian justice!”

And meanwhile it runs, runs, runs still harder

and it runs, runs, runs, runs toward death

and nothing by now can hold back the immense destructive power

it waits only for the crash and then arrives at the mantle

of the great consoler

of the great consoler

of the great consoler

The story tells us how the race ended

the machine rerouted along a dead line

with the last of his animal yells the machine erupted red hot metal and lava

it exploded against the sky, then the smoke spread its veil

they picked him up, he was still breathing

they picked him up, he was still breathing

they picked him up, he was still breathing

But we like to think of him still behind the engine

while he runs the steam engine away

and that the news still reaches us one day

of a locomotive, like a living thing

speeding like a bomb against injustice!

speeding like a bomb against injustice!

speeding like a bomb against injustice!

• Artist:Francesco Guccini