Li immortacci [English translation]

My cousin, the Todrara 1

who knows a lot of people

says "The dead singers

aren't actually dead.

They're hiding in Rome to party all the time.

They've been hired as a whole by a company

To sell more records

And do a bit of promotions".

At the Tuscolano 2 there's the Guitar Guy

Known as the Voodoo Child Guy 3

While at the Testaccio 4 you can find the Hermaphroditic Guy 5

Who just won't stop singing

"We are the champions". 6

At the Murotorto 7 look, there's the Rastaman 8

Who gives us the Rastaman vibes

He's telling a girl not to cry because

We'll smoke a cigarette with our friend Selassie. 9

We are the damned undead, we are the damned undead 10

The tallest undead 11

But that's not true, but that's not true

We all came back to life.

We're the zombies of the singing world

Lead by the moog of the Lighthousekeeper: 12

We are the damned undead.

In Centocelle 13 rules the Pelvic Guy

Who bappalubas and eats all the fruits 14

His daughter's got the hots for the Thriller Guy 15

Whose name is Little Michael

But he doesn't want to be a black boy. 16

But when the night falls, the damned undead

From the Seven Hills come down to the valley

With some wicked whores

Then with the pimps they sing the refrain.

We are the damned undead, we are the damned undead

The tallest undead

But who cares, who gives a damn 17

We're stronger than ever.

We like to speed on the great ring junction 18

But in the still of the night the Dog Guy 19 invites us

For some spaghetti.

But at Primaporta 20 there's the Lizard Guy 21

Who wants to have fun with his own mother 22

With the imaginary Four-eyes Guy 23

With the Trumpet Guy 24 and the You'll See Guy 25

The Hanged Guy and the Rifle Guy 26 who go around

They go to Fregene 27 to the Pool Guy to roll some stones. 28

We are the damned undead, we are the damned undead

Coffin singers 29

When you pass away, when you pass away

You go two meters underground

You can apply to come back

But your application goes all around the world

And you're left in the coffin

Coffin, coffin, coffin, coffin

Damned undead, coffin, coffin, damned undead, retrofit.

1. the song quotes a number of Italian and international singers using nicknames styled as those commonly given in the modern Roman dialect. They feature the article ("er" for males, "la" for females) and a word related to some characteristic of the person, sometimes with the suffix in "-aro", which means "the guy who...". In this case, "Todrara" is a "Romanization" of the surname of the popular Italian singer Giorgia Todrani (best known by her name only).2. the 8th quarter of modern Rome, cfr. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarters_of_Rome3. "the Guitar Guy" is Jimi Hendrix, hence the reference to his song, "Voodoo Child".4. the 20th "rione" of modern Rome, cfr. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rioni_of_Rome5. i.e. Freddie Mercury, so called because of his homosexuality. This is not a derogative term and it is used only to make a pun. "Ermafrodito" start with "er", which in the modern Roman dialect means "the" (see the first note). So in this case, the word is spelled "er Mafrodito".6. the lyrics of this song are translated in the modern Roman dialect.7. lit. "the curved wall", it is an ancient part of the city walls of Rome, that gives the name to the nearby avenue.8. i.e. Bob Marley, who was a Rastafarian.9. the lyrics refer to the song "No woman no cry", and to his Rastafari belief, a religion that involve the ritual consumtion of marijuana and believes in the reincarnation of Jesus Christ in the emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie (1892-1975).10. a typical Roman expression is "mortacci", an insult against the ancestors of the insulted person. It is common believe that dead people are in Heaven, and consequently saints, so it is considered (especially in Southern Italy) highly disrespectful to insult them. The word "mortacci" comes from "morti" ("dead people") plus the pejorative suffix "-acci". In the modern Roman dialect the word is often used in a more colloquial way, with no real offence intended ("how much for that book?" - "200€" - "mortacci!"), or even as an interjection ("hey man!" - "mortacci! Where you've been all this time?"). In this song, the word becomes "immortacci" (from "immortali", i.e. "immortals".). 11. both music and lyrics here are a reference from a popular 1963 Italian song by Edoardo Vianello (the same who's singing this refrain), called "I watussi". The song talks about a fictional "watussi" tribe in Africa, defined as "the tallest ni*gers" (in those years, the N-word wasn't regarded as offensive yet).12. "Il guardiano del faro" ("the Lighthousekeeper") is the stage name of Federico Monti Arduini, keyboardist known for his experimentations with the moog synthesizer, in the 1970s.13. part of the 19th quarter of modern Rome.14. reference to Elvis Presley and his 1956 cover of the song "Tutti frutti".15. reference to Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley and first wife of Michael Jackson, who authored the song "Thriller".16. reference to the 1984 surgery that completely whitened Jackson's skin, something that had been misunderstood as a repudiation of his roots. The Italian lyrics feature the word "negretto", lit. "little ni*ger", but the N-word is (or rather was) not as controversial as it is in the US (see above).17. reference to a famous folk song, written in modern Roman dialect sometime before the 1960, "La società dei magnaccioni". It quickly became one of the most popular folk songs, especially in Rome, and its music is also quoted in the "I watussi" song, here parodised (see above).18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_Raccordo_Anulare19. this time the reference isn't to a singer, but to Pietro De Negri, a cocain addict, nicknamed "er canaro" ("the dog groomer") because he had a pet shop in Rome. In 1988 he confessed the murder of a man, adding gruesome details about the tortures he had inflicted on his victim. The autopsy later revealed that most of the tortures had only been imagined by the killer, who was under the effects of cocaine.20. part of the Northern area of modern Rome.21. i.e. Jim Morrison, singer of The Doors, nicknamed "the King Lizard".22. reference to the lyrics of "The End", 1967 song by The Doors: "mother, I want to fuck you, mama, all night long".23. i.e. John Lennon, author of "Imagine".24. some unidentified trumpet player.25. i.e. Luigi Tenco, an Italian singer, known for the sad, troubled lyrics of his songs. He shot himself in 1967 after the elimination from Sanremo (the Italian national song contest), though some people think he was actually murdered. He's called "Vedraro" ("you'll see" guy) after the name of one of his song, "Vedrai, vedrai" ("You'll see, you'll see").26. respectively Ian Curtis (singer of Joy Division, who hanged himself up) and Kurt Cobain (singer and guitarist of Nirvana), who shot himself with a rifle.27. a seaside resort near Rome.28. reference to Brian Jones, member of the Rolling Stones, who was found dead in his swimming pool in 1969.29. in the Italian lyrics, the word "coffin" is here as an adjective (a deliberate mistake).

• Artist:Elio e le Storie Tese
• Album:Eat the phikis