Paroles et traduction Marco Masini - Caro babbo

Caro babbo

Mi sembravi alto, altissimo quando ero piccolino
Eri il mio gigante buono che giocava a nascondino
Mi batteva forte il cuore mentre stavo ad aspettare
Felice di nascondermi, ma anche di farmi trovare

Ti sentivo forte e a volte mi facevi un po' paura
Ma eri il mio cavallo docile, il tappeto, la pianura
E scendevo e camminavo nelle tue scarpe pesanti
Fra colline di poltrone coi miei passi da gigante

Era dolce, era dolcissimo
Lo ricordo e te lo dico
Eri il mio più grande eroe
Eri il primo vero amico

Sei però rimpicciolito i primi anni della scuola
Tornavi tardi a casa e la mamma sempre sola
Mi svegliavo d'improvviso e vi sentivo ancora urlare
Eri sempre più nervoso e non mi stavi ad ascoltare
Altre volte mi picchiavi e le tue parole dure
Spalancavano soltanto una vita di paure

Eri assente e irraggiungibile
Io ti odiavo e te lo dico
Eri in sogno l'uomo nero
Eri a un tratto il mio nemico

E ho portato come un lutto il tuo sangue nelle vene
Ma il mio cuore per dispetto ti voleva ancora bene
E ora babbo te lo scrivo come quando ero bambino
Come quando per trovarci giocavamo a nascondino

E ora è freddo, anzi freddissimo
Piango mentre te lo dico
Cosa aspetti ad arrivare
Babbo se mi sei amico

Era dolce, era dolcissimo
L'ho capito e te lo scrivo
Quante volte io dovrò morire
Per sentirmi ancora vivo?

Dear Dad

You seemed so tall to me, so incredibly tall, when I was just a little boy
You were my gentle giant who played hide-and-seek with me
My heart would pound while I waited
Happy to hide, but also eager to be found

I felt your strength, and sometimes you frightened me a bit
But you were also my trusty steed, my carpet, and my playground
And I would step into your big shoes and walk around
Through a landscape of armchairs, a giant in my own right

It was sweet, it was so very sweet
I remember it and I tell you now
You were my greatest hero
You were my first true friend

But you began to shrink in my eyes when I started school
You came home late, and Mom was always alone
I would wake up suddenly and hear you two shouting
You were always more irritable, and you didn't listen to me anymore
Sometimes you would even hit me, and your harsh words
Only opened up a life of fear for me

You were absent and unreachable
I hated you, and I tell you now
In my dreams, you were the bogeyman
You were suddenly my enemy

And I carried your blood in my veins like a burden
But my heart still loved you, in spite of everything
And now, Dad, I write to you like I did when I was a child
Like when we used to play hide-and-seek to find each other

And now it's cold, so very cold
I cry as I tell you this
What are you waiting for?
Come to me, Father, if you still care

It was sweet, it was so very sweet
I've realized it and I write to you now
How many times will I have to die
To feel alive again?