Translation of the song Pedronamì Terra artist Randagiu Sardu
Pedronamì Terra
Forgive Me, Land
Hoc’annu a fin’e istadi abarrat chentza 'e messai
This year, at the end of summer, an acre of land
unu moju 'e terra de chi'innoi mai prus at a torrai.
of he who will never go back here remains unharvested.
Apu nau de serrai s’enna a babbu ca ddu depia fai.
I told my father: close the door because I must do it.
De sa di su cantu e is cabonis no mi podit prus scidai.
Since that day, the roster’s crow can no longer wake me up.
Ancora intendu aintru cussa boxi tzerriai
I still hear inside me that voice screaming his wrath
de febi e sànguni in conca chi no acabat de artziai.
and his blood that doesn’t stop rising to his brain.
Sa luna chi totu at biu siguru no at a contai
The moon, which saw everything, won’t tell
su cantu e un homini cuau po no si fai aciapai.
the song of a man hidden not to be caught.
E it’est chi fai de s’homini una bestia
And what turns a man into a beast,
candu un homini nascit me in d’una famiglia onesta
when a man grows up in an honest family
dopu chi unu bivit sa vida sceti po traballai
and after living his life only for work,
e bit a unu comenti a issu ca si dd'olit furai?
he sees someone who wants to steal it from him?
At minaciau de mi bociri a babbu e pobidda
He threatened to kill my father and my wife,
tzerriàt ca unu mottu no podiat chistionai
he shouted that a dead man cannot speak,
e imoi comenti fais a no ddi 'onai arraxoni?
and now, how not to agree with him?
Sa bruvura at cantau po ddu imprassai.
The gunpowder has sung to embrace him.
[Torrada:]
[Chorus:]
Pedronamì terra
Forgive me, land
Fischiat unu tiru e balla innoi
Here a bullet shot hisses
e in su sattu su fosili sighit a cantai
and in the fields, the rifle keeps dancing
Terra
Land
Sa bruvura podit contai
The gunpowder can tell
Una cruxi in celu 'ndi lassat cuatrus innoi
A cross in the sky leaves four crosses here
Terra
Land
Sa giustizia ti fai scioberai
Justice makes you choose
de mi morri aici o de mi morri in presoni
to die like this or to die in prison
Terra
Land
Fischiat unu tiru e balla innoi
Here a bullet shot hisses
e in su sattu un homini sighit a ballai
and in the fields, a man keeps dancing
S’ierru est arribendi, arruit s’última folla,
Winter is coming, the last leaf falls,
passat un’atra istadi, me in su xelu un’atra cerchiolla
another summer passes, another rainbow in the sky
m’arregodat ca su fosili m’at scioberau,
reminds me that the rifle chose me,
est arruta un’atra guardia e ancora non m’anti cassau.
another cop fell, and they still couldn’t catch me.
S’última cosa chi m’at tzerriau babbu me in s’enna:
The last word my father shouted on the doorstep:
Spara, fillu, spara fintz’a candu tenis manu frima.
Shot, son, shot as long as your hand is firm.
Cun su bentu contras su fragu arribat prima
With a headwind, faster arrives the smell of the one
de chi ti ‘oit mottu e me in sa motti at postu una firma.
who wants you dead but put his signature on his own death.
Candu as a smitti e sparai
Once you stop shooting
nd’at a arrui su frori de sa méndula asuba 'e tui.
the almond flowers will fall on you.
Su nómini tuu at a abarrai,
Your name will remain,
de bidda in bidda is cantadoris ant a contai
the singers will tell from village to village
ca fiast unu piciocheddu, ma
that you were just a boy, but
as fattu su chi est giustu candu in domu furant.
you did the right thing when someone steals in your home.
E su fosili sighit e si dda cantat
And the rifle keeps on and sings,
sa terra ballat e un homini no si strantaxat.
the land dances on a man that will never rise again.
[Torr.]
[Chorus]
Ma deu m’intendu sempri prus a solu, seu cuau
But I feel more and more lonely, I’ve been hiding
de un’annu e prus, incapa dus, mancu m’arregodu prus
for a year and more, maybe two, I don’t remember
e dogna 'otta chi deu intendu unu sonu:
and whenever I hear a sound:
Spara!
Shoot!
Dogna 'otta chi biu cosa movi:
Whenever I see something moving:
Pesa e spara!
Get up and shoot!
Chi inci at un homini o puru inci at sribonis innoi:
Whether there is a man or there are boars:
Spara!
Shoot!
Ca no ap’a a bivi mai comenti una bestia acapiada,
Because I will never live like a tied beast,
no ap’a a biri famiglia ma una cosa est sigura:
I won’t have a family, but one thing is certain:
in domu mia no mucat prus mancu una preghiera.
not even one prayer will enter my home anymore.
E intza’…
And so…
Intendu boxis de is guardias tzerriai,
I hear voices of cops shouting,
prus de xincuanta funt acant’e arribai.
more than fifty cops are coming.
Cust’otta tenint is canis po no mi lassai fui
This time they have dogs not to let me escape
e seu tremendi ca sa méndula est in frori po mei.
and I shudder: the almond tree is blossoming for me.
E po s’arrubiu chi deu apu ghetau
And for the red (blood) I’ve spilt
pedronamì terra ca deu no dd’ia scioberau.
forgive me, land, I didn’t choose it.
E su fosili po dus annus at cantau
And the rifle has been singing for two years
e imoi est acant’e mei e de su frori est tudau.
and now it lays next to me and is covered by flowers.
[Torr.]
[Chorus]