The second in my opinion – Caparezza ¹

 

The second album is always the toughest in an artist’s career

The second album is always the toughest… (c’mon)

The second album is always the toughest in an artist’s career

The second album is always the toughest…

 

Italians good people, Italians have a heart of gold

“Italy is a work-based Republic”

“Country of saints, poets, mafiosi and navigators” ²

But everyone would like the Montessori banknote ³ back at hand

 

Brits, bigheads never learning a foreign language

The Brits will never have to change currency

The Brits will always drive on the wrong side of the road

That’s why I know that people going to London come back a bit different

 

The blacks play basketball well

They got the vibe in their veins and a big willy

Whites, you find them broke ⁴ at green tables

Every white man is jealous of a big willy

 

They say the Arabs write backwards

Mohammed said I do write backwards

So every right thing reveals its opposite ⁵

And if you don’t agree I’m sorry for you

 

The second album is always the toughest in an artist’s career

The second album is always the toughest… (c’mon)

The second album is always the toughest in an artist’s career

The second album is always the toughest…

 

The Red Shirts ⁶ sewed the Country together again

The Black Shirts ⁷ brought it to war

The Green Shirts don’t give a shit about it ⁸

The Boot’s designers are the most renowned

 

When he was there trains used to depart in time ⁹

When he was there they used to deport us in time

When he was there we were not there ¹⁰

Because if we’d been there we’d have been riddled with shots

 

So vote for me and you’ll see I’ll find you a job

Vote for me and you’ll see you won’t get hurt

Vote for me and you’ll see from tomorrow I will love you

Boy once it was all electoral campaign here ¹¹

 

Do you want to be a singer? You’ll need someone pulling a string

Do you want to be a councillor? You’ll need someone pulling a string

Do you want to get on? You’ll need someone pulling a string

On the edge of a cliff  you’ll need someone pulling a string!

 

The second album is always the toughest in an artist’s career

The second album is always the toughest… (c’mon)

The second album is always the toughest in an artist’s career

The second album is always the toughest…

 

Millionaire football players running after a ball

Millionaire musicians running after success

Millionaire magnates running after the pussy

I’m gonna blow it all with the super lottery ¹² it’s my turn

 

I’m not married, let’s say I live with someone

I’m not unemployed, let’s say I’m a student

I’m not a criminal, let’s say I sort myself out

Let’s say let’s say let’s say a lot of crap

 

Don’t watch Devilman ¹³, you’ll become violent

Don’t read Spiderman, you’ll become violent

Don’t listen to Method Man, you’ll become violent

Just think what it’s like to stay in Parliament for a day ¹⁴

 

Politicians no no no are no more what they used to be

Women no no no are no more what they used to be

I no no no am no more what I used to be

Only rhetoric stays the same

 

The second album is always the toughest in an artist’s career

The second album is always the toughest… (c’mon)

The second album is always the toughest in an artist’s career

The second album is always the toughest…

The second album is always the toughest in an artist’s career

The second album is always the toughest… (c’mon)

The second album is always the toughest in an artist’s career

The second album is always the toughest…

 

***

1)     Like the whole song, even the title is a pun: the Italian “secondo” means both “second” and “according to.” In fact, the original title is Il Secondo Secondo Me. The singer, Caparezza, is from a town in the province of Bari (where I’m from!), and “capa rezza” is the Italian-like sound  for “cape rèzze,” which in our dialect means “curly hair”… and you should really see what his hair looks like!

2)     The first line is a quote from the article 1 of the Italian Constitution (Italy is a work-based Democratic Republic. Sovereignty belongs to the people, who exercises it in the forms and within the limits of the Constitution); whereas the second is a famous saying about Italians.

3)     Maria Montessori was the first woman physician in Italy and her face was on the old 1000 lire banknote. To be honest I didn’t quite get the meaning of this line at first!

4)     In the original lyrics it was “ridotti in mutande,” which literally means “left only with their underwear on”. Now you know why he hints at their penis later… (*blush*)

5)     “Contrario” is the Italian both for “backwards” and “opposite”: I should have used the same word, but that would have resulted in a slight shift in the meaning.

6)     The men under Giuseppe Garibaldi thanks to whom Italy was finally united in 1861.

7)     The men under Benito Mussolini: during the Fascist period (1922-1943) they had the same power as the police and they are especially remembered for their punitive expeditions against opponents.

8)     The fanatics who vote for Mr Umberto Bossi and his Northern League. It is a political party whose main goal, at least until recently, was to separate the wealthier North from the rest of Italy, of course in spite of all history and culture.

9)     Typical remark of some elderly people who are still fascist (yes, there are some die-hards!) Obviously “he” refers to Mussolini.

10)  As the Fascist Party was from the extreme right-wing, you must have realised that on the other hand Caparezza is very left-wing.

11)  Again playing on a pun: the Italian “campagna” means both “campaign” and “countryside.”

12)  Commenting on the huge number of people playing the lottery in hope for a lifelong source of money that the Italian quite high rate of unemployment does not allow.

13)  Not very long ago there was a certain disagreement between parents and comic-book publishers because some psychologists had accused Japanese comics and cartoons of making children violent. In fact, Devilman was a famous cartoon taken from a comic-book.

14)  It might also happen in other Countries, but political confrontation in Italy is always very lively, to the point that sometimes politicians (shamefully!) even come to blows in Parliament.