A SONG OF RESISTANCE
Bella Ciao by Behin and Samin Bolouri
- ONE TRACK: Bella Ciao (live guitar version) by Behin and Samin Bolouri
- PLAYLIST: a handful of different versions of Bella Ciao on YouTube and Spotify. Artists featured include Marc Ribot and Tom Waits, Chumbawamba, Becky G, the Bolouri sisters and Najwa.
- READ: The UK Guardian: Trashing Bella Ciao: Italy’s new right wing government wants to erase the song
FIGHTING FOR WOMEN’S FREEDOM IN IRAN
Iranian sisters go viral with famous protest song
Each year on April 25 Italians celebrate their 1945 liberation from fascism singing the rousing and anthemic Bella Ciao (Goodbye Beautiful) a 19th century song that’s become synonymous with protest movements to this day. Its latest version has become a viral paean to resistance in Iran.
Last month the country’s “morality police” beat 22 year-old Mahsa Amini for not wearing her hijab properly. Iranian music duo Behin and Samin Bolouri released a live version of Bella Ciao on September 16 – the day Amini died from her injuries. Since then demonstrations have been mounting in Iran and around the world challenging the repressive regime. Thousands of Iranian women and their allies have demonstrated their anger by chopping their hair and burning their hijabs.
A song with an unclear history
Bella Ciao‘s origins are a bit of a mystery. There are two versions of its lyrics. The first seems to have originated late in the 19th century as a lament by Italian farmworkers – who were called mondina – protesting the brutal working conditions in Northern Italy’s paddy fields.
The second version emerged in the mid-20th century and proclaims a partisan political stance. Its this version – published in 1953 – that’s commonly sung today. Italian-French actor and singer Yves Montand was the first to popularize the tune commercially in the early 1960s. But there are hundreds of – maybe more – versions to be found online.
BELLA CIAO: MID-20TH CENTURY PARTISAN VERSION
One morning I awakened
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao!
And I found the invader.
Oh partisan carry me away,
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
oh partisan carry me away
Because I feel death approaching.
And if I die as a partisan,
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
and if I die as a partisan
then you must bury me.
Bury me up in the mountain,
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
bury me up in the mountain
under the shade of a beautiful flower.
And all those who shall pass,
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
and all those who shall pass
will tell me “what a beautiful flower.”
This is the flower of the partisan,
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
this is the flower of the partisan
who died for freedom
MONDINA (19th CENTURY FARMWORKER) VERSION
In the morning as I got up
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao (Goodbye beautiful)
In the morning as I got up
To the paddy rice fields, I have to go.
And amidst insects and mosquitoes
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
and amidst insects and mosquitoes
a hard work I have to do.
The boss is standing with his cane
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
the boss is standing with his cane
and we work with our backs curved.
Oh my God, what a torment
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
oh my god, what a torment
as I call you every morning.
And every hour that we pass here
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
and every hour that we pass here
we lose our youth.
But the day will come when us all
oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
will work in freedom.
Bella Ciao in the news
Italy’s recent elections have brought a right-wing government to power which shares views with dictator Mussolini. During the vote the radical right called for the removal of the liberation anthem in schools deriding it as a leftist tool to recruit young people in schools. (Read more in the Guardian).
The struggle, as they say, continues.
Stay tuned and enjoy,
09 October 2022
PLAYLISTS
The two playlists are slightly different because YouTube offers videos and live performances. The lists have 10 and nine songs respectively featuring artists like Marc Ribot and Tom Waits, Chumbawamba, Becky G, the Bolouri sisters and Najwa. Enjoy!
