24.01.2022
Play on Words
It’s just a play, just a play on words,to tell the sun that the stars aren’t alone,1
to tell Pino «Cheer up and don’t tremble
if I want to make a Christmas tree with a pine».2
It’s just a play, just a play on words,
to call a spade a spade, and a climber someone who goes up.3
In a great sea of flames4
I fish for roasted fish,
two slices of toasted bread
and I’ll eat like stink.
Poignancy ties
a knot in my stomach.5
“Poignancy” is a real word,
it’s not a big magician.6
It’s just a play, just a play on words,
to tell the sun that the stars aren’t alone,
to tell Pino «Cheer up and don’t tremble
if I want to make a Christmas tree with a pine».
It’s just a play, just a play on words,
to call a spade a spade, and a climber someone who goes up.
Who knows why in a haystack
you always look for a needle,
which is certainly not a lake7
where you can go on a boat.
You certainly can’t swim,
swim on the sidewalk,8
you can only walk,
walk on you feet.
It’s just a play, just a play on words,
to tell the sun that the stars aren’t alone,
to tell Pino «Cheer up and don’t tremble
if I want to make a Christmas tree with a pine».
It’s just a play, just a play on words,
to call a spade a spade, and a climber someone who goes up.
And when you’re falling asleep
you can’t hurt yourself,9
you don’t go to the hospital
to get treated.
And in the riverbed
you can’t find any mattresses,10
just pebbles,
therefore you can’t dream.
It’s just a play, just a play on words,
to tell the sun that the stars aren’t alone,
to tell Pino «Cheer up and don’t tremble
if I want to make a Christmas tree with a pine».
It’s just a play, just a play on words,
to call a spade a spade, and a climber someone who goes up.
And to those who go down, I say “down”.
And to those who go up, I say “up”.
I say “up”, higher and higher up!
- 1. sole = sun.
sole = alone (feminine plural). - 2. Pino = diminutive of Giuseppe {Joseph}.
pino = pine tree. - 3. Literally “To say ‘salt’ to salt, and ‘ascends’ to people who go up”.
sale = salt.
sale = he/she/it goes up, ascends, climbs.
It’s also a reference to the saying “Dire pane al pane e vino al vino” {to say ‘bread’ to bread and ‘wine’ to wine}: to call a spade a spade, to call things by their names, to speak in a direct and honest way. - 4. mare = sea.
mare = a large amount/quantity. - 5. Literally “Emotion brings a deep grief into my throat”.
- 6. The original pun is on:
magone = grief, sorrow (from a Germanic word for “stomach”).
mago = magician. - 7. l’ago = the needle.
lago = lake. - 8. mar = sea.
marciapiedi {march-feet} = sidewalk. - 9. cascare dal sonno {fall down because of sleepiness} = to be about to doze off, to be extremely sleepy.
- 10. letto = bed.
letto del fiume = riverbed.