Lyrics of Alessandro E Il Mare - Roberto Vecchioni

Alessandro E Il Mare (original)

Il tramonto era pieno di soldati ubriachi di futuro
Fra i dadi le bestemmie e il sogno di un letto più sicuro;
Ma quando lui usciva dalla tenda non osavano
Nemmeno guardare:
Sapevano che c’era la sua ombra sola davanti al mare
Poi l’alba era tutta un fumo di cavalli
Gridi e risate nuove;
Dove si va, passato il Gange
Generale, parla, dicci solo dove:
E lui usciva dalla tenda bello come la mattina il sole:
Come in una lontana leggenda
Perduta chissà dove…
Tornava bambino
E tornava bambino
Quando stava da solo a giocare nei viali
Di un immenso giardino;
La fontana coi pesci
Dai riflessi d’argento
Che poteva soltanto guardarla
Mai buttarcisi dentro
Non un capello fuori posto
Mentre entrava a cavallo nel mare
E il cuore, il cuore gli batteva addosso
Come a una donna che si va a sposare;
E tutti lo seguirono cantando
Senza nemmeno sospettare
E gli andarono dietro contenti
Di dover annegare
Tornava bambino
E tornava bambino
Quando stava da solo a giocare nei viali
Di un immenso giardino;
La fontana coi pesci
Dai riflessi d’argento
Che poteva solo guardarla
Mai buttarcisi dentro
E mentre si voltava indietro
Non aveva niente da vedere;
E mentre si guardava avanti
Niente da voler sapere;
Ma il tempo di tutta una vita
Non valeva quel solo momento:
Alessandro, così grande fuori, così piccolo dentro

(translation)

The sunset was full of soldiers drunk with the future
Among the dice, blasphemies and the dream of a safer bed;
But when he came out of the tent they didn't dare
Don't even look:
They knew that there was his shadow of him alone in front of the sea
Then the dawn was all the smoke of horses
New shouts and laughter;
Where do you go, past the Ganges
General, speak, just tell us where:
And he came out of the tent as beautiful as the morning sun:
As in a distant legend
Lost who knows where ...
He was a child again
And he was a child again
When he was alone playing in the boulevards
Of an immense garden;
The fountain with the fish
With silver reflections
That he could only look at her
Never jump into it
Not a hair out of place
As he rode into the sea
And his heart, his heart was beating on him
Like a woman who is going to marry;
And everyone followed him singing
Without even suspecting
And they went after him happy
Of having to drown
He was a child again
And he was a child again
When he was alone playing in the boulevards
Of an immense garden;
The fountain with the fish
With silver reflections
That he could only look at her
Never jump into it
And as he turned around
He had nothing to see;
And while he looked ahead
Nothing to want to know;
But the time of a lifetime
It wasn't worth that one moment:
Alessandro, so big on the outside, so small on the inside