Bella Ciaos for the Red Rebels of Nepal!

Bella Ciao is a song of revolution. Its anonymous composer fought in the hills of Italy against the fascist Mussolini, who thought himself a Caesar and ended hung from a street post by the people he sought to rule.

They say you are East and we are West, but we, together, know the world is round. The hope and solidarity of millions are with the brave protesters in Nepal and the People's Liberation Army. For land and liberty, for communism! For a new world.

Bella Ciao (Rita Pavone)

Bella Ciao (Manu Chao)

Bella Ciao (Punkreas)

Bella Ciao (Spanish Revolution)

Bella Ciao (Tryo y Zebda)

Bella Ciao (Yves Montand)

Bella Ciao (PL)

And I"m looking for Chumbawumba's english remix...

Translations from the original Italian on the link...

The key variation in the original, which fairly fits the Italian partisans, is that is it alternately sung with the words "partisan" and "communist" depending on the crowd. Partisan is a term for the kind of ideologically motivated, left soldier that is informal but disciplined and commited. All communists are partisans, but not all partisans are communists.

Wikipedia lists the orginal Italian lyrics:

Una mattina, mi son svegliato
o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao
Una mattina mi son svegliato
e ho trovato l'invasor
O partigiano portami via
o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao
O partigiano portami via
ché mi sento di morir
E se io muoio da partigiano
o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao
e se muoio da partigiano
tu mi devi seppellir
E seppellire lassù in montagna
o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao
e seppellire lassù in montagna
sotto l'ombra di un bel fior
E le genti che passeranno
o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao
e le genti che passeranno
mi diranno che bel fior
È questo il fiore del partigiano
o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao
è questo il fiore del partigiano
morto per la libertà

And notes in translation: rhymes could not be rendered in English, and several short Italian words (bella,ciao) translate into long English words (beautiful, goodbye), so that the result is "heavier" than in the original version.

This morning I awakened
Oh Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye Goodbye
This morning I awakened
And I found the invader
Oh partisan carry me away
Oh Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye Goodbye
Oh partisan carry me away
Because I feel death approaching
And if I die as a partisan
Oh Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye Goodbye
And if I die as a partisan
Then you must bury me
Bury me up in the mountain
Oh Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye Goodbye
Bury me up in the mountain
Under the shade of a beautiful flower
And those who shall pass
Oh Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye Goodbye
And those who shall pass
Will tell you what a beautiful flower it is
This is the flower of the partisan
Oh Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye beautiful Goodbye Goodbye
This is the flower of the partisan
Who died for freedom

Strijdliederen, a blog in Northern Europe, translates Bella Ciao like this:

Bella Ciao 
Translation by Antoinette Fawcett

I woke this morning and all seemed peaceful
Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
I woke this morning and all seemed peaceful
But oppression still exists.

Oh freedom fighter, I want to fight too
Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
Oh freedom fighter, I want to fight too
Against their living death.

And if I die, a freedom fighter,
Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
And if I die, a freedom fighter,
Then you’ll have to bury me.

Let my body rest in the mountains
Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
Let my body rest in the mountains
In the shadow of my flower.

And all the people who will pass by there
Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
And all the people who will pass by there
Will show that lovely flower.

This is the blossom of those that died here
Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
This is the blossom of those that died here
For land and liberty.

Bella Ciao 
The world is waking outside my window
Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
Drags my senses into the sunlight
For there are things that I must do 

Wish me luck now, I have to leave you
Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
With my friends now up to the city
We're going to shake the Gates of Hell

And I will tell them - we will tell them
Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
That our sunlight is not for franchise
And wish the bastards drop down dead

Next time you see me I may be smiling
Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
I'll be in prison or on the TV
I'll say, "the sunlight dragged me here!"

Comments

[Christopher Day]

You made my day!

One of my fondest revolutionary memories is of riding in the back of a truck on a twisting mountainous dirt road into the warmth of the Lacandon Jungle packed together with thirty or so internationals, half of them Italian and all of us singing "Bella Ciao" and "Venceremos" as best we could at the top of our lungs. What is happening in Nepal has been exhilerating. Thanks for the appropriate soundrack.

P.S. A song with a related themse but a sadder tone is Leonard Cohen's "The Partisan." A video using clips from Iraq would kick ass.

[the burningman]

Right now I'm contacting as many musicians as I can to try and pull together a recording of Bella Ciao for the revolution in Nepal.

This would be a great solidarity gesture from our artists.

In you are a singer or musician, or know someone who might be interested, please contact me via email ASAP!

redflags.us@gmail.com

[wumbachumba]

Hey, I want to hear the Chumbawumba version, too. If anyone has it, please post it up!

If anyone has even the lyrics, please share them.

[la lucha sigue]

What a beautiful song!

What mediocre translations!

Venceremos!

[Comandante Gringo]

Isn't the Internet wonderful?

We really need to figure out how to have it continue working when they shut it off or jam it...

[johm]

the chumbawamba version, courtesy of chumbawamba:

http://www.chumba.com/media/Chumbawamba-Bella_Ciao.mp3

[Comandante Gringo]

The Chumbawamba 'cover' is a great addition to the tradition too, because it has a more modern sensibility: going to the city to make revolution -- on top of being also a love song of a sort... which should resonate with a lot of younger activists, especially, I would bet.

It's a welcome update on the older, resistance-to-fascism version.
:>

[johm]

now if someone only knows where to get a copy of the awesome dog faced hermans version....

[Sash]

You can find a slightly different text and a more "classic" performance on the website of the Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d'Italia:
http://www.anpi.it/canzoniere/bellaciao.htm

hannes wader's german version is missing!
red greets

[http://www.chumba.com/media/Chumbawamba-Bella_Ciao.mp3]

http://www.chumba.com/media/Chumbawamba-Bella_Ciao.mp3

[Sir Mildred Pierce]

There's another version, this one by Hellblinki Sextet on Episode 13 of the Shapeless Mass Cast:

http://podcast.shapelessmass.com/masscast013

you can download the mp3 of the song there too.

[Morti]

...and the hungarian "Bella ciao":

Eljött a hajnal, elébe mentem,
Oh Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao,
eljött a reggel, elébe mentem,
és rámtalált a megszálló.

Ha partizán vagy, vigyél el innen,
Oh Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao,
ha partizán vagy, vigyél el innen,
mert ma érzem, mehalok.

Ha meghalok ma, mint annyi társam,
Oh Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao,
ha meghalok ma, mint annyi társam,
legyél te az, ki eltemet.

A hegyvidéken temess el engem,
Oh Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao,
a hegyvidéken temess el engem,
legyen virág a síromon.

Az arra járó ha megcsodálja,
Oh Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao,
az arra járó, ha megcsodálja,
mondja azt, ez szép virág.

Az ő virága, a partizáné,
Oh Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao,
az ő virága, a partizáné,
ki a szabadságért halt meg.

[Mirjam]

You should try the "Commandantes" from Germany. They have a great version of Bella Ciao in German.

Eines Morgens in aller Fruehe
Oh bella ciao, bella ciao
eines Morgens in aller Fruehe
traffen wir auf unseren Feind

Partisanen oh nehmt mich mit euch
Oh bella ciao, oh bella ciao
denn ich fuehle der Tod ist nah

Und wenn ich sterbe
oh ihr Genossen
oh bella ciao, oh bella ciao
bringt mich dann zur letzten Ruh

In den Schatten der kleinen Blume
oh bella ciao, o bella ciao
In den Schatten der kleinen Blume
in die Berge bringt mich dann

Und diese Blume so sagen alle
oh bella ciao, o bella ciao
ist die Blume des Partisanen
der fuer die Freiheit starb

[cemcem]

...and the Turkish "Bella ciao": "Bella ciao":

işte bir sabah uyandığımda
çav bella çav bella çav bella çav çav çav
elleri bağlanmış buldum yurdumun
her yanı işgal altında

sen ey partizan beni de götür
çav bella çav bella çav bella çav çav çav
beni de götür dağlarınıza
dayanamam tutsaklığa

eğer ölürsem ben partizanca
çav bella çav bella çav bella çav çav çav
sen gömmelisin ellerinle beni
ellerinle toprağıma

güneş doğacak açacak çiçek
çav bella çav bella çav bella çav çav çav
gelip geçenler diyecek merhaba
merhaba ey kızıl çiçek

o kızıl çiçek partizanındır
çav bella çav bella çav bella çav çav çav
yiğit yoldaşlardan armağandır bize
simgesidir özgürlüğün

o kızıl çiçek partizanındır
çav bella çav bella çav bella çav çav çav
düşen yoldaşlardan armağandır bize
simgesidir sosyalizmin

[Christopher Day]

Did anyone ever find the Chumbwamba version?

[G. Frohman]

http://www.chumba.com/media/Chumbawamba-Bella_Ciao.mp3

[Jimmy]

Does anyone happen to know the chords to play this song on guitar?

[Jimmy Higgins]

Hey, boiningman (that's New Yorkese, y'all), if you wanna post 'em, I can try and get you:

Modena City Ramblers [Italy]
(2 versions, with Goran Bregovic vocals on one, and nifty tuba on both. Though they sing in Italian, they started in Modean as an Irish folk band on the Chieftans model and evolved into an odd 'world beat" thing. They are solidly and thoughtfully left: "In October 1997 the band flew to Bolivia to take part in the Encuentro Mundial de Vallegrande in memory of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who was killed there thirty years before."--from their website)

Kud Idijoti [Estonia]

Chjami Aghjalesi [Corsica]

Vello Orumets [Estonia] (I like this'n--I guess you'd have to call it a lounge version, what with the organ and the female chorus, but sincere, not snarky.)

The Dog Faced Hermans (cited above)

Milva [Italy] (An Italian chantoozie, called the Red, but for her hair color, alas. She does it as a modern tarantella.)

Leslie Fish [USofA] (He's a damn anarcho; he has a voice many find, erm, hard to warm up to; and he's a filk-singer and if you don't know what that is, trust me, you don't want to. On the other hand he does the only recorded version I'm familiar with of "It's Sister Jenny's Turn To Throw The Bomb"; he's written a nifty little song entitled "Freedom Road" which gets him big points in my book; and his Bella Ciao lyrics are interesting because he has "anarchized" 'em.)

I got another half dozen not named yet but these are probably the most interesting...

[Christopher Day]

Thanks. And I look forward to listening to all of the rendition Jimmy has to offer.

[the burningman]

Please send them as attached mp3s to my email: redflags.us@gmail.com

This is a very popular page on the site, and any additional versions would add to an international resource.

[Jimmy Higgins]

Comrade Claus is on his way and it's still two weeks to Maosday (December 26, doncha know?).

[the burningman]

Here's a little secret: This page is BY FAR the most popular on the RedFlags site...

[Jimmy Higgins]

Oh, yeah, and for the other Jimmy, here are two sites for the chords,

Chumbawumba's version:

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/chumbawamba_tabs.htm

and a traditiional Italian one:

http://didacool.free.fr/mandoline/bellaciao.txt

[Gurkin]

Hey comrades,here is a link to the chumbawamba version
http://www.chumba.com/media/Chumbawamba-Bella_Ciao.mp3

The struggle continues!