Quando la musica racconta la storia e la storia si fa musica: ascoltando "Sunday bloody Sunday" degli U2
Riportiamo in questo spazio le considerazioni (in inglese) di Agnese nate dall'ascolto di un brano storico del gruppo irlandese degli U2, "Sunday bloody Sunday": brano iconico, ispirato ai tragici eventi del 30 gennaio 1972, quando, durante una manifestazione nella città nordirlandese di Derry, l'esercito del Regno Unito sparò sui manifestanti. Erano anni complicati, all'interno della trentennale guerra nordirlandese.
La musica unisce, aldilà del tempo, dello spazio: fermiamoci ad ascoltarla ed a farla vivere.
The perfect life
I can't believe the news today. Oh, I can't close my eyes and make it go away
Every day, every day there is something new in the news. Something that it’s impossible to forget, or maybe not. I can’t close my eyes, I can’t forget. I try to sleep, but the screen glows in the dark. Headlines that kill hopes, that kill souls. I can’t go on, I can’t lose control. I need to find a perfect life.
How long, how long must we sing this song? How long? How long?
By the rise of humans, by ‘72 and this song is still on, as a permanent soundtrack, repeated every day, every hour and every minute. It seems like humanity can never go on, never forget violence. I may have chosen my fate by trying to pay attention to what it’s around, but I didn't consider the consequences. I need to find out how to live a perfect life. How long must we sing this song? When I look outside, I think that I’m the only one, I’m alone. I need to suffocate my thoughts, just to go on. Just to live the perfect life I have. I’ve lost hope, I can’t sing. I prefer to stay silent.
'Cause tonight / We can be as one Tonight
When I look outside I see different individuals, not people. Every one is against someone else. It doesn’t matter how you look. I understand now. I just needed to find a foe, it doesn’t matter who. Every one has an enemy, so I just needed to find mine, just to be happy. I just needed to spread hate, so I won’t hate myself anymore. I don’t want to look at myself in the mirror. After my discovery,, I’ve broken it and used it to kill my awareness. This is the only way to go on. To live the perfect life that I have.
I’ve lost hope, humanity
It’s not difficult to lose, just close your eyes. Close them very hard, so you can go on. Just to live the perfect life that you don’t have, yet. Look at me, I can still walk, hear and live, just don’t focus on what you have around. Everything will end, it won't end with me. So I don’t care. This is the only way to go on, to live the perfect life that I have.
Broken bottles under children's feet
I don’t see, I don’t see blood or pain. But, I’ve lied, ‘cause I can still feel it, so I need to stay still and focus on something else. Why don’t you try? Have you seen how beautiful my burial suit ( da intendersi l’abito buono) is? A shiny bloody red suit jacket, black muddy trousers. It’s easy. Focus on that, just to go on, just to live the perfect life that I have. I don’t feel like it’s my soul. It’s the fair price to go on, to live my perfect life.
Bodies strewn across the dead-end street
A dead body made me trip, but I can still change my path. I still have my eyes closed, but I’ve managed well! I’ve been so good, to exit that street. I trusted my beautiful nose,I could smell the freedom by the air. Now I know how to avoid every street that I don’t like. My house is on a street like that, the smell of death it’s bad, but I can close my window and turn on my stereo. It’s the only way to go on, to live my perfect life.
But I won't heed the battle call / It puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall
I don’t need to have my battle call! I don’t want to fight, I just want to keep my eyes closed. How can you go on, otherwise? I know how you think! Do you want to make a change and you complain that you feel against the wall? It’s how your stupid life goes on, if you don’t want any enemy! You need one, you need to find yours to have a perfect life like mine!
This perfect life is easy, and there are only three rules: find an enemy, stay silent and let others (who, of course, are better than you) decide for you. It’s the only way to go on, to live a perfect life!
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sometimes blood is the necessary consequence, sometimes people earn it. I will always let others decide which blood is more valuable, so I can still look at myself in the mirror. Or what it’s left. I can see just a wall, but it will change. I can be whatever I like, without a mirror telling me what I am, in this perfect life!
Alright, let's go And the battle's just begun
I can’t ignore what 's happening right now, right in front of me. Down my windows, on my entrance mat, but I need to ignore it. I opened one of my eyes just for a bit, a second, and I saw death. But someone said that death is necessary. Everyone dies one day. Someone before. We have different expiration dates, it’s life. Mine would be later, if I keep my eyes shut.
There's many lost, but tell me who has won?
The loss is part of the game, so I won. I still go on, I still live my perfect life. No one should complain, no one should manifest. I heard them, the protester. I prefer dead bodies that don't speak up. I’ve also forgotten the smell. Every one can live a perfect life, it’s the will that is missing. You need to do something like I did a lot of time ago. It’s more like a habit right now, a beautiful and incredible addiction. My eyes hurt when I open them. So I won’t do it anymore.
The trenches dug within our hearts
Have you understood? Maybe, maybe you are understanding right now. You need to fend yourself, you need to dig for your humanity just to bury it. If you stay alone, you are better. No one can obligate you to open your eyes. It’s the only way to live the perfect life. It’s the only way to go on.
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart
They are not my family, so I don’t care about them. I closed my eyes, remember? But I can feel my family, I can see from my finger, touching all their portraits. Families are made of people. People are a foe. I am alone for the right reason. To go on, to live my perfect life.
How long, how long must we sing this song? How long? How long?
You can go on for eternity, if you want. I can close harder my eyes, I can think loudly that I’m right. Why don’t you understand? My tone of voice is becoming weaker, but I’m still stronger than you.
Wipe the tears from your eyes / Wipe your tears away
I can’t cry, I have my eyes shout, can’t you remember? You are becoming my enemy, you would never be able to live a perfect life. But I won’t kill you, I can't. Remember, I’m a broken mirror without you. I don’t want a battle, I’m allergic to battle calls. But I promise that I will hate you, point at you in the streets, and try my best to destroy you. ‘Cause I’m the blind man with a gun and I’ve already won, without using it.
I know that it’s true. Immunity for stupid stuff, like humanity, was my purpose. And I don’t care, everything can be manipulated, right? I can believe the only thing that I can hear of: you, my enemy, want to destroy me!
And today the millions cry
I know that became a foe, for someone else. For you, for example. You hate me, you became like me. But I will always be happier than you. I can live longer, without being disturbed. If I keep my eyes shut, I can keep my perfect life.
The real battle just begun
I’m still living my perfect life, with my eyes closed. Someone is deciding for me, someone who made for me a perfect rail, on a perfect train that decides my perfect life. You, that live on an eternal crazy train, you are in pain. You see too much, you decide to watch, to keep your eyes open. You will live forever in a perpetual anguish, your heart will beat too fast and you will die under the violence that is the outside. Someone will claim your body screaming, someone will cry over your bloody face. You won’t see the many who will march in your name, because you’ll be dead. You’ll be just like me. But you, now, you are alive.
I closed my eyes long ago, the pain is gone, so are the news that I can let go. The possible changes, impossible things. Dear foe, where are very different. I have died long ago, when I could handle the world, but, now, I still go on with the perfect life that I have!
Brambilla Pisoni Agnese (4ALav)