ManDarE TuTto All'aRIA – Bilingual Lyrics Italian/English

• By: Marco Mengoni

Lyrics & Translation

[Italian]

[English]

Anche stanotte me ne torno a pezzi

Even tonight I come back broken

Non è normale che ci siamo persi, mhm

It's not normal that we lost each other, mhm

Che certe cose non si spiegano

That certain things can't be explained

Perché la gente si fa ancora i selfie?

Why do people still take selfies?

Perché hai voglia di correre ogni mattina

Why do you feel like running every morning

Ma non corri mai

But you never run

Perché non vedi prima che era meglio prima

Why don't you see that it was better before

Non lo capirai mai

You'll never understand it

Ci ha fottuto anche a noi questa malinconia

This melancholy ruined us too

Mandare tutto all'aria

To throw everything away

E magari, per una volta, cambiare strada

And maybe, for once, change direction

Sono tornato con la faccia rotta sotto casa tua

I came back with a broken face outside your place

Sono un altro che ti ha detto una cazzata

I'm another one who told you a lie

Ma non vuole mandare tutto all'aria

But doesn't want to throw everything away

Questo tempo a me non mi sorprende

This time doesn't surprise me

Fermo, tra la gente che poi non si pente

Still, among people who don't regret it later

Dovrei prendermi spazi, perdermi in viaggi

I should take space, get lost traveling

Meglio stare muti e far finta di niente

Better to stay silent and pretend nothing happened

Soli come olive dentro al Martini

Alone like olives in a Martini

Parlo in una lingua che tu non capivi

I speak in a language you didn't understand

Vesto di bianco, sarò un po' stanco quando ritornerò

I dress in white, I'll be a bit tired when I come back

Perché ho voglia di uscire da questa mattina

Because I feel like getting out of this morning

E poi non esco mai

And then I never go out

Se potessi tornare dove stavo prima

If I could go back to where I was before

(Forse) non ci tornerei, ma

(Maybe) I wouldn't go back, but

L'ho tenuta per noi questa malinconia

I kept this melancholy for us

Mandare tutto all'aria

To throw everything away

E magari, per una volta, cambiare strada

And maybe, for once, change direction

Sono tornato con la faccia rotta sotto casa tua

I came back with a broken face outside your place

Sono un altro che ti ha detto una cazzata

I'm another one who told you a lie

Ma non vuole mandare tutto all'aria

But doesn't want to throw everything away

E non lasciarmi solo

And don't leave me alone

A rincorrerti nel buio della città

Chasing you in the darkness of the city

In un sabato sera d'estate

On a summer Saturday night

Vorrei prendere i muri a testate

I'd like to headbutt the walls

Quante volte ho giurato di non farlo più

How many times have I sworn not to do it again

Mandare tutto all'aria

To throw everything away

E magari, per una volta, cambiare strada

And maybe, for once, change direction

Sono tornato con la faccia rotta sotto casa tua

I came back with a broken face outside your place

Sono un altro che ti ha detto una cazzata

I'm another one who told you a lie

Ma non vuole mandare tutto all'aria

But doesn't want to throw everything away

Mandare tutto all'aria

To throw everything away

Mandare tutto all'aria

To throw everything away

Mandare tutto all'aria

To throw everything away

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
mandare /manˈdare/ A2	verb - to send, to dispatch verb - (idiomatic, in 'mandare tutto all'aria') to ruin, to mess up, to throw everything away
aria /ˈaria/ A1	noun - air noun - (idiomatic, in 'mandare tutto all'aria') part of an idiom meaning 'to ruin' or 'to spoil'
malinconia /malinkoˈnia/ B1	noun - melancholy, sadness, gloom
pezzi /ˈpɛttsi/ A1	noun - pieces; (idiomatic: tornare a pezzi) in pieces, broken, shattered, exhausted
perdere /ˈpɛrdere/ A1	verb - to lose (something); (reflexive: perdersi) to get lost, to lose oneself, to fade away (e.g., a relationship)
correre /ˈkorrere/ A1	verb - to run, to hurry
cambiare /kamˈbjare/ A1	verb - to change, to exchange
strada /ˈstrada/ A1	noun - road, street, path
faccia /ˈfattʃa/ A1	noun - face
rotta /ˈrɔtta/ A2	adjective - broken, shattered; exhausted, devastated (when referring to a person's appearance)
cazzata /katˈtsata/ B2	noun - nonsense, bullshit, stupid thing/idea (informal, vulgar)
solo /ˈsolo/ A1	adjective - alone, solitary
voglia /ˈvɔʎʎa/ A2	noun - desire, wish, longing (often with 'avere voglia di' - to feel like/to want to)
capire /kaˈpire/ A1	verb - to understand, to comprehend; to realize
rincorrere /rinkoˈrrere/ B1	verb - to chase, to run after, to pursue
buio /ˈbuːjo/ A2	noun - darkness adjective - dark
muri /ˈmuːri/ A1	noun - walls; (idiomatic: prendere i muri a testate) to bang one's head against the wall (meaning to struggle with an insoluble problem)
testate /teˈstate/ B1	noun - headbutts, blows to the head; (in phrase 'prendere a testate') to hit with one's head
tempo /ˈtɛmpo/ A1	noun - time; weather
gente /ˈdʒɛnte/ A1	noun - people, folk

Key Grammar Structures

• Non è normale che ci siamo persi, mhm

  ➔ Past Subjunctive after impersonal expression

  ➔ The "che" clause after an impersonal expression like "Non è normale che..." requires the subjunctive mood. Here, "ci siamo persi" is the Past Subjunctive of "perdersi", used to express a past state or action that is subjective or uncertain.

• Che certe cose non si spiegano

  ➔ Impersonal Passive 'si'

  ➔ The particle "si" is used here to form an impersonal passive construction, indicating that the action ("spiegano" - are explained) is done to the subject ("certe cose" - certain things), but the agent is unspecified or unimportant. It's similar to saying 'Certain things are not explained'.

• Questo tempo a me non mi sorprende

  ➔ Redundant/Pleonastic pronoun usage

  ➔ In informal Italian, it's common to emphasize or reinforce an indirect object pronoun ("mi") by also stating the stressed pronoun or noun preceded by "a" ("a me"). While grammatically redundant, "a me non mi" is widely used in spoken Italian.

• Dovrei prendermi spazi, perdermi in viaggi

  ➔ Simple Conditional + Reflexive Infinitive

  ➔ "Dovrei" is the Simple Conditional of "dovere" (should/must), expressing a suggestion or what would be appropriate. It's followed by the reflexive infinitives "prendermi" (to take for myself) and "perdermi" (to lose myself), where the pronoun is attached to the infinitive.

• Meglio stare muti e far finta di niente

  ➔ "Meglio" + Infinitive expression

  ➔ "Meglio" (better) can be used informally followed by an infinitive ("stare", "far finta") to indicate that something is preferable or a better course of action, similar to 'It's better to...' or 'We/You should...'.

• Parlo in una lingua che tu non capivi

  ➔ Relative Clause + Indicative Imperfect

  ➔ The clause "che tu non capivi" is a relative clause modifying "lingua". The Indicative Imperfect tense ("capivi") is used here to describe a continuous or habitual state or action in the past (the state of not understanding).

• sarò un po' stanco quando ritornerò

  ➔ Simple Future in a temporal clause

  ➔ In Italian, when the main clause verb ("sarò") is in the future, the verb in the temporal clause introduced by "quando" (when) must also be in the future tense ("ritornerò"), unlike in English where the present tense is often used.

• Se potessi tornare dove stavo prima (Forse) non ci tornerei

  ➔ Hypothetical Period of Unreality (Past/Unreal Hypothesis)

  ➔ This is a hypothetical period expressing a condition contrary to past reality ("Se potessi tornare" - If I *could* return, implying I couldn't or didn't). The structure is "Se" + Congiuntivo Imperfetto ("potessi"), Condizionale Semplice ("tornerei").

• E non lasciarmi solo

  ➔ Negative Informal Imperative with pronoun

  ➔ For the informal 'tu' command, the negative imperative is formed by "non" + the infinitive of the verb ("lasciare"). The direct/indirect/reflexive pronoun ("mi") is attached to the end of the infinitive.

• Quante volte ho giurato di non farlo più

  ➔ Verb + preposition "di" + Infinitive

  ➔ Many Italian verbs, like "giurare" (to swear/promise), require the preposition "di" before a following infinitive. Note the negation "non" and the pronoun "lo" attached to the infinitive "farlo" (to do it).

• Mandare tutto all'aria

  ➔ Infinitive used as a noun/concept

  ➔ The infinitive form of a verb phrase ("Mandare tutto all'aria" - to mess everything up/ruin everything) is used here not as a command or part of a larger structure, but effectively as a noun representing the action or concept itself. This is common for titles or abstract ideas.

• A rincorrerti nel buio della città

  ➔ Preposition "a" + Infinitive (purpose/manner) + Reflexive Pronoun

  ➔ The preposition "a" can precede an infinitive to indicate purpose or manner. Here, it shows the action being done ('rincorrerti' - to chase you, reflexive use). The pronoun "ti" is attached to the infinitive.