No Satisfaction – Bilingual Lyrics Italian/English

• By: Ermal Meta

Lyrics & Translation

Explore Ermal Meta's "No Satisfaction" to dive into the Italian language through a lens of social commentary and raw emotion. This track offers a unique blend of modern sounds and introspective lyrics, perfect for those looking to understand contemporary Italian culture and express their own feelings of disillusionment and hope.

[English]

I who live for approval

I who sell my feelings

I who cry and grit my teeth

I who "came, saw, and lost"

I who dig through my relatives' pockets

You who live and don't feel it, giving me advice

I who liven up the atmosphere

But I'm alone again tonight

You who study to pass

I who am taken for a fool

And while I hold her hands

That smell of other hands

I no longer find satisfaction

I no longer find satisfaction

In this new generation

No satisfaction

You who laugh and seem like a hyena

I who yell and seem like a monkey

You who etch every kind of adventure onto your back

I cling to every excuse

You who don't care about others

That's the door

I no longer find satisfaction

I no longer find satisfaction

In this new generation

No satisfaction

No satisfaction

We are perfect machines of words, of cutting remarks

We are machines invented by a somewhat primal mind

That a heartbeat and a roar are both a ritual

For those who lose and those who win, the prize is the same

No satisfaction

No satisfaction

Another one like me

We are the new generation

But what do you want from me?

I no longer find satisfaction

No satisfaction

But what do you want from me?

No satisfaction

But what do you want from me?

[Italian]

Io che vivo di consensi

Io che vendo i sentimenti

Io che piango e stringo i denti

Io che "veni, vidi e persi"

Io che scavo con le mani nelle tasche dei parenti

Tu che vivi e non lo senti e mi dai suggerimenti

Io che scaldo l'atmosfera

Ma son solo anche stasera

Tu che studi per passare

Io che passo per coglione

E mentre stringo le sue mani

Che hanno odore di altre mani

Non trovo più satisfaction

Non trovo più satisfaction

In questa new generation

No satisfaction

Tu che ridi e sembri iena

Io che urlo e sembro scimmia

Tu che incidi sulla schiena ogni tipo di avventura

Io mi aggrappo ad ogni scusa

Tu che gli altri non importa

Quella è la porta

Non trovo più satisfaction

Non trovo più satisfaction

In questa new generation

No satisfaction

No satisfaction

Siamo macchine perfette di parole, di saette

Siamo macchine inventate da una mente un po' animale

Che un battito e un ruggito sono entrambi un rituale

Per chi perde e per chi vince il premio è uguale

No satisfaction

No satisfaction

Avanti un altro come me

Siamo la new generation

Ma tu che cosa vuoi da me

Non trovo più satisfaction

No satisfaction

Ma tu che cosa vuoi da me

No satisfaction

Ma tu che cosa vuoi da me

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
satisfaction /ˌsætɪsˈfækʃən/ B2	noun - the feeling of pleasure or contentment gained from something.
generation /ˌdʒɛnəˈreɪʃən/ B1	noun - all of the people born and living at about the same time.
new /njuː/ A1	adjective - not existing before; made, introduced, or discovered recently or for the first time.
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - to experience an emotion or a physical sensation.
live /lɪv/ A1	verb - to have life; to be alive.
sell /sɛl/ A2	verb - to give or hand over something in exchange for money.
feelings /ˈfiːlɪŋz/ A2	noun - emotional states or reactions.
cry /kraɪ/ A2	verb - to shed tears, typically as an expression of distress, pain, or sorrow.
clench /klɛntʃ/ B2	verb - to close (one's teeth or hand) tightly, especially in anger or determination.
hand /hænd/ A1	noun - the end part of a person's arm beyond the wrist, including the fingers and thumb.
smell /smɛl/ A2	noun - the faculty or power of perceiving odors or scents by means of the organs in the nose. verb - to perceive or detect the odor or scent of (something).
laugh /læf/ A2	verb - to make the spontaneous sounds and movements of the face and body that are the instinctive expressions of lively amusement and sometimes also of contempt or derision.
scream /skriːm/ B1	verb - to make a long, loud, piercing cry or sound expressing extreme emotion or pain.
back /bæk/ A1	noun - the rear surface of the human body from the shoulders to the hips, or the corresponding part in other vertebrates.
excuse /ɪkˈskjuːs/ B1	noun - a reason or explanation put forward to defend or justify a fault or offense. verb - to release (someone) from a duty or requirement.
machine /məˈʃiːn/ A2	noun - an apparatus using mechanical power and having several parts, each with a definite function and together performing a particular task.
perfect /ˈpɜːrfɪkt/ B1	adjective - having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be.
mind /maɪnd/ B1	noun - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.
animal /ˈænɪməl/ A1	noun - a living organism that feeds on organic matter, typically having specialized sense organs and a nervous system and able to respond rapidly to stimuli. adjective - relating to or derived from animals.
ritual /ˈrɪtʃuəl/ B2	noun - a series of actions or type of behavior regularly and invariably followed by someone.

Key Grammar Structures

• Io che vivo di consensi

  ➔ Relative Pronoun 'che' (Subject)

  ➔ 'Che' is used as a relative pronoun to introduce a relative clause, referring to 'Io' (I) as the subject of the verb 'vivo' (live). It means 'who' or 'that'.

• Io che 'veni, vidi e persi'

  ➔ Passato Remoto (Simple Past / Remote Past)

  ➔ The Passato Remoto is a simple past tense used for actions completed in a distant past, often with no direct connection to the present. It's common in literature, historical narratives, and sometimes in songs to convey a sense of finality or dramatic effect. Here, 'veni' (I came), 'vidi' (I saw), and 'persi' (I lost) are all in the Passato Remoto.

• Non trovo più satisfaction

  ➔ Negative phrase 'non... più' (no longer / anymore)

  ➔ The phrase 'non... più' indicates that an action or state has ceased or no longer occurs. It translates to 'no longer' or 'not anymore'. In this line, it means 'I no longer find satisfaction'.

• E mentre stringo le sue mani

  ➔ Subordinate Clause of Simultaneity (with 'mentre')

  ➔ 'Mentre' (while/as) introduces a subordinate clause indicating that the action of this clause happens at the same time as the action in the main clause. It is always followed by a verb in the indicative mood.

• Siamo macchine inventate da una mente

  ➔ Passive Voice

  ➔ The passive voice is formed with the auxiliary verb 'essere' (to be) followed by the past participle of the main verb. The agent (who performs the action) is introduced by the preposition 'da' (by). Here, 'siamo inventate' means 'we are invented (by someone/something)'.

• Per chi perde e per chi vince il premio è uguale

  ➔ Indefinite Pronoun 'chi' (whoever / the one who)

  ➔ 'Chi' functions as an indefinite pronoun meaning 'whoever' or 'the one who'. It is always singular, even if referring to a group of people, and is followed by a singular verb. It combines the meaning of an antecedent and a relative pronoun.

• Tu che gli altri non importa

  ➔ Impersonal Verb 'importare' + Dative Object/Subject

  ➔ The verb 'importare' (to matter/to care) is often used impersonally. The line 'Tu che gli altri non importa' means 'You for whom others do not matter.' Here, 'gli altri' (the others) acts as the subject of the impersonal verb 'importa' (it matters), and the implied dative pronoun 'a te' (to you) clarifies for whom they don't matter. This is a slightly colloquial or condensed usage.

• Ma tu che cosa vuoi da me

  ➔ Interrogative Pronoun 'che cosa' + Preposition 'da'

  ➔ 'Che cosa' is a common way to ask 'what' in Italian. 'Cosa' or just 'che' can also be used. The preposition 'da' (from) indicates origin or source, meaning 'from me' in this context, expressing 'what do you want from me?'.