Sola – Bilingual Lyrics Italian/English

• By: Nina Zilli
• Album: Frasi&Fumo

Lyrics & Translation

“Sola” by Nina Zilli is a powerful Italian song that offers a unique perspective on solitude, making it an excellent choice for language learners. Through its soulful melodies and introspective lyrics, you can explore nuanced Italian vocabulary related to emotions and self-reflection, while also appreciating the rich blues and pop-soul influences that make Nina Zilli's music distinctive.

[English]

Alone,

And others are dancing

I like to hurt myself

And to remember what happiness is

Alone

Even before sleeping

You see the rain outside

And it doesn’t get better, not even when you're here

I don’t ask for more

It’s better if you

Now you'll understand you’ve never really been here

I want to give you

That space you need but there’s none

In this blues

This is my blues

Alone

And others are dancing,

That’s how it’s gonna end

It only happens to people like me

I don’t ask for more

It’s better if you

Now you'll understand

That you’ve never really been here

I want to give you

That space you need but there’s none

In this blues

This is my blues

And it doesn’t matter if

I’ll die of loneliness

Now go, you’ll understand

That you’ve never really been here

I want to give you

That space you need but there’s none

You’ll hate me, I’ll cry,

Starting from tonight I’ll stay

Alone, uh uh

Alone

In this blues.

...

[Italian]

Sola,

E gli altri ballano

Mi piace farmi male

E ricordare la felicità cos'è

Sola

Anche prima di dormire

Lo vedi fuori piove

E non, non migliora neanche quando ci sei tu

Non cerco di più

È meglio se tu

Ora poi capirai che non ci sei stato mai

Io vorrei dare a te

Quello spazio che ti serve ma non c'è

In questo blues

Questo è il mio blues

Sola

E gli altri ballano,

È così che andrà a finire

Succede solo a quelli come me

Non cerco di più

È meglio se tu

Ora vai capirai

Che non ci sei stato mai

Io vorrei dare a te

Quello spazio che ti serve ma non c'è

In questo blues

Questo è il mio blues

E non importa se

Morirò di solitudine

Ora vai, capirai

Che non ci sei stato mai

Io vorrei dare a te

Quello spazio che ti serve ma non c'è

Mi odierai, piangerò,

Da stasera resterò

Sola, uh uh

Sola

In questo blues.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
ballano /ˈbal.la.no/ A1	verb - they dance
piace /ˈpjaː.t͡ʃe/ A1	verb - to like, to please
male /ˈma.le/ A1	noun - evil, bad adverb - badly
ricordare /ri.korˈda.re/ A2	verb - to remember, to remind
felicità /fe.li.t͡ʃiˈta/ B1	noun - happiness
dormire /dorˈmi.re/ A1	verb - to sleep
piove /ˈpjɔ.ve/ A1	verb - it rains
migliora /miʎˈʎo.ra/ A2	verb - to improve
cerco /ˈt͡ʃɛr.ko/ A2	verb - I look for
capirai /ka.piˈrai/ A2	verb - you will understand
spazio /ˈspat.t͡sjo/ A2	noun - space
serve /ˈsɛr.ve/ A1	verb - to need, to be necessary
blues /bluːz/ B1	noun - blues (music genre)
finire /fiˈni.re/ A2	verb - to end, to finish
succede /sutˈt͡ʃɛ.de/ A2	verb - to happen
importa /imˈpɔr.ta/ A2	verb - to matter
morirò /mo.riˈrɔ/ B1	verb - I will die
solitudine /so.li.tuˈdi.ne/ B2	noun - loneliness
odierai /o.djeˈrai/ B1	verb - you will hate
piangerò /pjan.d͡ʒeˈrɔ/ A2	verb - I will cry

Key Grammar Structures

• Lo vedi fuori piove

  ➔ Present tense of the verb 'vedere' (to see) in the second person singular 'tu' form + 'fuori' meaning 'outside' + 'piove' (it is raining).

  ➔ 'Lo vedi' means 'you see', showing the present tense and direct address.

• Mi piace farmi male

  ➔ The verb 'piace' (it pleases) with the reflexive pronoun 'farmi' (to myself) + 'male' (bad/ hurting oneself).

  ➔ 'Mi piace farmi male' expresses a personal preference or behavior where 'piace' indicates liking, and the reflexive pronoun 'farmi' shows the action directed at oneself.

• E gli altri ballano

  ➔ Conjunction 'E' (and) + 'gli altri' (the others) + 'ballano' (they dance) in present tense third person plural.

  ➔ 'E gli altri ballano' means 'And the others dance,' describing an ongoing action by a group during the scene.

• Poi capirai che non ci sei stato mai

  ➔ Future tense 'capirai' (you will understand) + 'che' (that) + 'non ci sei stato mai' (you have never been there).

  ➔ 'Poi capirai che non ci sei stato mai' means 'Then you will realize that you have never been there,' indicating future understanding of past absence.

• Io vorrei dare a te

  ➔ Conditional 'vorrei' (I would like) + 'dare' (to give) + 'a te' (to you).

  ➔ 'Io vorrei dare a te' means 'I would like to give to you,' expressing a desire or intention conditional on a wish.

• Questo è il mio blues

  ➔ 'Questo' (this) + 'è' (is) + 'il mio blues' (my blues).

  ➔ 'Questo è il mio blues' means 'This is my blues,' indicating possession or identification with the blues or personal feeling.