Ti ho voluto bene veramente – Bilingual Lyrics Italian/English

• By: Marco Mengoni

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on an emotional journey with Marco Mengoni's "Ti ho voluto bene veramente." This song offers a poignant look at love, loss, and self-discovery, using evocative Italian lyrics to convey deep feelings that resonate universally. Listening to this track can help you connect with the beauty of the Italian language through its heartfelt storytelling and melody.

[English]

That's why I set out on a long journey

To get away from the mistakes and errors I've made

I visited places

So I wouldn't have to see you again

And the farther I went

The better I felt

And it snowed a lot

But

I kept walking

Sometimes I lit a fire to keep warm and thought of you

Lost in daydreams

On the deck of a ferry

I thought I saw inside the sea

Your reflection

The lights in the harbor

Seemed far away

And I felt

Happy to land

And my face would change

My beard would grow

I spent whole days without saying a word

And how I wished in that moment that

You were here

Because I truly care about you

And there's no place where you don’t come to my mind

I wish I had really been with you

And not hear myself say

That I can't do anything about it

I would have found many more answers

If I had asked you

But it doesn’t matter

I can’t do it now that you're so far away

I’d feel like telling you

That the journey changes a person

And the starting point

Now seems so far away

The goal isn’t a place

But what we feel

And we don’t know where

Or when we’ll get there

I spent entire days without saying a word

I thought you were really far away

If only we knew before we left

That the meaning of the journey is the destination and the call

Because I truly care about you

And there’s no place where you don’t come to my mind

I wish I had really been with you

And not hear myself say that I can't do anything about it

I would have found many more answers

If I had asked you

But it doesn’t matter

I can't do it now

That you’re so far away

I can't do it now

Non posso farlo ora

...

[Italian]

Così sono partito per un lungo viaggio

Lontano dagli errori e dagli sbagli che ho commesso

Ho visitato luoghi

Per non doverti rivedere

E più mi allontanavo

E più sentivo di star bene

E nevicava molto

Però

Io camminavo

A volte ho acceso un fuoco per il freddo e ti pensavo

Sognando ad occhi aperti

Sul ponte di un traghetto

Credevo di vedere dentro il mare

Il tuo riflesso

Le luci dentro al porto

Sembravano lontane

Ed io che mi sentivo

Felice di approdare

E mi cambiava il volto

La barba mi cresceva

Trascorsi giorni interi senza dire una parola

E quanto avrei voluto in quell'istante che

Ci fossi

Perché ti voglio bene veramente

E non esiste un luogo dove non mi torni in mente

Avrei voluto averti veramente

E non sentirmi dire

Che non posso farci niente

Avrei trovato molte più risposte

Se avessi chiesto a te

Ma non fa niente

Non posso farlo ora che sei così lontana

Mi sentirei di dirti

Che il viaggio cambia un uomo

E il punto di partenza

Sembra ormai così lontano

La meta non è un posto

Ma è quello che proviamo

E non sappiamo dove

Nè quando ci arriviamo

Trascorsi giorni interi senza dire una parola

Credevo che fossi davvero lontana

Sapessimo prima di quando partiamo

Che il senso del viaggio é la meta e il richiamo

Perché ti voglio bene veramente

E non esiste un luogo dove non mi torni in mente

Avrei voluto averti veramente

E non sentirmi dire che non posso farci niente

Avrei trovato molte piú risposte

Se avessi chiesto a te

Ma non fa niente

Non posso farlo ora

Che sei cosí lontana

Non posso farlo ora

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
viaggio /ˈvjad.dʒo/ A2	noun - journey, trip
lontano /lonˈta.no/ A2	adjective - far, distant
errori /erˈro.ri/ B1	noun - errors, mistakes
sbagli /ˈzbaʎ.ʎi/ B1	noun - mistakes, wrongs
luoghi /ˈlwo.ɡi/ A2	noun - places
bene /ˈbɛ.ne/ A1	noun - good adverb - well
nevicava /ne.viˈka.va/ A2	verb - was snowing
freddo /ˈfred.do/ A1	noun - cold adjective - cold
sognando /soɲˈɲan.do/ B1	verb - dreaming
occhi /ˈɔk.ki/ A1	noun - eyes
ponte /ˈpon.te/ A2	noun - bridge, deck
mare /ˈma.re/ A1	noun - sea
riflesso /riˈflɛs.so/ B1	noun - reflection
luci /ˈlu.t͡ʃi/ A2	noun - lights
porto /ˈpɔr.to/ A2	noun - port, harbor
felice /feˈli.t͡ʃe/ A2	adjective - happy
volto /ˈvɔl.to/ B1	noun - face

Key Grammar Structures

• Così sono partito per un lungo viaggio

  ➔ Passato Prossimo with auxiliary "essere" and adverb "così"

  ➔ "Così" indicates 'so' or 'therefore', emphasizing the consequence of a previous action (though unstated here). "Sono partito" uses "essere" because "partire" is an intransitive verb. Passato Prossimo indicates an action completed in the past with relevance to the present.

• Per non doverti rivedere

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose with negative particle 'non' and reflexive verb "rivedersi" using double pronouns.

  ➔ "Per non doverti rivedere" translates to "in order not to have to see you again". "Doverti rivedere" is the infinitive of "dovere" (to have to) followed by the infinitive "rivedere" (to see again), with the reflexive pronoun "ti" attached to the end.

• E più mi allontanavo E più sentivo di star bene

  ➔ Comparative structures with "più...più" indicating 'the more... the more' and indirect statement with "sentire di + infinitive".

  ➔ This construction emphasizes a proportional relationship. "Più mi allontanavo, più sentivo di star bene" means "The further I got away, the more I felt like I was doing well." "Sentire di star bene" uses "di" to introduce the infinitive phrase expressing what was felt.

• E quanto avrei voluto in quell'istante che Ci fossi

  ➔ Conditional mood (Congiuntivo Imperfetto) in an indirect statement, expressing a wish or regret in the past. Impersonal "ci" + "essere" in congiuntivo imperfetto.

  ➔ "Quanto avrei voluto... che ci fossi" translates to "How much I would have wanted... that you were there." "Avrei voluto" is the conditional past of "volere" (to want), expressing a wish. "Ci fossi" is the imperfect subjunctive of "esserci" (to be there), used in the subordinate clause after "che" to express the desired but unrealized situation. "Ci" indicates 'there'.

• Perché ti voglio bene veramente

  ➔ Present tense of "volere bene" (to care for/love in a platonic way) with adverb "veramente".

  ➔ "Ti voglio bene veramente" means "I really care about you/I truly love you (in a non-romantic way)". "Veramente" reinforces the sincerity of the sentiment.

• E non esiste un luogo dove non mi torni in mente

  ➔ Negative existential statement with "non esiste" followed by a relative clause with subjunctive mood ('torni').

  ➔ "Non esiste un luogo dove non mi torni in mente" means "There isn't a place where you don't come back to my mind". The subjunctive mood "torni" is used because the existence of such a place is uncertain or hypothetical.

• Avrei voluto averti veramente

  ➔ Conditional Past Tense of "volere" (to want) + Infinitive "avere" (to have) + adverb "veramente". Expresses a wish or regret about something in the past that did not happen.

  ➔ "Avrei voluto averti veramente" translates to "I would have really wanted to have you". This expresses a strong desire that was not fulfilled. "Averti" combines the infinitive "avere" with the direct object pronoun "ti" (you).