Occidentali's Karma – Bilingual Lyrics Italian/English

• By: Francesco Gabbani

Lyrics & Translation

Learning Italian through "Occidentali's Karma" offers a unique and engaging experience. The song's clever and playful lyrics are packed with cultural and philosophical references, providing a rich vocabulary that goes beyond simple conversation. Its fast pace and catchy rhythm make memorizing phrases enjoyable, while the deeper meaning encourages a more profound understanding of contemporary Italian culture and its ironic self-reflection. This is not just a song; it's a cultural commentary that makes learning Italian both fun and intellectually rewarding.

[English]

To be or to have to be

The Hamletian doubt

Contemporary like a man from the Neolithic.

In your 2x3 cage, make yourself comfortable.

Intellectuals in cafés

Internetologists

Honorary members of the anonymous selfie group.

Intelligence is out of fashion

Easy answers

Useless dilemmas

AAA wanted (yes, search)

Stories with a grand finale

Hope (yes, hope)

Whatever happens, everything flows

And singing in the rain

Nirvana lessons

There’s Buddha in a single file

For everyone, an hour of fresh air, of glory.

The crowd shouts a mantra

Evolution stumbles

The naked monkey dances

Occidentali's Karma

Occidentali's Karma

The naked monkey dances

Occidentali's Karma

Drops of Chanel are falling

On aseptic bodies

Save yourself from the smell of your kind.

Everyone's a know-it-all on the web

Coca of the people

Opium of the poor

AAA wanted (yes, search)

Virtual humanity

Sex appeal (sex appeal)

Whatever happens, everything flows

And singing in the rain

Nirvana lessons

There’s Buddha in a single file

For everyone, an hour of fresh air, of glory

The crowd shouts a mantra

Evolution stumbles

The naked monkey dances

Occidentali's Karma

Occidentali's Karma

The naked monkey dances

Occidentali's Karma.

When life gets distracted, men fall.

Occidentali's Karma

...

Occidentali's Karma

...

The monkey gets back up

Namasté Alé

...

Nirvana lessons

There’s Buddha in a single file

For everyone, an hour of fresh air, of glory.

The crowd shouts a mantra

Evolution stumbles

The naked monkey dances

Occidentali's Karma.

Occidentali's Karma

The naked monkey dances

Occidentali's Karma

...

[Italian]

Essere o dover essere

Il dubbio amletico

Contemporaneo come l'uomo del neolitico.

Nella tua gabbia 2x3 mettiti comodo.

Intellettuali nei caffè

Internettologi

Soci onorari al gruppo dei selfisti anonimi.

L'intelligenza è démodé

Risposte facili

Dilemmi inutili

AAA cercasi (cerca sì)

Storie dal gran finale

Sperasi (spera sì)

Comunque vada panta rei

And singing in the rain

Lezioni di Nirvana

C'è il Buddha in fila indiana

Per tutti un'ora d'aria, di gloria.

La folla grida un mantra

L'evoluzione inciampa

La scimmia nuda balla

Occidentali's Karma

Occidentali's Karma

La scimmia nuda balla

Occidentali's Karma

Piovono gocce di Chanel

Su corpi asettici

Mettiti in salvo dall'odore dei tuoi simili.

Tutti tuttologi col web

Coca dei popoli

Oppio dei poveri

AAA cercasi (cerca sì)

Umanità virtuale

Sex appeal (sex appeal)

Comunque vada panta rei

And singing in the rain

Lezioni di Nirvana

C'è il Buddha in fila indiana

Per tutti un'ora d'aria, di gloria

La folla grida un mantra

L'evoluzione inciampa

La scimmia nuda balla

Occidentali's Karma

Occidentali's Karma

La scimmia nuda balla

Occidentali's Karma.

Quando la vita si distrae cadono gli uomini.

Occidentali's Karma

Occidentali's Karma

La scimmia si rialza

Namasté Alé

Lezioni di Nirvana

C'è il Buddha in fila indiana

Per tutti un'ora d'aria, di gloria.

La folla grida un mantra

L'evoluzione inciampa

La scimmia nuda balla

Occidentali's Karma.

Occidentali's Karma

La scimmia nuda balla

Occidentali's Karma

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
dubbio /ˈdub.bjo/ B2	noun - doubt
intelligenza /in.tel.liˈdʒɛn.tsa/ B2	noun - intelligence
scimmia /ˈʃim.mja/ A2	noun - monkey
caffè /kafˈfɛ/ A1	noun - coffee
umanità /u.ma.niˈta/ B1	noun - humanity
evoluzione /e.vo.luˈtsjone/ B2	noun - evolution
mantra /ˈmæn.trə/ B2	noun - mantra
gloria /ˈɡlɔː.ri.ə/ B1	noun - glory
dilemma /dɪˈlɛm.ə/ B2	noun - dilemma
risposta /riˈspɔ.sta/ A2	noun - answer
storia /ˈstɔ.ri.a/ A1	noun - story
cerca /ˈtʃɛr.ka/ A2	verb - to search
salvo /ˈsal.vo/ B1	adjective - safe
popoli /ˈpɔ.po.li/ B1	noun - peoples
virtuale /vir.tuˈa.le/ B2	adjective - virtual
sperare /speˈra.re/ A2	verb - to hope

Key Grammar Structures

• Essere o dover essere

  ➔ Infinitive verbs

  ➔ The phrase uses the infinitive form of the verbs "essere" (to be) and "dover" (to have to), indicating a state of being or obligation.

• La folla grida un mantra

  ➔ Present simple tense

  ➔ The present simple tense is used here to describe a habitual action, where "la folla" (the crowd) regularly performs the action of shouting.

• Comunque vada panta rei

  ➔ Subjunctive mood

  ➔ The phrase implies uncertainty or a hypothetical situation, using the subjunctive mood to express that regardless of the outcome, things will flow.

• La scimmia nuda balla

  ➔ Present continuous tense

  ➔ The present continuous tense is used to describe an action that is currently happening, where "la scimmia nuda" (the naked monkey) is dancing.

• Piovono gocce di Chanel

  ➔ Impersonal constructions

  ➔ The phrase uses an impersonal construction to express that drops of Chanel are falling, without specifying a subject.

• Tutti tuttologi col web

  ➔ Noun phrases

  ➔ The phrase consists of a noun phrase "tutti tuttologi" (everyone is a know-it-all) that describes a generalization about people in relation to the web.

• Quando la vita si distrae cadono gli uomini

  ➔ Complex sentences

  ➔ This complex sentence contains a subordinate clause "quando la vita si distrae" (when life gets distracted) that provides a condition for the main clause.