La Luna

Angelo Branduardi's song 'La Luna' tells a poignant story of the moon, personified as a sentient being, who grows weary of her distant, observational role in the cosmos. The moon decides to descend from her celestial perch, taking a comet as her guide. This decision symbolizes a desire to engage more directly with the world below, to experience it firsthand rather than from afar.

Upon her descent, the moon is met with a harsh reality. The 'white expanse' she had always observed from above, which she perhaps romantically imagined as snow, turns out to be nothing but rocks. This revelation is a metaphor for the disillusionment that often accompanies the pursuit of idealized dreams. The moon's feet are injured by the rough terrain, and she retreats, crying in secret. This imagery underscores the pain and vulnerability that can come with stepping out of one's comfort zone and facing the unvarnished truth of the world.

Ultimately, the moon returns to her place in the sky, choosing to observe the world from a distance once more. The song concludes with a resigned acceptance that the 'white expanse' is not snow, a metaphor for the acceptance of reality as it is, rather than as one wishes it to be. Branduardi's lyrical narrative is a beautiful yet melancholic reflection on the themes of disillusionment, vulnerability, and the safety of distance.