La Guerra Di Piero

You sleep buried in a wheat field
It's not the rose, it's not the tulip
That keep watch over you from the shadow of the ditches
But a thousand red poppies

Along the banks of my stream
I want the silvery pikes to descend
No more soldiers' corpses
Carried in the arms of the current

That's what you said, and it was winter
And like the others towards hell
You go sadly like one who must
The wind spits snow in your face

Stop Piero, stop now
Let the wind pass over you a bit
You carry the voice of the dead in battle
Those who gave their lives received a cross in return

But you didn't hear and time passed
With the seasons at a slow pace
And you arrived at the border
On a beautiful spring day

And as you marched with your soul on your shoulders
You saw a man at the end of the valley
Who had your same identical mood
But a uniform of a different color

Shoot him Piero, shoot him now
And after one shot, shoot him again
Until you see him lifeless
Falling to the ground to cover his blood

And if you shoot him in the forehead or in the heart
Only time will have to die
But time will remain for me to see
To see the eyes of a dying man

And while you show him this courtesy
He turns, sees you, and is afraid
And with the artillery aimed
He doesn't return the favor

You fell to the ground without a sound
And you realized in a single moment
That time wouldn't be enough
To ask for forgiveness for every sin

You fell to the ground without a sound
And you realized in a single moment
That your life was ending that day
And there would be no return

My Ninetta, to die in May
Takes too much courage
My beautiful Ninetta, straight to hell
I would have preferred to go in winter

And while the wheat listened to you
You held a rifle in your hands
You held words in your mouth
Too frozen to melt in the sun

You sleep buried in a wheat field
It's not the rose, it's not the tulip
That keep watch over you from the shadow of the ditches
But a thousand red poppies