Artist & Tune
Version by Chumbawamba
Version by Diego Moreno
Version by Red Army Chorus
About the Song
This song originated as a protest folk song written by workers struggling against hard working conditions in the fields of Northern Italy. Bella Ciao itself means "beautiful goodbye".
During World War II new words were written and it became the anthem of partisans fighting against both the fascist Mussolini regime in Italy and their German allies.
The song has been sung and adapted by many revolutionary movements around the world.
The words in Rise Up Singing are not a translation of these partisan lyrics but rather entirely new lyrics that we presume were written by feminist women and others in the 1960s or 1970s.
New climate lyrics to this tune (entitled Sing for the Planet) can be found on page 49 in the "Earthcare" chapter of Rise Again.
Translation(s)
This purported to be a transcription of the Farsi version of Bella Ciao in the last video above. Not sure if this is really what she's singing or an accurate English translation!
Az Galooye tu
(From your throat)
Taa sedaaye maa
(To our voices)
Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Ciao Ciao
Meepareem az khaab ye shabe mahtaab,
(We wake up from a moonlight night)
Yeki meege 'Ay Aadamhaa'
(Someone calls out 'Hey All Humanity'
Yaa hame ba ham, yaa hame tanhay
(Either all of us together or all of us individually)
Maa ke bidaarim taa Fardaa
(As for us we are awake till tomorrow)
Khakeh in gandum, too kheeyabooneh
(The wheat dust are in the streets)
Khoosheye khashme manoto teshneye barooneh
(The cluster of wrath of me and you thirsts for Rain)
Haghe maa kam nist
(We deserve more than this)
Zaanooye gham nist
(we don't kneel in sadness)
Ghalbe maa ke dour az ham nist
(Our hearts are not distanced from each other)
Donyaaye taare, In ye aaghaaze
(This is a new beginning in the dark world)
Panjere taa royaa baazeh
(The window is open to dreams)