Brividi— Shivering

Neither Eurovision nor Italian love ballads are my cup of tea, but I am among those many people who are enamoured with this duo’s heartfelt performance. I watched it on repeat so many times I literally almost gave myself a panic attack. While I am in the process of working out the exact reasons why, this song is gaining popularity outside of its country of origin Italy, and I want to write a translation for its lyrics which can hopefully give the performance justice. I speak both Italian and English natively, which as a combination, has never been really useful until now. Since Italian tends to be more high-context, ambiguous and visual than English, the (attempted?) translation turned out to be everything but literal. I tried to keep the same spirit in the poetics (as much as a person whose job has been software development for over a decade can, that is) and I allowed myself some escapades on certain themes and even sounds at times. All in all, I tried to make it make sense for people who do not understand Italian, so if that’s you I hope you enjoy it!

Shivering

[MAHMOOD]
I dreamt we were riding
Diamond bikes in the sky
“You’ve changed, that spark in your eyes
I can’t see it anymore” you said

What’s your biggest fear? Underwater
Not touching the ground beneath your feet
I know sex is not
An easy way out
But please, don’t run away
Stand by my side

[BOTH]
Naked and shivering
I’m at a loss sometimes
And I wish I could love you, but can’t do it right
And I wish I could steal a sea of pearls for you

[BLANCO]
And how I wish to simply walk away

[MAHMOOD]
I’d be even fine with a lie

[BOTH]
And I wish I could love you, but can’t do it right
And I start shivering, shivering, shivering

[BLANCO]
You, you wake me up in the morning
You, you spill wine over my bed
You, you bite my flesh gently
With your devious eyes
And you, you’re an angel, but the fallen kind
And you, you’re a fighter in a corner
Who leaves the ring I’m left alone in

[BOTH]
Naked and shivering
I’m at a loss sometimes
And I wish I could love you, but can’t do it right
And I wish I could steal a sea of pearls for you

[BLANCO]
And how I wish to simply walk away

[MAHMOOD]
I’d be even fine with a lie

[BOTH]
And I wish I could love you, but can’t do it right
And I start shivering, shivering, shivering

[BLANCO]
Tell me I’m wrong
Uptight, closed in, cut off
I try to get close to you
But feel miserable every time I screw it all up

[MAHMOOD]
I can’t tell you what I’m feeling, call it my flaw
A single “I love you” made me swallow drugs with tears

[BLANCO]
Spitting blood on each other every day
I can’t deal with it anymore

[MAHMOOD]
Look at me, I am here
One among many, riding a diamond bike

[BOTH]
Naked and shivering
I’m at a loss sometimes
And I wish I could love you, but can’t do it right
And I wish I could steal a sea of pearls for you

[BLANCO]
And how I wish to simply walk away

[MAHMOOD]
I’d be even fine with a lie

[BOTH]
And I wish I could love you, but can’t do it right
And I start shivering, shivering, shivering