Bella Ciao – Good Bye Beautiful

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Bella Ciao (pronounced “Bella Chow”) is an old folk song that served as an anthem against fascism during World War II from 1843-1945. The song was used by members of the Italian resistance as a symbol of their struggle against the puppet fascist government in Italy and its allies in Nazi Germany.

Although mostly known for being used in World War II, the song has much older origins. Its history traces back to the 19th century, when it was used by oppressed female workers in Northern Italy.

Bella Ciao,Good Bye Beautiful, Italian Partisans during World War II, Italian Partisans,World War II,Partisans,World War

The word Bella means pretty or beautiful, and Ciao means “so long”Bella Ciao translates to Good Bye Beautiful.

The original writer of the song is unknown.

As the name suggests, the song is in Italian language.

The song was first used in the late 19th century by women in Northern Italy.

These women were called Mondinas(Rice weeders) and they worked in rice-paddy fields.Their job was to plant the rice and remove weeds harming the rice fields.

Mondinas had to bend down to pull out weeds from the rice fields, while standing with their bare feet and knees in the water. They had to do this for several hours. This was a very tiring job and these women belonged to the poorest social classes, which left them with little choice and so they kept working under these inhumane conditions.

Bella Ciao,Good Bye Beautiful, Italian Partisans during World War II, Italian Partisans,World War II,Partisans,World War

Despite, engaging in this tiring and exhausting job the Mondinas were paid very low wages and since they were poor they had no other choice but to keep working to feed their families.

This often led to riots and rebellions. And since there was an abundance of people ready to work as rice-weeders, workers protesting or demanding for more would be easily replaced by new ones.

‘Bella Ciao’ was sung by these women as an expression of their protest. They used the song as an anthem for their struggle.

The song remained popular with the Mondinas until the early 20th century, when the protests and riots finally paid off and the Mondinas’ demands were met.

This Mondinas’s version of the song had different lyrics than the one used by anti-fascists in Italy.

The song was very popular among Italian Partisans during World War II. During the war, resistance members fought for their freedom against Italian dictator Mussolini’s puppet regime and Nazi Occupation of Italy. The song served as an anthem for their cause.

Italian Resistance bella ciaos,Bella Ciao,Good Bye Beautiful, Italian Partisans during World War II, Italian Partisans,World War II,Partisans,World War

Una mattina mi son svegliato
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
Una mattina mi son svegliato
Eo ho trovato l’invasor

One morning I woke up
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
One morning I woke up
And I found the invader

O partigiano porta mi via
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
O partigiano porta mi via
Che mi sento di morir

Oh partisan, carry me away,
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
Oh partisan, carry me away,
For I feel I’m dying

E se io muoio da partigiano
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
E se io muoio da partigiano
Tu mi devi seppellir

And if I die as a partisan
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
And if I die as a partisan
You have to bury me

Mi seppellire lassù in montagna
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
Mi seppellire lassù in montagna
Sotto l’ombra di un bel fiore

But bury me up in the mountain
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,
But bury me up in the mountain
Under the shadow of a beautiful flower

E le genti che passeranno
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
E le genti che passeranno
Mi diranno: “Che bel fior”

And the people who will pass by
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,
And the people who will pass by
Will say to me: “what a beautiful flower”

È questo il fiore del partigiano
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
È questo il fiore del partigiano
Morto per la libertà

This is the flower of the partisan
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
This is the flower of the partisan
Who died for freedom

 

Bella Ciao’ was first recorded in audio form by Italian singer Giovanna Daffini in 1962.

Since then it has been recorded in 32 other languages from artists all over the world.

Over the years, Bella Ciao has become more than just a song of resistance. It’s now regarded as an international anthem about freedom and rights of people.

The song is also a very popular among football fans, and has been sung by Italian, Portuguese and most recently by Brazilian fans during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

It recently regained popularity after it was featured in a Spanish T.V show called Money Heist (La casa de papel).

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