Last night, I had the strangest dream,
I saw a big parade, with ticker-tape galore,
And men were marching there the like [in the ranks]
I'd never seen before:
Oh, the bankers and the diplomats are going in the army:
Oh, happy day, I'd spend my pay to see them on parade,
Their paunches at attention and their stri-ped pants at ease -
They've gotten patriotic and they're going overseas.
We'll have to do the best we can and bravely carry on,
So we'll just keep the laddies here to manage while they're gone.
Oh, we hate to see them go!
The gentlemen of distinction in the army!
The bankers and the diplomats are going in the army
It seems a shame to keep them from the wars they love to plan,
We're all of us contented that they'll fight a dandy war -
They don't need propaganda they know what they're fighting for
They'll march away with dignity and in the best of form,
And we'll just keep the laddies [young folk] here
To keep [each other] the lassies warm.
The bankers and the diplomats are going in the army:
We'll have to make things easy, 'cause it's all so new and strange,
We'll give them silver shovels when they have to dig a hole,
And they can sing in harmony while answering the roll,
They'll eat their old K-rations from a hand-embroidered box,
And when they die, we'll bring 'em home and bury 'em in Fort Knox!
I saw a big parade, with ticker-tape galore,
And men were marching there the like [in the ranks]
I'd never seen before:
Oh, the bankers and the diplomats are going in the army:
Oh, happy day, I'd spend my pay to see them on parade,
Their paunches at attention and their stri-ped pants at ease -
They've gotten patriotic and they're going overseas.
We'll have to do the best we can and bravely carry on,
So we'll just keep the laddies here to manage while they're gone.
Oh, we hate to see them go!
The gentlemen of distinction in the army!
The bankers and the diplomats are going in the army
It seems a shame to keep them from the wars they love to plan,
We're all of us contented that they'll fight a dandy war -
They don't need propaganda they know what they're fighting for
They'll march away with dignity and in the best of form,
And we'll just keep the laddies [young folk] here
To keep [each other] the lassies warm.
The bankers and the diplomats are going in the army:
We'll have to make things easy, 'cause it's all so new and strange,
We'll give them silver shovels when they have to dig a hole,
And they can sing in harmony while answering the roll,
They'll eat their old K-rations from a hand-embroidered box,
And when they die, we'll bring 'em home and bury 'em in Fort Knox!
inviata da Riccardo Venturi - 13/11/2005 - 15:11
Lingua: Italiano
Versione italiana di Riccardo Venturi
13 novembre 2005
13 novembre 2005
I BANCHIERI E I DIPLOMATICI
La notte scorsa ho fatto uno stranissimo sogno :
ho visto una gran parata con nastri di telescriventi a gogò,
degli uomini stavano pure marciando in schiere
come mai avevo visto prima.
Oh, i banchieri e i diplomatici entrano nell’esercito :
che lieto giorno, darei tutto il mio stipendio per vederli sfilare,
coi loro panzoni sugli attenti e i pantaloni a strisce a riposo,
Son diventati patrioti e stan per salpare verso terre straniere.
Dovremo fare del nostro meglio e andare avanti con coraggio,
così i ragazzi li teniamo qui a dirigere, mentre loro sono via.
Oh, è così odioso vederli partire !
Quei distinti signori nell’esercito !
I banchieri e i diplomatici entrano nell’esercito,
pareva una vergogna non far loro fare le guerre che amano organizzare
e siam tutti contenti che vadano a combattere una bella guerretta,
non han bisogno di propaganda, loro lo sanno per cosa combattono.
Partiranno con dignità e al meglio della loro forma,
e noi, invece, i ragazzi li terremo qui
per tenere al calduccio le loro ragazze.
I banchieri e i diplomatici entrano nell’esercito,
dovremo facilitar loro le cose perché tutto è così nuovo e strano.
Daremo loro pale d’argento quando devono scavare una trincea
e canteranno armoniosamente mentre rispondono all’appello.
Mangeranno le loro vecchie razioni K da una gavetta coi ricami a mano,
e quando crepano, li riporteremo a casa per seppellirli a Fort Knox !
La notte scorsa ho fatto uno stranissimo sogno :
ho visto una gran parata con nastri di telescriventi a gogò,
degli uomini stavano pure marciando in schiere
come mai avevo visto prima.
Oh, i banchieri e i diplomatici entrano nell’esercito :
che lieto giorno, darei tutto il mio stipendio per vederli sfilare,
coi loro panzoni sugli attenti e i pantaloni a strisce a riposo,
Son diventati patrioti e stan per salpare verso terre straniere.
Dovremo fare del nostro meglio e andare avanti con coraggio,
così i ragazzi li teniamo qui a dirigere, mentre loro sono via.
Oh, è così odioso vederli partire !
Quei distinti signori nell’esercito !
I banchieri e i diplomatici entrano nell’esercito,
pareva una vergogna non far loro fare le guerre che amano organizzare
e siam tutti contenti che vadano a combattere una bella guerretta,
non han bisogno di propaganda, loro lo sanno per cosa combattono.
Partiranno con dignità e al meglio della loro forma,
e noi, invece, i ragazzi li terremo qui
per tenere al calduccio le loro ragazze.
I banchieri e i diplomatici entrano nell’esercito,
dovremo facilitar loro le cose perché tutto è così nuovo e strano.
Daremo loro pale d’argento quando devono scavare una trincea
e canteranno armoniosamente mentre rispondono all’appello.
Mangeranno le loro vecchie razioni K da una gavetta coi ricami a mano,
e quando crepano, li riporteremo a casa per seppellirli a Fort Knox !
Purtroppo i banchieri "entrano" sempre più facilmente nell'esercito... Infatti, dalla relazione Governativa 2008 sull’export di armi italiane è scomparso l’elenco con il valore monetario e la controparte estera delle singole operazioni autorizzate alle banche. Quindi non si può più sapere se l'Intesa San Paolo è più o meno guerrafondaia dell'Unicredit o se il Credito Italiano abbia effettuato operazioni relative all'esportazione di armi italiane in Sudan... Non è un dettaglio di poco conto ma uno dei tanti segni della "trasparenza" cui Berlusconi ha improntato l'azione del suo esecutivo.
Unimondo - Banche armate: sparito l'elenco delle operazioni bancarie
Unimondo - Banche armate: sparito l'elenco delle operazioni bancarie
Alessandro - 14/7/2008 - 12:39
Lingua: Inglese
Un'altra versione del brano, riscritta da Rod Sinclair e presente nel suo album "When the Cock Crows" del 1987.
Testo trovato su .theballadeers.com
Testo trovato su .theballadeers.com
THE PARADE
The Military band is playing, come see the parade,
Wave and cheer our heroes as they bravely march away,
This time it's not the unemployed, the workers or the poor,
It's the captains of our industries who're marching off to war.
They're marching from the boardroom and from the stately home,
From their club and from the embassy we're proud to see them come,
It's their turn to lift the banner and to listen to the drum,
Younger men must stay at home and keep the lassies warm.
Hurray, Hurray, they're matching out today,
The Millionaires and bankers in the Army.
The millionaire director with a rifle in his hand,
Is off to face the enemy to defend his native land,
He likely won't be quite so fat when he comes back from war,
We know that he'll fight bravely, he knows what he's fighting for.
There goes the factory owner with the other wealthy men,
We'll keep the wheels a turning till they come home again,
Generals order generals to march and wheel and turn,
The men alas must stay at home, there's plenty to be done.
Hurray, Hurray, they're matching out today,
The Millionaires and bankers in the Army.
And there's the politician, who only yesterday
Was talking on the telly of the price we'd have to pay,
He looks a little paler now his words are not so fine,
He's realized that he's the one whose life is on the line.
Let's gather at the window, join the crowds that line the street,
They're waving to the soldiers marching to the beat,
This time it's not the unemployed, the workers or the poor,
It's the judges and the millionaires who're marching off to war.
Hurray, Hurray, they're matching out today,
The Millionaires and bankers in the Army.
The Military band is playing, come see the parade,
Wave and cheer our heroes as they bravely march away,
This time it's not the unemployed, the workers or the poor,
It's the captains of our industries who're marching off to war.
They're marching from the boardroom and from the stately home,
From their club and from the embassy we're proud to see them come,
It's their turn to lift the banner and to listen to the drum,
Younger men must stay at home and keep the lassies warm.
Hurray, Hurray, they're matching out today,
The Millionaires and bankers in the Army.
The millionaire director with a rifle in his hand,
Is off to face the enemy to defend his native land,
He likely won't be quite so fat when he comes back from war,
We know that he'll fight bravely, he knows what he's fighting for.
There goes the factory owner with the other wealthy men,
We'll keep the wheels a turning till they come home again,
Generals order generals to march and wheel and turn,
The men alas must stay at home, there's plenty to be done.
Hurray, Hurray, they're matching out today,
The Millionaires and bankers in the Army.
And there's the politician, who only yesterday
Was talking on the telly of the price we'd have to pay,
He looks a little paler now his words are not so fine,
He's realized that he's the one whose life is on the line.
Let's gather at the window, join the crowds that line the street,
They're waving to the soldiers marching to the beat,
This time it's not the unemployed, the workers or the poor,
It's the judges and the millionaires who're marching off to war.
Hurray, Hurray, they're matching out today,
The Millionaires and bankers in the Army.
inviata da Alessandro - 28/4/2010 - 09:09
Riccardo's translation is mistaken. Laddies are boys; lassies are girls. We'll keep the boys here to keep the girls warm.
Miriam - 22/7/2013 - 00:35
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Lyrics and Music by Malvina Reynolds
Testo e musica di Malvina Reynolds
Dall'album "Faith Petric" [1977]
From "Faith Petric" [1977]
Scritta da Malvina Reynolds, grande ma semisconosciuta folksinger e protest singer americana, nel 1959 ma incisa su disco soltanto nel 1977, l'anno prima della sua morte, "The Bankers And The Diplomats" inizia come una parodia di Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream, una delle più celebri protest songs di quei tempi che allora furoreggiava nell'interpretazione di Joan Baez lasciando un po' in ombra il suo vero autore, Ed McCurdy. Ma la canzone e lo "strano sogno" della Reynolds sono senz'altro meno gentili e più incisivi. Malvina Reynolds, è bene ricordarlo, è anche la vera autrice di What Have They Done To The Rain?, uno dei più grandi successi della stessa Baez.