Enrico Ruggeri is a popular name of italian music, after a start as punk rocker in the late ’70s, his albums of the ’80s are considered among the best of the italian new wave (close to dark bands like The Cure), together with those of Diaframma, Garbo and Faust’o. In the following years he kept changing style, going more and more towards a classic songwriter approach.
Polvere gives title to an album of 1983 and talks about Ruggeri’s father and his mental disease, describing the old parents house as set of confused thoughts and memories.
“Polvere”
Piano americano e sfioro il tavolo con una mano
Pomeriggio strano e un desiderio che è fuggito lontano
Polvere, gran confusione, un grigio salone
in quale direzione io caccerò la polvere dai miei pensieri
E quanti misteri coi pochi poteri
che la mia condizione mi da
Aria un po’ viziata
quella finestra andrebbe spalancata
Tela rovinata
e la cornice tutta consumata
Polvere troppi ricordi è meglio esser sordi
e forse è già tardi per togliere la polvere
dagli ingranaggi dai volti dei saggi
coi pochi vantaggi che la mia condizione mi dà
Non mi cercare che non mi riconoscerai
Non mi cercare che non mi riconoscerai
Non mi cercare che non mi riconoscerai
“Dust”
Medium close shot [literally: american plane, talking about photo/video] and i brush up the table with an hand
Strange afternoon and a desire that flew far away
Dust, great confusion, a grey hall
in which direction will i kick the dust from my thoughts?
And how many mysteries with the few powers
that my condition gives me
Air a bit stale
that window should be opened wide
Ruined canvas
and the frame all worn out
Dust, too many memories, it’s better to be deaf
and maybe it’s already late to remove the dust
from cogs, from faces of wise men
with the few advantages that my condition gives me
Don’t look for me as you won’t recognize me
Don’t look for me as you won’t recognize me
Don’t look for me as you won’t recognize me