Ballo in fa diesis minore

[mothwing]

I love this song. It's been inspired by an Italian danse macabre, and I simply love the imagery used, although I don't really get most of it because my Italian is... well, nonexistant.

Sono io la morte e porto corona,
io son di tutti voi signora e padrona
e cosi sono crudele, cosi forte sono e dura
che non mi fermeranno le tue mura.

Sono io la morte e porto corona,
io son di tutti voi signora e padrona
e davanti alla mia falce il capo tu dovrai chinare
e dell'oscura morte al passo andare.

Sei l'ospite d'onore del ballo che per te suoniamo,
posa la falce e danza tondo a tondo:
il giro di una danza e poi un altro ancora
e tu del tempo non sei piu signora.

From what I do understand the singer addresses Death, telling him that he is wearing the crown, both men and women have to bow before him, or are his (... I hope). He is cruel, and even the strongest and hardest walls can not keep him out. Er... before his scythe everybody or I? have to bow their head.
Even so, the speaker asks death to join the dance of the people, invites him to put down his scythe and join in their dancing, because when dancing with them, he would .... something and no longer be the ruler over time.

Andreas Branduardi, who wrote the song, did a recording of it in 1977 which can be found here.

angie_21_237 first showed me the song back in '99, and I stumbled upon it while working on my paper on performance in Minne singing (which is as boring as it sounds, because there isn't an awful lot people know about that and it's all speculation).