New words by Cynthia Cockburn
- Oh we are singing against warmakers
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
We are singing against war makers
And we want to stop them now! - Oh we are singing against all missiles
And we want to see them go - Oh we are singing for bread and justice
And an end to Trident now - Oh we are singing for peace and freedom
And we will not be silenced now!
Climate Change version
Sing for the Climate
New words as sung by Belgian climate activists
We need to wake up, we need to wise up,
We need to open our eyes and do it NOW, NOW, NOW!
We need to build a better future,
And we need to start right now.
We’re on a planet that has a problem,
We’ve got to solve it, get involved and do it NOW, NOW, NOW!
We need to build a better future,
And we need to start right now.
Let’s make it greener
Let’s make it cleaner
Let’s make it last, make it fast and do it NOW, NOW, NOW!
We need to build a better future
And we need to start right now.
No point in waiting
Or hesitating
We must get wise, take no more lies And do it NOW, NOW, NOW!
We need to build a better future
And we need to start right now!
All parts:
Low:
Tune:
High:
Another version
New words by Eileen Penman, Jane Lewis, Penny Stone
- Oh we are singing for education,
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao
We are singing for education,
and an equal right to learn - The public sector is for the people, Oh bella…
The public sector is for the people, not for sale to profiteers - The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, Oh bella…
The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, unnecessary and unfair - We don’t need Trident, it’s wasting billions, Oh bella etc
We don’t need trident, it’s wasting billions, we need health and social care. - They cut the funding, they cut the workers, Oh bella etc
They cut the funding, they cut the workers, ain’t no ‘Big Society’!
Women’s liberation version
Unattributed; one of many slightly different versions sung within the women’s movement in UK and USA
- We are women and we are marching,
Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao Ciao Ciao,
We are marching for liberation
And we will not be denied. - We are women and we are singing‘¦
- We are women and we are dancing‘¦
- We are women and we are working‘¦
Persian/Farsi version
Az ga-loo-ye tu
To se-daa-ye maa
Oh, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao„ Bella Ciao, Ciao Ciao
Mee-pa-reem az khaab ye sha-be mah-taab
Ye-ki me-ge ‘ay aa-dam-haa’
Yaa ha-me ba ham, yaa ha-me tan-haa
Maa ke bi-daa-rim taa far-daa
Kha-keh in gan-dum, too khee-ya-boo-neh
Khoo-she-ye khash-me ma-no-to tesh-ne-ye ba-roo-neh
Ha-ghe maa kyam nist, zaa-noo-ye gham nist
Ghal-be maa kye dour az ham mist
Don-yaa-ye taa-ze, in ye aa-ghaza-ze
Pan-je-re taa ro-yaa baa-zeh
Translation:
From your throat / to our voices / Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao / We wake up on a moonlight night / Someone calls out ‘Hey All Humanity’ / Either all of us together or all of us individually / As for us we are awake till tomorrow.
The soil of this wheat is in the streets / We cluster together and thirst for rain / We deserve more than this / We don’t kneel in sadness / Our hearts are not far from each other / This is a new beginning in a dark world / The window is open to dreams.
Notes
Bella Ciao is a song which originated with the Italian Partisan resistance during World War II. The Wikipedia article has the full original lyrics and translation.
The song lends itself well to improvisation of verses on just about any theme!