MakingOne

“Non e' tempo per noi”
a song by Luciano Ligabue
translated by Jonathan Gunnell Cannon

No Room in the Inn

Ligabue's “It's Not Our Time” is one of his first songs I fell in love with. As a missionary in Italy, I believed the Mormon church should be for everyone. How else could it save everyone? As a young man in Wisconsin, I believed that if our congregation wasn't a place everyone felt like they could belong—at least everyone who wanted to belong—then we needed to repent and make it a place where everyone felt welcome and appreciated. No one should feel pushed away because they didn't look or dress right, or because they were socially atypical.

I grew my hair long so I wouldn't look standard Mormon—and because I liked it. I grew a beard for the same reason. My bishop chided me once that I was following the trend. I replied that I wasn't looking business standard—a rather direct retaliation, as he was a businessman and conscientiously business standard.

I talked with my peers about creating a welcoming and accepting environment. I made friends as widely as I could, especially with the interesting Mormons on the fringes. It was never a problem for me to fit well enough with the main group—anyplace.

After years of working toward more inclusive Mormonism in Wisconsin, Ohio, and North Carolina, I learned I hadn't been reaching far enough. We needed to accept the LGBTQ+ community among us. I needed to accept and support them. We needed to make women full members, not subservient members always under the male priesthood. We needed to lead the world in creating Zion, where there are no rich or poor, where anyone seeking peace is welcome, and where we are no respecters of persons.

When I watched as LDS Church leaders made passionate but guardedly careful calls to welcome refugees at our borders, as children were being torn from their parents and locked in concentration camps, I couldn't take any more. Mormonism was not big enough for everyone. I'm not either, but I'm trying.

This song is for all the people I know and love who don't fit in because of who you are. Because of birth or because of choice, it doesn't matter. I want you in my Zion.

Watching the meaning

I watched a video from a concert where Ligabue sang “Non e' tempo per noi.” Projected in the background were these words:

Article 3
All citizens shall have equal social dignity and shall be equal before the law, without distinction of gender, race, language, religion, political opinion, personal and social conditions. It shall be the duty of the Republic to remove those obstacles of an economic or social nature which constrain the freedom and equality of citizens, thereby impeding the full development of the human person and the effective participation of all workers in the political, economic and social organization of the country.

I wondered where they came from. Of course they were in Italian, but it didn't take much of an internet search to find the Italian Constitution, written in 1947. In my youthful ignorance (I was only 45), I hadn't dreamed such a progressive document could have been written before the late 20th century. Ligabue viewed his own song as a reproof for a nation that was failing to live up to its own ideals of inclusion and equality.

No wonder this song spoke so strongly to me. It's not because I've been a reviled outsider, ever. It's because Liga was singing my frustration, reaching out to all of those rejected by his world. Crying at the failure of the ideals he believed in and sought as a child. Ideals he was probably taught as Italian ideals that the entire nation prized. Ideals that were never met, and might never be.

No, This Time's Not for Us

(My translation, here. The original and a more literal translation at the end. My recording is on its way.)

Now's the only life that they'll give:
Don't try to ask for a refund—if you like it or not.
And the calendar keeps asking and asking
If you're getting enough,
Had enough?
If I had a dime each time I made a mistake
My golden years would be filled with gold.

Streets are way too narrow and straight
For any hope to change lanes, or just stretch out on the road,
You do what you're told and get by,
Sometimes you pray for a reason,
Give a reason.
At times you hear a voice that asks, “Is this all there is?”
The answer always echoes back, yes!

No this time's not for us,
We who sleepwalk through our lives,
We have dreams, but you know
They're too big and beautiful,
Pretty or ugly we have faces,
Always, ever only one.
No this time's not for us,
Could be our time will never come.

One fine day if you're passing by
Let someone love you then quickly forget about me,
It's already a good day to love
Another new someone,
A new someone.
They make sure we know we're throwing our lives away,
But we've no problem picking up trash.

No this time's not for us,
We who never measure up,
Out of fashion, out of place,
We know they wish we'd just shut up.
We have mother's who love us,
Knowing we will never fit.
No this time's not for us,
It's not our time, this isn't it.

No this time's not for us,
We who never dress like you,
We don't laugh, we don't cry,
We don't love the way you do.
Call us stubborn or naive,
For sure too dumb to just belong.
No this time's not for us,
Could be our time will never come.

No this time's not for us,
We who sleepwalk through our lives,
We have dreams, but you know
They're too big and beautiful,
Pretty or ugly we have faces,
Always, ever only one.
No this time's not for us,
Could be our time will never come.

Constitutional Thoughts

I was also struck by article 2 of the Italian Constitution. Compared to our constitution written by some admirable rich people who didn't like being subservient rich people, so they didn't want kings (but were ok with enslaving people), this struck me as a document written by more people, for more people. They had fought the tyranny of fascism (yes, Italy was split under Mussolini, with many Italians fighting against the fascists both before and during WWII), and now had a chance to try to make a government where people would never again be persecuted for accidents of birth or just choosing to live in a different way.

Article 2
The Republic shall recognize and protect the inviolable rights of the person, both as an individual and in the social groups where human personality is expressed. The Republic expects that the fundamental duties of political, economic and social solidarity be fulfilled.

I want this. Government for people. A nation for people. A world for people. Recognizing that groups and institutions are part of what defines us and part of how we express ourselves. Recognizing that we have duties to one another, but where institutions are for us. Not a world where people serve hierarchies that enrich a few and oppress or contain the unfortunate—or fortunate—billions. Not a world where money is free speech so poverty is silence. I truly believed the American Constitution was a world changing document of freedom and human rights. Maybe it was. Maybe it can be, again. But seeing the greatness of its offspring, documents written nearly two centuries later, I hope we can build on what we were given, clinging to its strengths, not its defects.

Enough of my stories and thoughts. Here is the original and my translations:

Non e' tempo per noi

It's Not Our Time
No, This Time's Not for Us
by Luciano Ligabue, translations by Jonathan Gunnell Cannon

Ci han concesso solo una vita:
We're given one life,
Now's the only life that they'll give:
soddisfatti o no qua non rimborsano mai
satisfied or not—No refunds here, ever—
Don't try to ask for a refund—if you like it or not.
e calendari a chiederci se
And the calendar asks us
And the calendar keeps asking and asking
stiamo prendendo abbastanza,
if we are getting enough,
If you're getting enough,
abbastanza
enough
Had enough?
se per ogni sbaglio avessi mille lire
If for every mistake I had a dollar,
If I had a dime each time I made a mistake
che vecchiaia che passerei
What an old age I would have.
My golden years would be filled with gold.

Strade troppo strette e diritte
Streets too straight and narrow
Streets are way to narrow and straight
per chi vuol cambiar rotta oppure sdraiarsi un po’
For anyone to change tracks or stretch out a bit.
for any hope to change lanes, or just stretch out on the road.
che andare va bene, però,
Just going along is fine,
You do what you're told and get by,
a volte serve un motivo,
But sometimes you need a reason,
Sometimes you pray for a reason,
un motivo
A reason.
Give a reason.
Certi giorni ci chiediamo: “È tutto qui?”
Some days you ask: “Is this it?”
At times you hear a voice that asks, “Is this all there is?
e la risposta è sempre sì!
And the answer is always yes!
The answer always echoes back, yes!

Non è tempo per noi
It’s not our time,
No this time's not for us,
che non ci svegliamo mai
We who never wake up.
We who sleepwalk through our lives.
abbiam sogni però
We have dreams, you know,
We have dreams, but you know,
troppo grandi e belli sai
But they are too big and beautiful.
They're too big and beautiful.
belli o brutti abbiam facce
Beautiful or ugly we have faces,
Pretty or ugly we have faces,
che però non cambian mai
But they never change.
Always, ever only one.
non è tempo per noi
It's not our time
**No, this time's not for us,
e forse non lo sarà mai
And maybe it never will be.
Could be our time will never come.

Se un bel giorno passi di qua
If one fine day you pass by here,
One fine day if you're passing by
lasciati amare e poi scordati svelta di me
Let yourself be loved and then quickly forget me.
Let someone love you then quickly forget about me.
che quel giorno è già buono per
That day's already good
It's already a good day to love
amare qualchedunaltro
for loving someone else,
Another new someone,
qualche altro
Someone else.
A new someone.
Dicono che noi ci stiamo buttando via
They say we are throwing ourselves away,
They make sure we know we're throwing our lives away,
ma siam bravi a raccoglierci
But we're good at picking ourselves up.
But we've no problem picking up trash.

Non è tempo per noi
It's not our time,
No this time's not for us,
che non ci adeguiamo mai
We who never measure up—
We who never measure up,
fuori moda, fuori posto
Out of fashion, out of place,
Out of fashion, out of place,
insomma sempre fuori, dai
In short always out.
We know they wish we'd just shut up.
abbiam donne pazienti,
We have patient women
We have mother's who love us,
rassegnate ai nostri guai
Resigned to our troubles.
Knowing we will never fit.
non è tempo per noi
It's not our time
No, this time's not for us,
e forse non lo sarà mai
And maybe it never will be.
It's not our time, this isn't it.

Non è tempo per noi
It's not our time
No this time's not for us,
che non vestiamo come voi
We who don't dress like you.
We who never dress like you.
non ridiamo, non piangiamo,
We don't laugh, we don't cry,
We don't laugh, we don't cry,
non amiamo come voi
We don't love like you.
We don't love the way you do.
forse ingenui o testardi
Maybe we are naive or stubborn,
Call us stubborn or naive,
poco furbi, casomai
Unsophisticated, for sure.
For sure too dumb to just belong.
non è tempo per noi
It's not our time
No, this time's not for us,
e forse non lo sarà mai.
And maybe it never will be.
Could be our time will never come.