Le radici ca tieni sung by Sud Sound System

Le radici ca tieni, sung by Sud Sound System was played in the seventh episode of Musitaly: LGBT & Pride.

The name of the song is Le Radici ca tieni, which means The root you have. It’s a song about the importance of pride we should have for our origins and… just turn up the volume and dance.

Label:	V2 records ‎– VVR1023902
Format:	CD, Album
Country:	Italy
Released:	2003
Genre:	Reggae
Style:	Dancehall

Sud Sound System – Le radici ca tieni [Original Version]

Se nu te scerri mai de le radici ca tieni
Rispetti puru quiddhre de li paisi lontani
Se nu te scerri mai de ‘du ete ca sta ieni
Dai cchiù valore alla cultura ca tieni
Simu salentini de lu munnu cittadini
Radicati alli messapi culli greci e bizantini
Uniti inthra ‘stu stile osce culli giammaicani
Dimme tie de ‘du ete ca sta bieni

Se nu te scerri mai de le radici ca tieni (nu te scerrare mai)
Rispetti puru quiddhre de li paisi lontani
Se nu te scerri mai de ‘du ete ca ieni
Dai cchiù valore alla cultura ca tieni (Sine)
Simu salentini de lu munnu cittadini
Radicati alli messapi culli greci e bizantini
Uniti inthra ‘stu stile osce culli giammaicani
Dimme tie de ‘du ete ca sta bieni

Jou, egnu dellu Salentu e quannu ‘mpunnu parlu dialettu
E nu mb’ete filu no ca l’italianu nu lu sacciu
Ca se me mintu cu riflettu parlu lu giammaicanu sthrittu
Perché l’importante e cu sai ‘nu pocu de tuttu
Anche se de tuttu a fiate me ne futtu
Ma se ‘na cosa me ‘nteressa su capace puru me fissu
Se ete quiddhru ca oiu fazzu me mintu ‘dhrai e fazzu ce pozzu
Perché aggiu b’essere jou ca decidu de mie stessu
Ca la vera cultura è cu sai vivere
Cu b’iessi testu ma sempre sensibile
Puru ca la vita ete dura è meju sai amare
Puru quannu te pare ca ete impossibile

Me la difendu, la tegnu sthritta cullu core
La cultura mia rappresenta quiddhru ca é statu e ca a b’enire
Intra ‘stu munnu (sine terrone), addu nu tene cchiui valore
Ci parla diversu e de diversu è de culure
Te nne leanu tuttu puru la voglia de amare
Cussì ca tanta gente a pacciu modu stae a regire
Te nne leanu tuttu puru le ricchie pe sentire
Ci chiange e chiede aiutu pe li torti ca stae a subire
Te nne leanu puru la terra de sutta li piedi
Se ccattanu tuttu quiddhru ca a cui tie nci tieni
Ne dispiace pe tuttu quiddhru ca ne sta lliati
Ma stamu ancora acquai, de ‘cquai nu ne n’imu mai sciuti (chiaru moi moi moi)

E rriu della terra addu nc’è sempre lu sule (Dinnila)
Addhru la gente cerca umbra ca la po’ ‘defrescare
Acquai sta scrittu sulle pethre c’aggiu capire
Su parole antiche percé l’uomu nu po’ cangiare (No, no)
Memoria ete cultura e b’ete quistu ca ole
Recorda ce a successu cussì pueti capire
Lu boia denta vittima puru dopu menz’ura
Ma la vittima denta boia se nu tene cultura
Su ‘ste radici nui stamu ben radicati
Ni fannu amare populi mai canusciuti
Ni scosta de ci medita l’odiu e la guerra
Ma de sti criminali la capu mia nu se scerra

E tie difendila, quannu poi difendila
È la terra toa, amala e difendila, sientime
Difendila, quannu poi difendila
È la terra toa, amala e difendila, de cine? (Bruscia)
De ci ole specula e corrompe, difendila
De ci ole sfrutta l’ignoranza, difendila
De ci ole svende l’arte noscia, difendila
De ci nu b’ole crisca ancora, difendila
Pe ci nu tene cchiu’ speranza
Pe ci ha rimastu senza forza, difendila
Pe ci nu pote ma nci crite, difendila
Pe ci nu te pote secutare (sine moi), difendila (‘ntorna moi)

Egnu de lu salentu e quannu mpunnu parlu dialettu
E nu bbete pecce ca l’Italianu nullu sacciu
Ca se buenu me recordu do parole de woolof africanu
Chep gen è lu risu cullu pisce ca se mangia culle manu
E “mu nu mu cu bbai” vuol dire nun ne pozzu fare a menu
E “man gi dem man gi dem” vuol dire sciamu moi sciamu
A ddu ete ca uei basta ca rispettu purtamu
E ca ne facimu rispettare pe quiddhri ca simu
Ca la cultura vera è cu sai idere
La realtà pe quiddhra ca ete sia ca è facile sia ca è difficile
La cultura vera è cu sai capire
Ci tene veramente besegnu o ci ete lu cchiù debole

La difendimu, stritta e forte cullu core
Quista è la poesia ca crea sta terra cull’amore
Quiddra ca muti, tenenu modu te sentire
Grazie a ci la porta in giru o ci a qquai la po ssaggiare
E rriu della terra a du nce sempre lu sule
E alla gente ca rria nci pensa sempre lu mare
A qquai stae scrittu sulle petre cce aggiu capire
Cercu cu te le spiegu, perché nu t’ha scerrare
E tie difendila!
Quannu poi difendila!
E’ la terra toa, amala e difendila sientime, difendila!
Quannu poi difendila!
E’ la terra toa, amala e difendila de cchiui!

Sud Sound System – Le radici ca tieni [English Translation]

If you never forget about your roots,
you respect those of distant places.
If you never forget where you come from,
you value your culture more.
We are Salentine, citizens of the world,
with roots among the Messapians, the Greeks and the Byzantines,1
today we’re bonded to Jamaicans by this style;2
tell me where you come from.

If you never forget about your roots,
you respect those of distant places.
If you never forget where you come from,
you value your culture more.
We are Salentine, citizens of the world,
with roots among the Messapians, the Greeks and the Byzantines,
today we’re bonded to Jamaicans by this style;
tell me where you come from.

I come from Salento, and when I sing I speak my dialect,3
and it’s not that I can’t speak Italian, not at all,
for if I get to it, I can speak proper Jamaican too,4
because what matters is knowing a bit of everything,
even though, at times, I don’t give a thing about anything,
but if I’m interested in something I may get fixated on it,
if that’s what I wanna do, I get to it and do what I can,
because I must get to decide for myself.
For true culture is knowing how to live,
being tough yet always sensitive,
even when life is hard, it’s better to know how to love
even when it looks like it’s impossible.

I’m defending it, I’m holding it tight with my heart,
my culture represents what has been and will be
in this world, where people who speak different
or are of a different color are [deemed] worthless.
They take everything from you, even your will to love,
so that many people are reacting insanely.
They take everything from you, even the ears that you need to hear
people crying and asking for help for the injustice they’re suffering.
They take away even the land from under your feet,
they buy everything that you care for.
I’m sorry for all that’s being taken from us,
but we’re still here, we’ve never gone away.

If you never forget about your roots,
you respect those of distant places.
If you never forget where you come from,
you value your culture more.
We are Salentine, citizens of the world,
with roots among the Messapians, the Greeks and the Byzantines,
today we’re bonded to Jamaicans by this style;
tell me where you come from.

And I come from the land where the sun’s always shining,
where people look for shade to cool down.
Here, it’s written on stones what I must understand,
they’re ancient words, ’cause man can’t change.
Memory is culture, and it wants this:
remember what has been, this way you’ll be able to understand;
an oppressor may become a victim in less than half an hour,
but a victim becomes an oppressor if he has no culture.
We are well rooted on these roots,
they make us love peoples we’ve never met,
they move us away from people mulling over hatred and war,
yet my mind won’t forget about these criminals.

And you, defend it!
Whenever you can, defend it!
It’s your land, love and defend it!
Listen to me, defend it!
Whenever you can, defend it!
It’s your land, love and defend it!
From whom?
From people who want to speculate and corrupt, defend it!
From people who want to exploit ignorance, defend it!
From people who want to sell out our art, defend it!
From people who don’t want to grow up, defend it!
For people with no hope left, defend it!
For people with no strength left, defend it!
For people who can’t yet believe in it, defend it!
For people who can’t follow your lead, defend it!

If you never forget about your roots,
you respect those of distant places.
If you never forget where you come from,
you value your culture more.
We are Salentine, citizens of the world,
with roots among the Messapians, the Greeks and the Byzantines,
today we’re bonded to Jamaicans by this style;
tell me where you come from.

I come from Salento, and when I sing I speak my dialect,
and that’s certainly not because I don’t know Italian,
for I do remember a couple words in African Wolof,5
ceebu jën is rice and fish that you eat with your hands,6
and mu ngu mukk ubbal means ‟I can’t do without it”,7
and maa ngi dem maa ngi dem means ‟let’s go, let’s go now”.8
Wherever we are, all we need is that we show respect
and we get respected for what we are.
For true culture is being able to see
reality for what it is, be it easy or hard.
True culture is being able to understand
people who really need help, the weakest people.

Yes, now here we’re defending it, holding it tight on our heart,
this is poetry that creates this land with love,
that which mute people can hear.
Thanks to those who spread it out, they can taste it here today.

And I come from the land where the sun’s always shining,
and people who arrive are always taken care of by the sea.
Here, it’s written on stones what I must understand,
I’m trying to explain it to you, so that you won’t forget it.

And you, defend it!
Whenever you can, defend it!
It’s your land, love and defend it!
Listen to me, defend it!
Whenever you can, defend it!
It’s your land, love and defend it!

If you never forget about your roots,
you respect those of distant places.
If you never forget where you come from,
you value your culture more.
We are Salentine, citizens of the world,
with roots among the Messapians, the Greeks and the Byzantines,
today we’re bonded to Jamaicans by this style;
tell me where you come from.

Sud Sound System – Le radici ca tieni [Original Version]

Sud Sound System – Le radici ca tieni [English Translation]

By Cocopraise