Perhaps because when we observe things from afar they seem clearer to us...
Fabrizio De Andrè - La collina (Dormono sulla collina) (Omaggio al Poeta) "Where has Elmer gone
who let himself die of fever
Where is Herman burnt in the mine.
Where are Bert and Tom
the first killed in a brawl
and the other who came out already dead from prison.
And what will become of Charley
who fell while working
he flew from the bridge and landed on the road.
They sleep, they sleep on the hill
they sleep, they sleep on the hill.
Where are Ella and Kate
both died by accident
one from abortion, the other from love.
And Maggie killed in a brothel
by the caresses of an animal
and Edith consumed by a strange disease.
And Lizzie who chased after life
far away, and from England
was brought back to this patch of earth.
They sleep, they sleep on the hill
they sleep, they sleep on the hill.
Where are the generals
who boasted in battles
with cemeteries of crosses on their chests
where the sons of war
who left for an ideal
for a scam, for a love that ended badly
have sent home
their remains in the barriers
tied up tightly so they looked whole.
They sleep, they sleep on the hill
they sleep, they sleep on the hill.
Where is Jones the player
who was caught by his ninety years
and would have still played with life.
He who offered his face to the wind
his throat to the wine and never a thought
not for money, not for love nor for heaven.
You can still hear him
talking about the nonsense
eaten in the street at the wrong hours
you can still hear him
telling the liquor dealer
"You who sell it, what do you buy that’s better?”
