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about

This song is a translation of an Italian ballad about the murder of Giussepe Pinelli, an anarchist railroad worker and labor militant, at the hands of police in Milan in 1969. Pinelli was arrested on suspicion of setting a bomb in the Piazza Fontana- a bomb which was in fact set by the fascist militia Ordine Nuovo, which had received funding from the CIA as part of Operation Gladio, a program to seed right-wing anti-communist guerilla groups across Europe. Pinelli was framed by the fascists and collaborators in the police, and during his interrogation was thrown out of a window. These events were part of the beginning of the Years of Lead in Italy, a three way fight between the fascists, forces of the revolutionary left, and the state. Giuseppi’s death is the subject of Dario Fo’s play, Accidental Death of an Anarchist. Sixteen people were killed in the bombing by Ordine Nuovo.

lyrics

That night in Milan, was the setting
How hot, that the sergeant was sweating
Brigadier, crack open the window
A push, and Pinelli goes down

Oh sergeant, Pinelli repeated-
I am innocent- but how I’m treated!
Anarchy does not call us to bombing
To be free, we must just disobey

No more lying, Pinelli, confess it
Without even your word we can guess it
The bomb was laid out by Valpreda
Your friend, and the blood’s on your hands

Said Pinelli, the bomber’s some other-
Not my comrade or one of my brothers
The hands stained with blood are your own, sir,
and the ones that are holding your leash

The sergeant leaned in, and was smoking
Blowing out and Pinelli was choking
Brigadiere, crack open the window
Pinelli, it’s four stories down

Our flags were black in our mourning
Three thousand comrades gave this warning,
We swore by the blood of Pinelli
We will neither forget or forgive

You Guida, and you, Calebresi
Was it you who sent out the order,
To cover up the fascist murder?
Was Pinelli the price in your game?

That night in Milan, was the setting
How hot, that the sergeant was sweating
Brigadier, crack open the window
A push, and Pinelli goes down

credits

from In The Ruins They've Left Us, We'll Plant Gardens Still, released December 23, 2020
Vocals, Guitar, and Translation: Emmett Doyle
Accordion: Sam Adams
Bass and Snare: R Young

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Wooden Shoe Ramblers Minneapolis, Minnesota

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