Ordinary People / Gente comune
Two out-of-work models and a fashion slave
Tried to dance away the Michelob night
The bartender poured herself another drink
While two drunks were watching the fight
The champ went down, then he got up again
Then he went out like a light
Fighting for the people
But his timing wasn't right
The high rolling people
Taking limos in the neon light
Las Vegas people
They came to see a Las Vegas fight
Fighting for the people
Yeah, yeah
There's a man in the window with a big cigar
Says everything's for sale
Yeah, the house and the boat and the railroad car
The owner's gotta go to jail
He acquired these things from a life of crime
Now he's selling them to make bail
He was ripping off the people
Selling guns to the underground
Living off the people
Skimming the top when there's no one around
Trying to help the people
Lose their ass for a piece of ground
The patch of ground people
Yeah, yeah
He was dealing antiques in a hardware store
But he sure had a lot to hide
He had a back room full of the guns of war
And a ton of ammunition besides
Yeah, he walked with a cane, kept a bolt on the door
With five pit bulls inside
Just a warning to the people
In case they might try to break in at night
Protection from the people
Selling safety in the darkest night
Trying to help the people
Get the drugs to the street all right
Trying to help the people
Yeah, yeah
Well, it's hard to say where a man goes wrong
Might be here and it might be there
What starts out weak might get too strong
If you can't tell foul from fair
But it's hard to judge from an angry throng
Of hands stretched up in the air
Vigilante people
Taking the law into their own hands
The conscientious people
Cracking down on the drug lord and his bands
Government people
Confiscating all the dealer's land
The patch of ground people
Yeah, yeah
A new Rolls Royce, a company car
They were racing down the street
Each one was trying to make it to the gate
Before employees manned the fleet
The trucks full of products for the modern home
Were set to roll out into the streets
Of ordinary people
Trying to make their way to work
The downtown people
Some are saints and some are jerks (that's me)
Everyday people
Stopping for a drink on their way to work
Alcoholic people
Yeah, yeah, taking it one day at a time!
Down on the assembly line
They keep putting the same things out
The people today, they just ain't buyin'
Nobody can figure it out
They try like hell to build a quality in
They're working hard without a doubt
Ordinary people
But the dollar's what it's all about
Lee Iacocca people
But the customers are walking out
Nose to the stone people
Yeah, they look but they just don't buy
The patch of ground people
Yeah, yeah, yeah
In a dusty town the clock struck high noon
Two men stood face to face
One wore black and one wore white
But of fear there wasn't a trace
A hundred and eighty years later two hot rods dragged
Through the very same place
A half a million people
They moved in to pick up the pace
A factory full of people
Making parts to go to outer space
A trainload of people
They were leaving for another place
Out of town people
Yeah, yeah
Down at the factory
They're putting new windows in
The vandals made a mess of things
And the homeless just walked right in
Well, they worked here once and they live here now
But they might work here again
The ordinary people
They're just living in a dream
Hard working people
Just don't know what it means
To give up people
They're just like they used to be
Patch of ground people
Yeah, yeah
Out on the railroad track
They're cleaning ol' number nine
They're scrubbing the boiler down
She really is looking fine
Times will be different soon
They're gonna bring her back on line
Ordinary people
They're gonna bring the good things back
Hard working people
They put the business back on track
Everyday people
They got faith in the regular kind
Patch of ground people
Yeah, yeah
* * * *
Tried to dance away the Michelob night
The bartender poured herself another drink
While two drunks were watching the fight
The champ went down, then he got up again
Then he went out like a light
Fighting for the people
But his timing wasn't right
The high rolling people
Taking limos in the neon light
Las Vegas people
They came to see a Las Vegas fight
Fighting for the people
Yeah, yeah
There's a man in the window with a big cigar
Says everything's for sale
Yeah, the house and the boat and the railroad car
The owner's gotta go to jail
He acquired these things from a life of crime
Now he's selling them to make bail
He was ripping off the people
Selling guns to the underground
Living off the people
Skimming the top when there's no one around
Trying to help the people
Lose their ass for a piece of ground
The patch of ground people
Yeah, yeah
He was dealing antiques in a hardware store
But he sure had a lot to hide
He had a back room full of the guns of war
And a ton of ammunition besides
Yeah, he walked with a cane, kept a bolt on the door
With five pit bulls inside
Just a warning to the people
In case they might try to break in at night
Protection from the people
Selling safety in the darkest night
Trying to help the people
Get the drugs to the street all right
Trying to help the people
Yeah, yeah
Well, it's hard to say where a man goes wrong
Might be here and it might be there
What starts out weak might get too strong
If you can't tell foul from fair
But it's hard to judge from an angry throng
Of hands stretched up in the air
Vigilante people
Taking the law into their own hands
The conscientious people
Cracking down on the drug lord and his bands
Government people
Confiscating all the dealer's land
The patch of ground people
Yeah, yeah
A new Rolls Royce, a company car
They were racing down the street
Each one was trying to make it to the gate
Before employees manned the fleet
The trucks full of products for the modern home
Were set to roll out into the streets
Of ordinary people
Trying to make their way to work
The downtown people
Some are saints and some are jerks (that's me)
Everyday people
Stopping for a drink on their way to work
Alcoholic people
Yeah, yeah, taking it one day at a time!
Down on the assembly line
They keep putting the same things out
The people today, they just ain't buyin'
Nobody can figure it out
They try like hell to build a quality in
They're working hard without a doubt
Ordinary people
But the dollar's what it's all about
Lee Iacocca people
But the customers are walking out
Nose to the stone people
Yeah, they look but they just don't buy
The patch of ground people
Yeah, yeah, yeah
In a dusty town the clock struck high noon
Two men stood face to face
One wore black and one wore white
But of fear there wasn't a trace
A hundred and eighty years later two hot rods dragged
Through the very same place
A half a million people
They moved in to pick up the pace
A factory full of people
Making parts to go to outer space
A trainload of people
They were leaving for another place
Out of town people
Yeah, yeah
Down at the factory
They're putting new windows in
The vandals made a mess of things
And the homeless just walked right in
Well, they worked here once and they live here now
But they might work here again
The ordinary people
They're just living in a dream
Hard working people
Just don't know what it means
To give up people
They're just like they used to be
Patch of ground people
Yeah, yeah
Out on the railroad track
They're cleaning ol' number nine
They're scrubbing the boiler down
She really is looking fine
Times will be different soon
They're gonna bring her back on line
Ordinary people
They're gonna bring the good things back
Hard working people
They put the business back on track
Everyday people
They got faith in the regular kind
Patch of ground people
Yeah, yeah
* * * *
Due modelle disoccupate e uno schiava della moda
Cercavano di ballare la notte alcolica [1]
La barista versò un altro drink per se stessa
Mentre due ubriachi guardavano il combattimento
Il campione andò a terra, poi si rialzò di nuovo
E si spense come una luce
Combatteva per la gente
Ma non era il suo momento
Gente spendacciona
Che prende le limousine sotto le luci al neon
Gente di Las Vegas
Venuta per vedere un combattimento a Las Vegas
Combatteva per la gente
Yeah, yeah
C'è un uomo in vetrina con un grosso sigaro
Dice che tutto è in vendita
Yeah, la casa e la barca e il vagone ferroviario
Il proprietario sta per andare in carcere
Ha avuto queste cose grazie a una vita criminosa
Ora le vende per racimolare la cauzione
Truffava la gente
Vendendo pistole alla feccia
Vivendo a spese della gente
Approfittandosene quando non c’è nessuno in giro
Cercando di aiutare la gente
A farsi il culo per un pezzo di terra
Gente che vale un pezzo di terra
Yeah, yeah
Stava vendendo antichità in un negozio di ferramenta
Ma di sicuro aveva parecchio da nascondere
Aveva un ripostiglio pieno di armi da guerra
E una tonnellata di munizioni
Yeah, camminava con un bastone, teneva un catenaccio alla porta
Dentro aveva cinque pitbull
Solo un avvertimento per la gente
Nel caso cercassero di fare irruzione di notte
Una protezione dalla gente
Vendendo sicurezza nella notte più buia
Cercando di aiutare la gente
A portare le droghe nelle strade perbene
Cercando di aiutare la gente
Yeah, yeah
Be', è difficile dire dove un uomo sbaglia
Può succedere qui e può succedere lì
Ciò che all'inizio è fragile può diventare troppo forte
Se non riesci a distinguere giusto e sbagliato
Ma è difficile giudicare da una folla inferocita
Con mani protese nell'aria
Vigilantes
Che prendono la legge nelle loro mani
Gente coscienziosa
Che mette alle strette il boss della droga e la sua banda
Gente del governo
Che confisca tutta la terra del commerciante
Gente che vale un pezzo di terra
Yeah, yeah
Una nuova Rolls Royce e un'auto aziendale
Stavano gareggiando giù per la strada
Ciascuna cercava di arrivare al cancello
Prima che i dipendenti si preparassero a partire
I camion pieni di prodotti per la casa moderna
Erano pronti a scendere nelle strade
Della gente comune
Che cerca di fare il suo lavoro
Gente di città
Alcuni sono santi e alcuni sono stronzi (quello sono io)
Gente di tutti i giorni
Che si ferma per un drink mentre va al lavoro
Gente alcolizzata
Yeah, yeah, vivono un giorno alla volta!
Giù alla catena di montaggio
Continuano a far uscire le stesse cose
La gente oggi proprio non compra
Nessuno riesce a venirne a capo
Ce la mettono tutta per ottenere la qualità
Senza dubbio lavorano sodo
Gente comune
Ma è tutto in funzione del dollaro
Gente stile Lee Iacocca [2]
Ma i clienti stanno uscendo
Gente che ci mette l'impegno
Yeah, guardano ma proprio non comprano
Gente che vale un pezzo di terra
Yeah, yeah, yeah
In una città polverosa l'orologio segnava mezzogiorno
Due uomini stavano l'uno di fronte all'altro
Uno vestito di nero e uno vestito di bianco
Ma non c'era traccia di paura
Centottant'anni dopo due auto da corsa passano
Per lo stesso identico luogo
Mezzo milione di persone
Si sono spostate per andare un po' più veloci
Un'industria piena di gente
Monta i pezzi per andare nello spazio
Un treno pieno di gente
Se ne andava verso un altro luogo
Gente di fuori città
Yeah, yeah
Giù alla fabbrica
Stanno mettendo nuove finestre
I vandali hanno fatto un casino
E i vagabondi sono entrati subito
Be', una volta lavoravano qui e ora ci vivono
Ma magari lavoreranno qui di nuovo
Gente comune
Che sta solo vivendo in un sogno
Gente che lavora sodo
Gente che non sa
Cosa significa arrendersi
Sono proprio come erano un tempo
Gente che vale un pezzo di terra
Yeah, yeah
Fuori lungo la ferrovia
Stanno pulendo la vecchia numero nove
Stanno strofinando la caldaia
Ha davvero un bell'aspetto
Presto i tempi saranno diversi
Stanno per rimetterla in funzione
Gente comune
Che riporterà le cose buone
Gente che lavora sodo
Rimette in riga gli affari
Gente di tutti i giorni
Che ha fede nelle cose regolari
Gente che vale un pezzo di terra
Yeah, yeah
[1] Michelob è una marca di birra.
[2] Lee Iacocca è un noto imprenditore americano che ha lavorato per Ford e Chrysler.
-----------------------------------
VERSI DIFFERENTI
[fonte: NYA – Ordinary People live in Melbourne 11/04/89]
Down at the factory
They're putting new windows in
The vandals made a mess of things
And the homeless just walked right in
Well they work here once but they lived here now
And they might work here again
The ordinary people
They've been living in a nightmare
Hard working people
And they don't know how they got there
Nose-to-the-stone-people
But they don't think that you care
Don't think that you care
Don't think that you care
Don't think that you care
* * * *
Giù alla fabbrica
Stanno mettendo nuove finestre
I vandali hanno fatto un casino
E i vagabondi sono entrati subito
Be', una volta lavoravano qui ma ora ci vivono
E magari lavoreranno qui di nuovo
Gente comune
Hanno vissuto in un incubo
Gente che lavora sodo
E non sanno come ci sono finiti
Gente che ci mette l'impegno
Ma pensano che a te non importi
Pensano che a te non importi
Pensano che a te non importi
Pensano che a te non importi