Soldi (which means “money” in Italian) was the fifth single on Mahmood’s debut album Gioventù Bruciata (Wasted Youth). After winning first place at the 69th Sanremo Musical Festival, Mahmood went on to represent Italy with the song at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 where he came in second.
Soldi is an autobiographic song about Mahmood’s relationship with his money-grabbing father who abandoned the family. Although the song is in Italian, he includes one verse spoken in Arabic – Waladi, waladi, habibi ta’aleena (My son, my son, darling, come over here) – which is what his father used to say to him as a young boy.
Below you can find the Italian lyrics and English translation for Soldi. A quick word of warning – it’s very catchy! 🙂
Mahmood – Soldi – Listen on YouTube
Mahmood – Soldi – Italian Lyrics
In periferia fa molto caldo
Mamma stai tranquilla sto arrivando
Te la prenderei per un bugiardo
Ti sembrava amore ma era altro
Beve champagne sotto Ramadan
Alla TV danno Jackie Chan
Fuma narghilè mi chiede come va
Mi chiede come va, come va, come va
Sai già come va, come va, come va
Penso più veloce per capire se domani tu mi fregherai
Non ho tempo per chiarire perché solo ora so cosa sei
È difficile stare al mondo quando perdi l’orgoglio
Lasci casa in un giorno
Tu dimmi se
Pensavi solo ai soldi, soldi
Come se avessi avuto soldi, soldi
Dimmi se ti manco o te ne fotti, fotti
Mi chiedevi come va, come va, come va
Adesso come va, come va, come va
Ciò che devi dire non l’hai detto
Tradire è una pallottola nel petto
Prendi tutta la tua carità
Menti a casa ma lo sai che lo sa
Su una sedia lei mi chiederà
Mi chiede come va, come va, come va
Sai già come va, come va, come va
Penso più veloce per capire se domani tu mi fregherai
Non ho tempo per chiarire perché solo ora so cosa sei
È difficile stare al mondo
Quando perdi l’orgoglio
Ho capito in un secondo che tu da me
Volevi solo soldi
Come se avessi avuto soldi, soldi
Prima mi parlavi fino a tardi, tardi
Mi chiedevi come va, come va, come va
Adesso come va, come va, come va
Waladi, waladi, habibi ta’aleena
Mi dicevi giocando giocando con aria fiera
Waladi, waladi, habibi sembrava vera
La voglia, la voglia di tornare come prima
Io da te non ho voluto soldi
È difficile stare al mondo
Quando perdi l’orgoglio
Lasci casa in un giorno
Tu dimmi se
Volevi solo soldi, soldi
Come se avessi avuto soldi, soldi
Lasci la città ma nessuno lo sa
Ieri eri qua ora dove sei, papà
Mi chiedi come va, come va, come va
Sai già come va, come va, come va
Mahmood – Soldi – English Translation
It’s very hot in the suburbs
Mom, don’t worry, I’m on my way
I would take you for a liar
It seemed like love to you but it was something else
He drinks champagne during Ramadan
On the TV they show Jackie Chan
He smokes shisha, asks me how it’s going
He asks me how it’s going, how it’s going, how it’s going
You already know how it’s going, how it’s going, how it’s going
I think faster to figure out if you’re gonna screw me tomorrow
I don’t have time to explain because only now I know what you are
It’s hard to be in the world when you lose pride
You leave home in one day
You, tell me if
You were only thinking about money, money
As if I had money, money
Tell me if you miss me or you don’t give a damn
You were asking me how it’s going, how it’s going, how it’s going
Now how’s it going, how’s it going, how’s it going
You didn’t say what you have to say
Betrayal is a bullet in the chest
Take all your charity
You lie at home but you know she knows
On a chair she will ask me
She asks me how it’s going, how it’s going, how it’s going
You already know how it’s going, how it’s going, how it’s going
I think faster to figure out if you’re gonna screw me tomorrow
I don’t have time to explain because only now I know what you are
It’s hard to be in the world when you lose pride
I understood in a second
That you, from me
Wanted only money, money
As if I had money, money
You used to talk to me until late, late at night
You were asking me how it’s going, how it’s going, how it’s going
Now how’s it going, how’s it going, how’s it going
My son, my son, darling, come over here
You said to me, playing playing and looking proud
My son, my son, darling, it seemed real
The desire, the desire to return to how things were
I didn’t want money from you
It is difficult to be in the world
When you lose pride
You leave home in one day
You, tell me if
You just wanted money, money
As if I had money, money
You leave town but no one knows
Yesterday you were here, now where you are, dad
You ask me how it’s going, how it’s going, how it’s going
You already know how it’s going, how it’s going, how it’s going
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
