Codardi means 'cowards' in English. It's a striking word because it's not commonly found in pop songs, especially when describing oneself or a group.
In the context of "Una Cosa Più Grande," Ermal Meta uses it to describe humanity, singing "Che siamo codardi / E siamo anche eroi" (That we are cowards / And we are also heroes). This juxtaposition of 'cowards' and 'heroes' creates a powerful and thought-provoking image of the human condition, making it a memorable and engaging word to learn.
This duet between Ermal Meta and Giuliano Sangiorgi is about staying close to someone while ordinary life wears you down.
The song opens and closes with the same small gesture: a simple hello, asking how the other person is doing. Everything in between is the harder part — the exhaustion, the confusion, the sense of chasing something you can't quite name, and the fear of never being enough.
The chorus reframes all of that. However heavy it feels, it's only one piece of something much bigger: the two people in the relationship, who grew up faster than they meant to and are somehow both cowardly and brave at once for staying together anyway.
By the end, the song admits that time erases things and paths take on new names. What survives is the plain act of checking in and meaning it, which is why it returns to that opening hello.