Polvere Lyrics in English by Shiva
Latitante translates to "fugitive" or "on the run". It's a less common word in everyday conversation, making it stand out in the lyrics.
In the song, Shiva uses it to describe how he's perceived by others in his environment: "Per loro sono un latitante o poco intelligente" (For them, I'm a fugitive or not very intelligent). This word choice powerfully conveys a sense of being misunderstood, an outsider, or someone who defies the norms, adding a layer of rebellion and defiance to his narrative.
"Polvere" is Shiva's account of where he started and why he refuses to leave it behind. The hook gives instructions rather than comfort: "Impara a mordere" ("Learn to bite"), "Sputa la polvere" ("Spit out the dust"). Dust is the song's central image, the thing you swallow when you lose, and Shiva keeps turning back to it as something worth keeping: "Tu ricorda quei baci alla polvere" ("You remember those times you bit the dust"), "È da lì che vieni" ("That's where you come from").
The first verse fills in the place. He moves "come un cieco nelle vie più sporche" ("like a blind man through the filthiest streets"), talks to his friends in code, and bets everything he has against people who hedge: "muori coi tuoi 'forse'" ("you die with your 'maybes'"). His complaint about the scene around him is precise, that it takes people who arrive with something and hollows them out: "Dove nasci grande, diventi niente" ("Where you're born big, you become nothing").
The second verse turns outward and gets angry. He speaks for "la mia generazione cresciuta nel fango" ("my generation raised in the mud"), rejects the forgiving posture with "non porgo la guancia" ("I don't turn the other cheek"), and swears at the institutions he blames, the State and a school "Che chiude i pensieri tuoi dentro una stanza" ("That locks your thoughts inside a room"). The song ends on the question it has been circling throughout, "sta-stai con me o sta-stai con loro?" ("are you with me or are you with them?"), and then a single word: "Chi?" ("Who?").
