RATATA Lyrics in English by Capo Plaza
Fottere is a very common Italian slang word that can mean 'to screw', 'to f***', or 'to steal', depending on the context. It's a strong, versatile verb often used to express defiance or to describe getting the better of someone or something.
In "RATATA", Capo Plaza uses it in phrases like "stiamo provando a fottere la crisi" (we're trying to screw/beat the crisis) and "questi qua, no, non mi fottono" (these guys, no, they don't screw/get me). This word captures the raw, rebellious energy of the song and is key to understanding its street-level perspective and the artist's attitude towards challenges.
The ratata of the title is gunfire, and Capo Plaza builds the whole hook out of a kid at a window counting it: Sento un ratata (I hear a ratata), then Sento ra-ta-ta-ta, è fuori la finestra (I hear ra-ta-ta-ta, it's outside the window). The setting never leaves the housing blocks he grew up around in Salerno. Fra i palazzi grigi, la testa nel busy (Among the grey buildings, my head in the hustle) is the closest thing the song has to a mission statement, and money is the only exit anyone in it can name: Stiamo provando a fottere la crisi (We're trying to screw the crisis).
The back half is about what arriving actually did. Prima stavo su un cesso / Ora ho fatto successo (Before I was in a dump / Now I've had success) is a lazy rhyme and it works precisely because it sounds like something you would say out loud. He keeps checking himself against the old address, too: Ora che sto in alto non mi scordo da dove vengo (Now that I'm on top I don't forget where I come from). Then, almost thrown away near the end, the best line in the song: Ho tutto e qualcosa mi manca (I have everything and something is missing). The shooting is still going in the final verse, which is the point. Getting out did not turn the sound off.
