Who are we?

Antiwar songs is a collection of pacifist and antimilitarist songs from all over the world and of any time, based on free contributions by readers and collaborators. This is why we have chosen a Database form for this website.

When rumours of a new war against Iraq started spreading more and more insistently, the members of two Italian Usenet newsgroups, it.fan.musica.guccini and it.fan.musica.de-andre, and of two other mailing lists dedicated to Italian songwriters, "Fabrizio"and "Bielle" spontaneously began to collect a great number of antiwar songs which were posted every day to the aforesaid groups. So, this site originates from the spontaneous reaction of a number of people, who have chosen to witness their opposition to this war, and to any war, by collecting antiwar songs and by putting them at everyone's disposal.

What could we do against this prophecy? We sang days and nights, nights and days...we sang days and nights until we lost our voice, so that all the old songs were exhausted and no one was left, which time might soil...so that no song was left.
Nessuno fece nulla (Nobody did anything) (CSI)

This website is on line since 2003.3.20, the day on which the US attack on Iraq was launched. You will find in it the lyrics of thousands of songs, and of any other song you will contribute. AntiWar Songs is probably the largest website of this kind in the World Web.

This Database website is intended to be fully international, with songs in all languages and versions and translations in the greatest number possible of languages. New translations, in any language or dialect, are always welcome and you can contribute them as well as new songs and commentaries. We do not need literary or refined translations: remember that even the roughest translation of a song in your or any language is a door that opens on comprehension.

Database structure

Each song (except folksongs or songs the author of which is still unknown) has one author, and biographical notes are provided for most of the authors. Such notes should be richer for less known authors; in fact, one main goal of this website is providing the readers with information about songwriters whose songs are often better known than their authors.
Your contributions (songs, translations or commentaries) should be submitted only in the Submission page; please DO NOT send us e-mails! The only feature a new song should have is to be an antiwar song. If you are not and Administrator, the song you have submitted will not be displayed until an Administrator gives his approval. This takes usually a few hours. If a song is rejected, no explication will be given.
Most songs are followed by one or more translations into various languages. As this website is located in Italy and operated by Italians, do not be surprised if Italian plays a leading role, especially in commentaries (which are seldom translated). Anyway, you can send us your commentaries in English or in your own language.

A translation can be an “artistic” one actually sung by one or more singers in their own language (so, if you’re looking for one Italian version of Boris Vian's Le Déserteur , e.g. that sung by Ivano Fossati, always go to "Boris Vian"), or a more or less "rough" or literal translation made by site administrators or contributors; in both cases, any translation always follows the original lyrics and is displayed under the original author or interpreter. Only in a few special cases a translation is also inserted (i.e. repeated) under its interpreter, e.g. La ville que j'ai tant aimée by Tri Yann (an adapted version based on "The Town I loved so well" by Phil Coulter), or "Venditor di sassi" by Alessio Lega (based on Renaud's "Marchand de cailloux"). Songs are generally stored under their real author, and not under its best known interpreter (for instance, that's why "Where have all the Flowers gone" is not stored under "Joan Baez", but under "Pete Seeger"); but there are exceptions (e.g. "Universal Soldier", written by Buffy S.te Marie, is to be found under "Donovan").

Acknowledgements

Our warmest thanks should go to all those who contributed songs, translations and commentaries to this Database website. Needless to say, this website would not exist without their help.
Special thanks also to Luca Cinti, who helped the Webmaster write some of the fundamental functions for the Database management code.

This website is hosted by the server of autistici.org (thank you so much). It only uses free software technology (PHP, mySQL and GIMP for the graphics).

Lorenzo Masetti, Site Webmaster
Riccardo Venturi, Site Manager