Lyrics and English translation of "Volevo essere un duro" by Lucio Corsi [Sanremo 2025 – Eurovision 2025]

Lucio Corsi, a 31-year-old singer-songwriter from Tuscany, has been selected to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel. This opportunity arose after the winner of the 75th Sanremo Music Festival, Olly, declined the chance to participate in Eurovision, leading the Italian broadcaster RAI to extend the invitation to Corsi, who finished second in the festival.

Olly, who won Sanremo 2025 with his song “Balorda nostalgia,” chose to focus on his existing commitments, including a nationwide tour, and expressed that this decision was his way of listening to himself and living his career at his own pace.

Lucio Corsi will perform his Sanremo entry, “Volevo essere un duro” (“I Wanted to Be a Tough Guy”), at Eurovision. The song, co-written with Tommaso Ottomano, showcases Corsi’s unique blend of glam rock influences, surreal lyrics, and fairy-tale-like themes.

Corsi began his musical career in 2011 and has since developed a distinctive style that resonates with a broad audience. His participation in Eurovision is anticipated to further elevate his profile on the international stage.

Italy, as part of the Big Five, is automatically qualified for the Grand Final of Eurovision 2025, scheduled for 17 May. Fans are eager to see how Corsi’s unique artistry will be received at the prestigious competition.

Lyrics and English translation of “Volevo essere un duro” by Lucio Corsi

Volevo essere un duro
I wanted to be tough

Che non gli importa del futuro
Who doesn’t care about the future

Un robot, un lottatore di sumo
A robot, a sumo wrestler

Uno spaccino in fuga da un cane lupo
A dealer running away from a wolfdog

Alla stazione di Bolo
At the Bologna station

Una gallina dalle uova d’oro
A hen with golden eggs

Però non sono nessuno
But I am nobody

Non sono nato con la faccia da duro
I wasn’t born with a tough face

Ho anche paura del buio
I’m even afraid of the dark

Se faccio a botte, le prendo
If I get into a fight, I get beaten up

Così mi truccano gli occhi di nero
So they paint my eyes black

Ma non ho mai perso tempo
But I’ve never wasted time

È lui che mi ha lasciato indietro
It’s time that left me behind

“Vivere la vita è un gioco da ragazzi”
“Living life is child’s play”

Me lo diceva mamma ed io cadevo giù dagli alberi
My mom used to tell me that, and I’d fall down from trees

Quanto è duro il mondo per quelli normali
How tough the world is for normal people

Che hanno poco amore intorno o troppo sole negli occhiali
Who have little love around them or too much sun in their glasses

Volevo essere un duro
I wanted to be tough

Che non gli importa del futuro, no
Who doesn’t care about the future, no

Un robot, medaglia d’oro di sputo
A robot, gold medalist in spitting

Lo scippatore che t’aspetta nel buio
The mugger who waits for you in the dark

Il Re di Porta Portese
The King of Porta Portese

La gazza ladra che ti ruba la fede
The thieving magpie that steals your wedding ring

“Vivere la vita è un gioco da ragazzi”
“Living life is child’s play”

Me lo diceva mamma ed io cadevo giù dagli alberi
My mom used to tell me that, and I’d fall down from trees

Quanto è duro il mondo per quelli normali
How tough the world is for normal people

Che hanno poco amore intorno o troppo sole negli occhiali
Who have little love around them or too much sun in their glasses

Volevo essere un duro
I wanted to be tough

Però non sono nessuno
But I am nobody

Cintura bianca di judo
A white belt in judo

Invece che una stella uno starnuto
Instead of a star, a sneeze

I girasoli con gli occhiali mi hanno detto: “Stai attento alla luce”
The sunflowers with glasses told me: “Be careful with the light”

E che le lune senza buche sono fregature
And that moons without craters are scams

Perché in fondo è inutile fuggire dalle tue paure
Because in the end, running away from your fears is useless

Vivere la vita è un gioco da ragazzi
“Living life is child’s play”

Io, io volevo essere un duro
I, I wanted to be tough

Però non sono nessuno
But I am nobody

Non sono altro che Lucio
I am nothing but Lucio

Non sono altro che Lucio
I am nothing but Lucio

Key vocabulary and verbs

Volevo essere un duro is a song that tells the contrast between the desire to appear strong and the awareness of one’s own vulnerability. The language is full of evocative images and metaphors, useful for learning new Italian words and expressions.

1. Nouns

• Duro → Tough guy, hard man
• Futuro → Future
• Robot → Robot
• Lottatore di sumo → Sumo wrestler
• Spacciatore → Drug dealer
• Cane lupo → Wolfdog
• Stazione → Train station
• Gallina → Hen
• Uova d’oro → Golden eggs
• Buio → Darkness
• Tempo → Time
• Mamma → Mom
• Alberi → Trees
• Mondo → World
• Sole → Sun
• Occhiali → Glasses
• Medaglia d’oro → Gold medal
• Scippatore → Mugger
• Re → King
• Porta Portese → (A famous flea market in Rome)
• Gazza ladra → Magpie (thieving magpie)
• Cintura bianca → White belt
• Judo → Judo
• Stella → Star
• Starnuto → Sneeze
• Girasoli → Sunflowers
• Luna → Moon
• Paure → Fears

2. Verbs

• Volevo (volere) → I wanted (to want)
• Essere → To be
• Importare (non gli importa) → To matter (he doesn’t care)
• Sentire (ho sentito) → To hear (I heard)
• Incontrare (ho incontrato) → To meet (I met)
• Diventare (stiamo diventando) → To become (we are becoming)
• Scontrarsi (si scontrano) → To clash (they clash)
• Scappare (scappare via) → To escape (to run away)
• Finire (finisce male) → To end (it ends badly)
• Essere nato (non sono nato) → To be born (I wasn’t born)
• Avere paura (ho paura del buio) → To be afraid (I’m afraid of the dark)
• Fare a botte → To fight
• Prendere (le prendo) → To get (I get beaten up)
• Truccare (mi truccano gli occhi) → To put makeup on (they put makeup on my eyes)
• Perdere (non ho mai perso tempo) → To lose (I never lost time)
• Lasciare (mi ha lasciato indietro) → To leave (it left me behind)
• Cadere (cadevo giù dagli alberi) → To fall (I was falling from the trees)
• Avere (hanno poco amore intorno) → To have (they have little love around them)
• Rubare (ti ruba la fede) → To steal (it steals your wedding ring)
• Dire (mi hanno detto: “Stai attento”) → To say (they told me: “Be careful”)
• Stare attento (stai attento alla luce) → To be careful (be careful with the light)
• Fuggire (fuggire dalle tue paure) → To flee (to run away from your fears)

3. Useful expressions and concepts

• “Volevo essere un duro” → “I wanted to be a tough guy”
• “Però non sono nessuno” → “But I am nobody”
• “Se faccio a botte, le prendo” → “If I get into a fight, I get beaten up”
• “Me lo diceva mamma ed io cadevo giù dagli alberi” → “My mom used to tell me, and I would fall from the trees”
• “Quanto è duro il mondo per quelli normali” → “How tough the world is for normal people”
• “I girasoli con gli occhiali mi hanno detto: ‘Stai attento alla luce'” → “The sunflowers with glasses told me: ‘Be careful with the light'”
• “E che le lune senza buche sono fregature” → “And that moons without craters are a scam”
• “Perché in fondo è inutile fuggire dalle tue paure” → “Because in the end, it is useless to run away from your fears”
• “Non sono altro che Lucio” → “I am nothing more than Lucio”

Volevo essere un duro is a song that mixes irony and melancholy, perfect for learning words related to strength, fear and confrontation with the real world. Try using these terms in new sentences to improve your Italian!