Duemila volte

Song Meaning

Marco Mengoni's "Duemila volte" isn't a simple love song; it's a raw, intimate exploration of a relationship defined by paradox and the push-and-pull of desire. The opening lines, with their yearning to 'draw your face' and 'inhabit your eyes,' establish a craving for profound connection, immediately undercut by the recognition of its difficulty—'like pulling a sword from a stone.' This sets the stage for a central theme: the simultaneous need for closeness and the almost self-destructive urge to create distance. The repeated desire for 'another cigarette, a perfect life' after bleary-eyed returns at dawn suggests a yearning for stability and shared experience, quickly followed by the singer's desire to wear his partner's shirt—a longing for intimacy, for safety, for the closeness and comfort of shared skin. The core of the song, the recurring refrain, lays bare the inherent contradiction: 'I need to lose you to come looking for you, two thousand more times.' This isn't just about romantic games; it speaks to a deeper psychological truth. The act of losing, of creating space, paradoxically fuels the desire and the need to reconnect. It's a cycle of separation and reunion, forgiveness and touch, heightened by the feeling of isolation ('like water on Mars'). This poignant image captures the feeling of being utterly alone, even within the confines of a relationship, stranded on an alien landscape. Mengoni doesn't shy away from the less comfortable aspects of love. The second verse reveals the struggle to 'not love your face,' acknowledging the difficulty of controlling one's emotions, comparing it to 'not bringing people to a party.' This illustrates the idea that, like throwing a party, love is something that one wants to share with others. The bridge offers a moment of quiet contemplation: 'We could even stay silent for a while, while it burns slowly.' This hints at a fragile truce, a temporary cessation of the push and pull, before the inevitable return to the tumultuous cycle. The final lines, 'We could even leave the fear, we'll close our eyes to jump down,' show a willingness to surrender to the unknown, to embrace the inherent risks of love, even when it feels like falling.