Storia Del Mio Corpo Lyrics in English by Michele Bravi
Fiammiferi is the Italian word for 'matches', the small sticks struck to create a flame. It's an evocative choice because matches are fragile, quick to burn, and disappear almost as soon as they're lit.
In the song, the lyrics say "Ti prego bruciami come fiammiferi" (Please burn me like matches), using the image to express a wish to be consumed completely and intensely, even if only briefly. The word turns a small household object into a powerful metaphor for intense, fleeting passion.
This song is an incredibly personal look at what it feels like to be disconnected from your own body. Michele Bravi describes his body as a separate thing, something that has a "storia di paura addosso" [a story of fear on it]. He treats it like an object he has to wear, sometimes leaving it "fermo dentro al letto... / Come in una busta di una lettera" [still in bed... / Like in a letter's envelope]. But the body itself has a voice, and it screams to be truly lived in: "vivimi, vivimi, vivimi / Ti prego bruciami come fiammiferi" ['live me, live me, live me / I beg you, burn me like matches'].
This feeling of being a ghost in your own life is so strong that other people notice. The singer has eyes so "assenti" [absent] that someone tells him, "quasi non esisti" ['you almost don't exist']. He feels trapped, and he asks for help to break out of this state. He begs someone to do something drastic, "Fai qualcosa di estremo" [Do something extreme], because the alternative is to repeat the mistake of "Stare nascosto nel mio corpo" [Staying hidden in my body].
