The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
O Fortuna
Velut luna
statu variabilis,
semper crescis
aut decrescis;
vita detestabilis
nunc obdurat
et tunc curat
ludo mentis aciem
egestatem
potestatem
dissolvit ut glaciem
Sors immanis
et inanis
rota tu volubilis
status malus,
vana salus
semper dissolubilis,
obumbratam
et velatam
mihi quoque niteris;
nunc per ludum
dorsum nudum
fero tui sceleris.
Sors salutis
et virtutis
mihi nunc contraria
est affectus
et defectus
semper in angaria.
Hac in hora
sine mora
corde pulsum tangite
quod per sortem
sternit fortem,
mecum omnes plangite!
English translation -
O Fortune,
like the moon
you are changeable,
ever waxing
and waning
hateful life
first oppresses
and then soothes
as fancy takes it
poverty
and power
it melts them like ice.
Fate - monstrous
and empty
you whirling wheel,
you are malevolent,
well-being is vain
and always fades to nothing,
shadowed
and veiled
you plague me too
now through the game
I bring my bare back
to your villainy.
Fate is against me
in health
and virtue
driven on
and weighted down
always enslaved.
So at this hour
without delay
pluck the vibrating strings;
since Fate
strikes down the strong man,
everyone weep with me!
Velut luna
statu variabilis,
semper crescis
aut decrescis;
vita detestabilis
nunc obdurat
et tunc curat
ludo mentis aciem
egestatem
potestatem
dissolvit ut glaciem
Sors immanis
et inanis
rota tu volubilis
status malus,
vana salus
semper dissolubilis,
obumbratam
et velatam
mihi quoque niteris;
nunc per ludum
dorsum nudum
fero tui sceleris.
Sors salutis
et virtutis
mihi nunc contraria
est affectus
et defectus
semper in angaria.
Hac in hora
sine mora
corde pulsum tangite
quod per sortem
sternit fortem,
mecum omnes plangite!
English translation -
O Fortune,
like the moon
you are changeable,
ever waxing
and waning
hateful life
first oppresses
and then soothes
as fancy takes it
poverty
and power
it melts them like ice.
Fate - monstrous
and empty
you whirling wheel,
you are malevolent,
well-being is vain
and always fades to nothing,
shadowed
and veiled
you plague me too
now through the game
I bring my bare back
to your villainy.
Fate is against me
in health
and virtue
driven on
and weighted down
always enslaved.
So at this hour
without delay
pluck the vibrating strings;
since Fate
strikes down the strong man,
everyone weep with me!
Lyrics submitted by Spaced_Boy, edited by fredvanner
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oh yeah, and the students and clergy (goliards as they called themselves) who wrote this were defrocked monks and minstrels... a lot of what is written throughout carmina burana is humorous hymns to gluttony and gambling as well as sex and other such subjects... Sorry if my writing is poor, i'm sick and merely putting all this in out of boredom, and a feeling that maybe somebody will stumble across this, find it interesting and then perhaps another soul can find their way into the world of great music. A world outside of the pop bands that litter these pages and will be all but forgotten within ten years (this piece itself is over 100 years old already). Oh well, this is all I'll say about it. If you want to know more, do some research, find the score, it's well worth it to have something like this in your arsenal of knowledge. Arm yourself well, you don't want to bring a knife to a gun fight, so make sure you have a wide array of weaponry. And I invite anybody to expand or ammend any of what I have said.
thx 4 the info =D<br /> and only bring a knife to a gunfight when its in close quarters, so I've found