Fivos Valachis (@fivosvalachis ) is a talented and inspired composer and pianist, who also happens to enjoy collaborations. So one day he proposed me to sing the Italian version of his song, Starting Terminus.
The warm welcome it received encouraged us to go on, and La Città then followed. This time, Fivos surprised me by involving Vicente Bueso (@scienceteheran ) for the strings arrangement.
The result didn't please just the three of us: the quickly growing number of listens brought the song at number 1 in the Easy Listening section of SoundCloud Explore for 3 days.

Paolo D'Emilio sings Fivos Valachis

lyrics in italian: Paolo D'Emilio.
voice: Paolo D'Emilio.
music and piano: Fivos Valachis

Thank you Fivos for all your help in matching your vision for this song.

My friends, if you like this song, you'll better visit Fivos' cloud to be greeted by his wonderful music: @fivosvalachis
You can find more versions of this open collaboration song in this set by Fivos:
https://soundcloud.com/fivosvalachis/sets/starting-terminus-open-collab


Capolinea
----------------------
Cosa pensi di fare andando via
Cosa pensi che trovi fuggendo là
Ritorni sempre al capolinea
Con la stessa acqua ancora la sete placherai

Chi mai pensi che sarà lì per salvarti
Quale fuoco sarà acceso per scaldarti
Quante bugie dal falso mai ti salveranno
Se non hai da dire almeno una verità

Scopri tutte quante le tue carte
Tieni aperte le possibilità
Lascia che sia il gioco a giocarti
Non tenere per te le carte che hai

Dove sogni di trovare ciò che cerchi
Quale mare pensi che navigherai
Costruisci le tue navi con la pietra
E con le navi di roccia nessuno ha viaggiato mai.
--

English translation (rough and quite literal)

What do you think you'll do going away?
What do you think you'll find fleeing there?
You always come back to square one
It's always the same water you'll quench your thirst with

Who do you think will be there to save you?
Which fire will be lit to warm you?
How many lies will save you from falseness,
If you don't have at least a truth to say?

Turn all your cards face up
Leave all your chances open
Let the game play you
Don't keep your cards for yourself

Where do you dream to find what you're looking for?
Which sea do you think you'll sail?
You build your ships with stone
And with stone ships no one ever has sailed

Capolinea (Starting Terminus, original by Fivos Valachis)

Vocals: Paolo D'Emilio
Strings orchestration: Vicente Bueso @scienceteheran
Piano and original composition: Fivos Valachis @fivosvalachis
Lyrics: Konstantinos Kavafis

After our first collaboration (Capolinea https://soundcloud.com/copyc4t/capolinea-starting-terminus ) Fivos Valachis offered me to sing this wonderful song he composed on a poem by Konstantinos Kavafis.

As if this weren't already too good to be true (but alas, true it is!) Fivos asked Vicente Bueso to orchestrate the song. The combination of piano and strings alone is so magical that you better listen to it if you haven't yet!
https://soundcloud.com/scienceteheran/la-citt-with-fivos-valachis

Well, it's been a real pleasure and honor to collaborate with two amazing musicians like Fivos and Vicente on this song, all my gratitude to them.
Thank you Fivos, thank you Vicente!

You can collaborate with Fivos in his open collab for "La città" here: 
soundcloud.com/fivosvalachis/sets/open-collab-for-la-citt-the/

-----------------------------

The City

[1.08] You said, "I will go to another land, I will go to another sea.
Another city will be found, better than this.
Every effort of mine is condemned by fate;
and my heart is -- like a corpse -- buried.
[1.45] How long in this wasteland will my mind remain.
Wherever I turn my eyes, wherever I may look
I see the black ruins of my life here,
where I spent so many years, and ruined and wasted."

[2.21] New lands you will not find, you will not find other seas.
The city will follow you. You will roam the same
streets. And you will age in the same neighborhoods;
in these same houses you will grow gray.
[4.53] Always you will arrive in this city. To another land -- do not hope --
there is no ship for you, there is no road.
As you have ruined your life here
in this little corner, you have destroyed it in the whole world.
-

La Città

Dicesti: "ad altra città andrò, ad altro mare.
altra città dev'esserci migliore di questa
dove ogni mio tentativo è destinato al fallimento,
e il mio cuore, quesi fossi morto, sepolto.

Fino a quando la mia mente in questo marasma giacerà?
ovunque volgo l'occhio, ovunque guardo
perduti ruderi della mia vita qui scorgo
ove tanti anni ho trascorso e guastato e sciupato."

Nuovi paesi non troverai, né altri mari, né altri mari.
la città, ti seguirà
per le stesse vie circolerai;
nei soliti quartieri andrai invecchiando;
sempre tra queste case ti farai bianco.

A questa città ognora giungerai
per quegli altri paesi, lascia ogni speranza
a te nave non c'è, non c'è nessuna strada.
Così come la tua vita rovinasti qui
in questo piccolo angolo,
su tutta la terra
-


Η Πόλις

Είπες "Θα πάγω σ`άλλη γη, θα πάγω σ`άλλη θάλασσα.
Μια πόλις άλλη θα βρεθεί καλλίτερη από αυτή.
Κάθε προσπάθειά μου μια καταδίκη είναι γραφτή
κ`είν`η καρδιά μου σαν νεκρός θαμμένη.
Ο νους μου ως πότε μες στον μαρασμόν αυτόν θα μένει.
Όπου το μάτι μου γυρίσω, όπου κι αν δω
ερείπια μαύρα της ζωής μου βλέπω εδώ,
που τόσα χρόνια πέρασα και ρήμαξα και χάλασα."

Καινούριους τόπους δε θα βρεις, δεν θάβρεις άλλες θάλασσες.
Η πόλις θα σε ακολουθεί.Στους δρόμους θα γυρνάς
τους ίδιους.Και στες γειτονιές τες ίδιες θα γερνάς
και μες στα ίδια σπίτια αυτά θ`ασπρίζεις.
Πάντα στην πόλι αυτή θα φτάνεις.Για τα αλλού μην ελπίζεις
δεν έχει πλοίο για σε, δεν έχει οδό.
Έτσι που τη ζωή σου ρήμαξες εδώ
στην κώχη τούτη την μικρή, σ`όλην την γη την χάλασες.

La Città (written and played on piano by Fivos Valachis, strings by Vicente Bueso)

Dear friends, I have written songs dedicated to others before, but this is the first time that a song is written for me and "from" me; from our conversations, Jaime J Ross ( @jaime0223 ) was able to read all of this inside me and write it so that I couldn't have said it better.

Fivos Valachis ( @fivosvalachis ) then surprised me once more, actually twice, first with his wonderful music I had already listened to for his Charity Collab Project - Color Your Life, Orange ( soundcloud.com/fivosvalachis/sets/donation-collaboration-color ) and then because I didn't know it was the music he composed on Jaime's lyrics.

There are no words to describe how special I feel for this wonderful gift by such wonderful friends; thank you Jaime, thank you Fivos.

This can also be a gift to Doctors Without Borders now!
All the proceeds for Fivos' charity album go to them:
https://fivos-music.bandcamp.com/album/united-artists-for-doctors-without-borders
----

Dance with Me

Feel the music deep inside
Let it reach your soul
Close your eyes, embrace it
Breathe and just let go

Do not worry who may watch
Or worry what they'll see
Take my hand and my heart
Come and dance with me

Follow me, I'll lead you
Trust that I'll be here
With every step, I'm by your side
Relax and have no fear

Close enough to feel your heart
Beating next to mine
Together, together...perfect rhythm
I thought I'd never find

Patiently I waited
I knew you'd come along, you'd come along
I waited, I waited for the moment
And for the perfect song

So now we dance together
Not searching anymore
Our bodies fit so perfectly 
As we glide across the floor

Dance with me...I promise you
You won't be lost again
I'll stay with you...forever
Until the music ends

Color Your Life, Orange (Dance With Me) - Fivos Valachis, feat. Paolo D'Emilio, Jaime J Ross

You may already know me as @copyc4t
...if not, you should! :)