☝️ Key Points
- The song tells the story of a singer who is disappointed in his quest for fame and wealth.
- The stones in the box he finds have no obvious meaning, but they symbolize the importance of youth and madness in life.
- The singer realizes that sometimes the simplest things can have the greatest value.
- The song's lyrics emphasize that value and meaning are not always obvious and can sometimes have a deeper meaning.
- In the end, the singer is confused and disappointed as the old man did not give him a clear answer.
Interpretation
The lyrics of the song "Un petit cailloux gris rose, un petit cailloux vers gris" by
Salvatore Adamo tell a story of dreams and disappointments. The singer is sitting on a bench in the garden of boredom when an old man passes by and drops a box. Curious, the singer follows the old man but loses sight of him.
When he opens the box, he only finds a small grayish-red stone and a small green stone. The singer becomes sad because after all the mystery, he only finds ordinary stones. But inside the box, there is also a letter that possibly contains a formula. The singer hopes for words of fame and wealth, but the letter only contains confusing sentences that say:
"Friend, it's not much, but it's priceless. Take this grayish-red stone, take this green stone. I brought them from a journey to the stars when crazy love swelled my sails."
The singer is disappointed, but he realizes that these stones have a meaning. He says that one should be young and crazy to succeed in life. The stones will kiss the mountains if one is only young and crazy enough.
At the end of the song, the singer learns that the old man didn't tell him anything. He is confused and disappointed. It seems that the lyrics of the song convey the message that value and meaning are not always obvious and that sometimes the simplest things can have the greatest value.