“I’m nobody else but Lucio” — Lucio Corsi is no longer hiding from his true nature in the “Volevo Essere Un Duro” lyrics

This year, Italy is sending Lucio Corsi to represent the country in Eurovision 2025 with “Volevo Essere Un Duro.” The song is poetic—a rock ballad with sincere lyrics—giving off a glam rock vibe, with Lucio’s voice as the main element.

The rock-inspired elements are more than evident, from the clothes he wears—big-shouldered jackets—to the makeup that evokes David Bowie or KISS. The music video, in which Lucio emerges as an icon from a poster in a little boy’s room—who dreams of becoming a rockstar despite a lack of support from his family—brings to mind Queen’s “Invisible Man” or Michael Jackson’s “Black or White.”

In the live performance, Lucio is joined on stage by Tommaso Ottomano, one of the song’s co-writers (together with Lucio).

Lucio is an indie artist who pays great attention to crafting his lyrics, so it’s time to dive deeper…

Scroll down to read the “Volevo Essere Un Duro” lyrics

Italy at Eurovision 2025: Lucio Corsi with “Volevo Essere Un Duro”

Lucio achieved second place at Festival di Sanremo 2025.  After remaining in the top five throughout every night of the competition, he made it to the superfinal on the final night, finishing as the televote runner-up while being the jury’s top choice.

Olly won this year’s edition with “Balorda Nostalgia.” However, he declined the offer to appear at Eurovision. Broadcaster Rai subsequently asked Lucio, who accepted.

Following Sanremo, Lucio achieved an impressive milestone—having 21 songs charting on Italy’s Viral Top 50 on Spotify. Coming from the indie music scene and once playing small gigs, his popularity skyrocketed, nearly dominating half of the chart on his own—an unprecedented achievement.

Lucio hails from Grosseto, a city and comune in Tuscany. He began performing in public places and clubs in his hometown before deciding to move to Milan to pursue a serious music career. He graduated from Guglielmo Marconi Scientific High School in Grosseto. His talent has been both recognized and rewarded— in 2023, he won the MEI Award for Best Independent Artist of the Year at the Meeting delle Etichette Indipendenti in Faenza.

What do the “Volevo Essere Un Duro” lyrics mean?

The title of his song, “Volevo Essere Un Duro,” translates to “I Wanted to Be a Tough Guy.”

Lucio Corsi’s song in an anthem for the ones who feel different and who were not born to fit the norms. In the lyrics of the song, Lucio explores a duality between who he wanted to be and who he truly is. He references attributes typically associated with what other’s expect him to be — tough, insensitive, and always strong—such as a tough guy, a robot, a sumo wrestler, someone who doesn’t care about the future, or even a gold medalist in spitting. These exaggerations reflect a person who is not expected to show vulnerabilities.

Lucio, mentions that he wanted to be a hen that lays golden eggs, which is a reference to Aesop’s fable The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs, used metaphorically in the lyrics to describe something valuable and extraordinary. 

In creating the much expected “tough guy” image, he includes specific Italian references in his song:

A drug dealer on the run from a wolf dog
At the Bologna station
(…)
The King of Porta Portese

Bologna’s Central Station is known for being a crowded place where both pickpocketing and drug dealing can occur. Similarly, Porta Portese in Rome is famous for its weekend flea markets, where bargains can be found. However, along with the potential risks of pickpocketing and being overcharged, there are rumors that many of the items sold there may have been stolen.

Yet, Lucio defies the typical expectations of what a ‘tough guy’ should be. Unlike the stereotype of strength and invulnerability, he acknowledges his fears and isn’t afraid to show his sensitivity to the world. The metaphor of having his eyes painted black refers to being beaten in the face, possibly alluding to being bullied for perceived weakness:

I wasn’t born with a tough guy’s face
I’m even afraid of the dark
If I get into a fight, I get beaten up
So they painted my eyes black

In this context, Lucio recalls his mother’s wisdom, who was always there to comfort him when he fell from trees—another way to symbolise weakness and vulnerability. She taught him that life is like a child’s play: something easy where you have to go with it, enjoy it, and learn that there are no fixed rules.

Her words full of love and guidance are telling him that even though life may be difficult and others may mock those who aren’t “tough,” the reality is that it’s much harder for those who present themselves as strong and invulnerable, as they often have little love or support around them. She emphasized that not being ordinary is actually a good thing:

How tough the world is
For the ordinary ones
Who have little love around them
Or too much sun in their glasses

The lyrics continue with a series of interesting metaphors:

The sunflowers with sunglasses told me
“Beware of the light”
And that moons without craters
Are just rip-offs
And that in the end, there’s no use running away
From your fears

As sunflowers are known to turn toward the sun, constantly seeking light, the sunflowers with sunglasses in Lucio’s song need to protect themselves from too much light. They are also different and vulnerable.  The moons without craters do not exist. Real moons do have craters and they represent their authenticity and imperfections, because they are part of what make a moon real. Things that appear flawless or untouched might actually be fake or lacking in substance.

In the end, the song closes with a warm acceptance from Lucio—he is simply Lucio, and when embracing who he truly is, different from the rest, he feels special:

I’m nobody else but Lucio.

“Volevo Essere Un Duro” lyrics — Lucio Corsi (Italy Eurovision 2025)

Songwriter (music and lyrics): Lucio Corsi, Tommaso Ottomano

Do the lyrics of Lucio Corsi’s “Volevo Essere Un Duro” speak to you? Share all your thoughts in the comments below.