Text and meaning of What must be will bethe song by Emma Nolde finalist at Tenco 2026 license plates in the Best Single Song category. A recognition that confirms the path of the young Tuscan singer-songwriter in Italian songwriting.
Emma Nolde and the Tenco 2026 plaques
For the second consecutive year Emma Nolde enters one of five of the Tenco Plates. In 2025 he was a finalist for Best Album Overall with NUOVOSPACIOTEMPO and had inaugurated the edition with his reinterpretation of Far, far away by Luigi Tenco, the song that traditionally opens the exhibition dedicated to songwriting. This year he is among the finalists for Best Single Song with What must be will bein a five-piece list that by a tie has six songs: in addition to Nolde, in the running there are Mauro Ermanno Giovanardi, Ditonellapiaga, Moni Ovadia with Giovanna Famulari and Michele Gazich, Tosca and Bianca D'Aponte. The ballot will decide the winners, who will be awarded at the Ariston Theater in Sanremo in the autumn.
The value of the piece had already been recognised, paradoxically, by those who had chosen to leave it off another stage. At the press conference at the Sanremo Festival 2026, Carlo Conti he had defined Emma Nolde's piece as “very strong”, speaking openly of regret for not having included her among the Bigs. The final at the Targhe Tenco thus comes as a confirmation on another side, that of songwriting.
What must be will be: the meaning
The song, written by Emma Nolde together with Andrea Pachettiis a lucid reflection of those who, going through their twenties, question themselves about what direction to give to their life. The heart of the text is the attempt to free ourselves from the deception of having to remain forever faithful to the ideas that over time we have transformed into absolute certainties. The hardest thing, the song suggests, is to accept the unpredictability of what happens.
The structure is that of an oath to oneself. In the verses Nolde lists a series of promises: to be honest until you blush, lose control, stop complicating, laugh until you cry. It is a program of personal liberation that passes through vulnerability accepted as a value, not as a weakness. The images chosen are simple and physical: the lightness of helium, the ice on which to slide, the transparent glass of an opening window.
The refrain, built on the repetition of “let it be” and “stretch your arms”, is the opposite of control: an invitation to let go and trust the course of things. The phrase that gives the title, What must be will beit is not resignation but active acceptance, the choice not to force what cannot be governed, including relationships that may not last (“the world will still be there, even if it isn't together”).
There is also a statement of measure which is almost a generational poetic: “I don't want infinity, three people are enough for me”. A rejection of greatness at all costs in favor of something small, real and sustainable.
What must be will be: the text
Below is the text of the song, reported in the context of the analysis.
I want to swear
That I'll be honest until I blush
That I will lose control to the point of making a fool of myself
And I'm in danger of overdoing it
I want to swear
That I'll stop complicating
I want to laugh, laugh until I cry
To the point of sobbing
Until we remember that there is an end
And light as helium, light enough to fly
I will make ice of my anger, ice to slide on
Let it be, let go
What must be will be
Let it be, stretch your arms
What must be will be
Let it be, we'll see
What must be will be
Let it be, stretch your arms
Take what will be
I want to swear
That I'll be honest until I blush
I want to be ashamed, I want to do it again
And if I'm going to feel pain, at least I'll feel something
And transparent like glass, like a window that opens
I will tell you my fears and let me be saved
I will seek the truth, I will not seek to be right
I don't want infinity, three people are enough for me
And as light as helium, it will be easier to fly
When I accept my mistakes, when I make peace with them
We won't force anything, we both know it well
The world will still be there, even if it isn't together
Let it be, let go
What must be will be
Let it be, stretch your arms
What must be will be
Let it be, we'll see
What must be will be
Let it be, stretch your arms, ah-ah
Let it be, let go
What must be will be
Let it be, take my arms
What must be will be
Let it be, if it will not be together
What must be will be
Let it be, stretch your arms
Take what will be
Composers: Andrea Pachetti, Emma Nolde
Frequently asked questions about What Shall Be Shall Be
What is What Shall Be Shall Be about by Emma Nolde?
The song talks about the need to let go of control and accept the unpredictability of life, through a series of promises made to oneself in one's twenties.
Is what must be and will be a candidate for the Targhe Tenco?
Yes, the song is among the finalists of the Targhe Tenco 2026 in the Best Single Song category, which this year has six candidates due to a tie.
Who wrote What Shall Be Shall Be?
The song was composed by Emma Nolde together with Andrea Pachetti.
Copyright Note: the cited texts are used for information, analysis and criticism purposes pursuant to art. 70 L. 633/1941. The rights remain with those entitled. For any reports you can contact the editorial team at redazione@allmusicitalia.it.
