My husband absolutely loves Italian “oldies.” In fact, he’s probably listened to this particular song no less than one-thousand times. I’ve never really listened to the lyrics but today for some reason I decided to look the song up. I learned that basically, “oldies” in Italy is just another way of saying “old and dirty” since this song is about a super- whore wearing red lipstick. And yes, “super-whore” is a real thing that I just made up which means the energizer bunny of whoring.
Fabrizio De Andrè-Bocca di Rosa
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrFjFOjxYyA&w=480&h=360]
And here is more or less a rough translation. Enjoy!
They called her Bocca di Rosa
she put love, she put love
they called her Bocca di Rosa
she put love above everything.
As soon as she got off at the station
in the little village of Sant’Ilario
everybody knew at a glance
that she wasn’t a missionary.
There are those who make love because of boredom,
those who choose it as a profession.
Bocca di Rosa did neither,
she did it for passion.
But passion often leads
to the satisfaction of one’s own desires
without investigating whether the object of ones lust
has a free heart or a wife.
And so it was that from one day to the next
Bocca di Rosa attracted
the fatal fury of the bitches
from whom she had taken the bone.
……..
And the bitches went to the chief of police,
saying, without mincing their words,
“That dirty woman has already too many clients,
even more than a food shop”.
And four guards arrived
with their plumes with their plumes
and four guards arrived
with their plumes and their weapons.
A soft heart is not a quality
for which the carabinieri are noted,
but on that occasion they unwillingly
accompanied her to catch the train.
Everybody was at the station, from the
chief of police to the sacristan
everybody was at the station
with red eyes and their hats in their hands.
To say goodbye to someone who for a little while,
without pretention, without pretention,
to say goodbye to someone who, for a little while,
brought love to their village.
There was a yellow board
with black writing on it, saying:
“Farewell Bocca di Rosa
you take spring away with you”.
But unusual news
doesn’t need a newspaper:
it quickly flies from mouth to mouth
as the arrow shoots from the bow.
And at the following station were
many more people than when she left
some blowing a kiss, some throwing a flower,
some booking a couple of hours.
Even the priest who doesn’t despise,
whilst saying a prayer of mercy or the last rites,
the ephemeral good of beauty,
wants her near him in the procession.
And with the Virgin at the front
and Bocca di Rosa close by
he leads through the village
love both sacred and profane!
Read more at http://lyricstranslate.com/en/bocca-di-rosa-rose-mouth.html#OfC84JOEE6OSoswf.99
