MMario, I am very glad to see this song in print.

I do wonder, though, about the Italian parts? We had this record and I heard it quite differently. Couldn't get most of it anyhoo, because it's in extreme Neapolitan dialect, but my dad explained a lot of it.

Where did you get the Neapolitan words? Not to be overly particular, but I think they're full of mondegreens....

If you found the sheet music printed somewhere and that is really the way it goes, well, then, won't I be embarrassed! -- But, it looks as if maybe someone tried to transcribe them but tripped over the fact that it isn't "regular" Italian?

Maybe we can put our heads together and get it a little more accurate. Don't know if I still have the record but will check. I would LOVE to get the whole song. I never could get it all. But I do have some familiarity with the peculiarities of Neapolitan because that's where my dad came from.

I definitely remember two lines, the version above omits the first but gives the second as

"A quando si briaggo a Pepino giong apa "

My dad explained this to me, here's roughly how it goes: "Stasera nella cucina, 'nu po' di vino [gia' lo da?], E quanno s'umbriaca, ah, Pepino gia' 'ncappa'" which means, "This evening in the kitchen I'll [give him, leave out for him] a little bit of wine, and when he gets drunk, I'll grab Pepino." That's one way to get rid of an unwanted mouse I guess.

'ncappare is dialect for "to grab aholt of", umbriaco is drunk, quanno is quando, or when, 'nu po' is un poco or a little bit.

Definitely would like to see if we can get all of it!

Rita Ferrara