Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)

Subject: Lyr Req: Common Italian Folk Song help
From:
Date: 03 Jul 03 - 04:42 PM

I was wondering, there is this one italian song and it seems to be that common italian song that no one really knows the real lyrics to but everyone knows the tune and knows it's italian. If that makes sense. Anyway it sounds like they are saying "yamo yamo..." and I don't really any more. I assume that yamo word is something like io amo. I don't know. But I would like to know the name of the song so I can get a copy of it. I appreciate any help someone can provide. Even if it's just a couple lyrics.
Thanks,
    Sammi
[e-mail]

Subject: DTADD: Funiculi Funicula (Italian)
From: Ghirotondo
Date: 04 Jul 03 - 04:42 AM

Hello, maybe the song you're looking for is "Funiculì Funiculà", where actually there is a line that goes "Jammo, jammo"...
Is a song about a cable car which was built in Naples in 1880 to carry people up to Vesuvio's crater, and never rebuilt after the third destruction in 1944.

(being italian, although not from Naples, helps a lot...)
Peace
Lanf

Here is the lyrics:

Funiculì funiculà
(G.Turco-L.Denza)

"Aieressera, Nanninè, me ne sagliette
tu saie addò!
Addò to core 'ngrato chiù dispiette
farme nun po'.
Addò lo foco coce, ma si fuje
te lasse stà
e nun te corre appriesso nun te struje
sulo a guarda'
Jammo, jammo, 'ncoppa jammo, ja'...
Funiculì, Funicula'!

Se n''e sagliuta, oie Ne', se n''e sagliuta,
La capa gia';
E' ghiuta, po' e' tornata, e po' e' venuta...
Sta sempe cca'!
La capa vota vota attuorno, attuorno,
Attuorno a te,
Llo core canta sempe nu taluomo.
Sposammo, oie Ne'!
Jammo, jammo, 'ncoppa jammo, ja'...
Funiculì, Funicula'!"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Common Italian Folk Song help
From: masato sakurai
Date: 04 Jul 03 - 08:19 AM

This seeems to be a new song inspired by the original FUNICULI FUNICULA.

"In the Land o' Yamo Yamo (Funiculi, Funiculi, Funicula)" -- Words by Joe McCarthy; Music by Fred Fisher (New York, New York, McCarthy & Fisher, 1917)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Common Italian Folk Song help
From:
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 05:46 AM

Does anyone have an English translation of Funiculi, funicula? I have the Italian "Pavarotti" version which seems slightly different and I have not found a literal English translation on the web so far.
Thanks...Sue

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Common Italian Folk Song help
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 06:02 AM

One English version

Nigel

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Common Italian Folk Song help
From: GUEST,Sue
Date: 09 Feb 04 - 02:22 PM

Can anyone translate the following version of Funiculi, funicula

Ai sera Nannine me ne sagliette
Tu saie addo........tu saie addo!
Addo stu core 'ngrata cchiu dispiette
farme nun po'.........farme nun po'!
Addo il fuoco coce ma si fuie
te lassa sta........te lassa sta!
E nun te corre appresso nun te struie
Solo a guards......'ncielo se va!

Jamme, jamme 'ncoppa jamme ia!
Jamme, jamme 'ncoppa jamme ia!
Funiculi, funicula, funiculi, funicula,
'ncioppa jamme ja! Funiculi, funicula

Se n'e sagliuto Ne, se n'e sagliuto
la capa gia.......la capa gia!
E ghiuta po' tornata po' e venuta
sta sempe cca.......solo a guarda
La capa vota, vota, attorno, attorno
attorno a te....attorno a te!
La core canta sempre nota luorno,
Sposammoi Ne......sposammoi Ne!

None of the translations I can find seem to match these words but my Italian is not good enough to translate it properly myself!
Thanks all!..Sue

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Common Italian Folk Song help
From: GUEST,Toni
Date: 09 Feb 04 - 02:37 PM

Sue,

If your Italian isn't good enough to translate it yourself how do you know that the translations you have found are incorrect?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Common Italian Folk Song help
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 09 Feb 04 - 05:47 PM

Most of the 'translations' out there are the completely different words attached by tin pan alley to the old tune about the funicular railway. That is why you can't match it.
What you put down, Sue, is just a slight variation on what Ghirotondo posted above in 2003. We haven't seen a translation yet.

I seem to remember a site which did have a good literal translation so check Google for Funiculi. The websites for Naples may have it so check them as well. Or someone here may have it and post later. Please ignore unhelpful guest.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Common Italian Folk Song help
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 09 Feb 04 - 06:08 PM

Sue, I found one: Funiculi
Sue, it takes a very good poet to take a poem in one language and translate LITERALLY into a usable poem in another language. I hope you will settle for the literal word translation.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Common Italian Folk Song help
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 09 Feb 04 - 06:12 PM

I did something wrong- here is the website- www.vesuvioinrete.it/funicolare/e_funicolare_funiculi.htm
Or go to Google- there are more.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Common Italian Folk Song help
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 09 Feb 04 - 06:30 PM

Another google entry gives this for the website: Funiculi

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Common Italian Folk Song help
From: GUEST,Alfredo
Date: 09 Feb 04 - 06:51 PM

Hello from Italy

One of the main problems in translating a text like Funiculì Funiculà is, in my opinion, that it is in Neapolitan dialect, ABSOLUTELY DIFFERENT from Italian language.

I think that almost 30-40% of Italians would NOT understand, if written, or sung, the meaning of the text of this song.
You see, Italian traditional folk music does not exist. There are traditional folk musicS of all Italian regions, all different among them....

Ciao a tutti
Alfredo

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Common Italian Folk Song help
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 09 Feb 04 - 08:04 PM

Thanks, Alfredo. The website I gave is sponsored by the funicular that the song is about, so I presume that their literal translation is accurate.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Common Italian Folk Song help
From: Ferrara
Date: 10 Feb 04 - 12:22 AM

Well, it's not completely accurate. (My father was from a town near Naples. I learned a bit of dialect from him, and from a visit there.)

"Jammo ncoppa," pronounced more or less YAM-mah in-COPE-a or YAM-mah 'n-GOPE-a, means "Let's go up to the top," or "Let's go up there."

So that the translation "Let go on, let go, let go" was presumably supposed to be "Let's go on [the funicular], let's go, let's go."

That offensive-sounding "baby" isn't translating anything that appears in the song at all, it's just thrown in by the translator to indicate that the song is being sung to the lady he [the singer] is in love with. Unrequited, apparently. Well, very few Neapolitan love songs are about requited love.

I have usually heard the chorus as "Iammo, iammo, Iammo ncoppa la (twice), Funiculi funicula (twice) Iammo ncoppa la Funiculi Funicula." Not very different but different. Iammo and Jammo are equivalent. And it does usually sound like Yammah, not Yammo.

For what it's worth: I have a book of Italian songs that gives the start of the first verse as
"Stasera, Nina mia, io son' montato (che lo diro'? che lo diro'?)
Cola' dove mi aspetta un cor ingrato (piu' far' non puo, piu far' non puo."

i.e. This evening, my Nina, I went up (what shall I say to you, what shall I say about it....)
Up there where an ungrateful heart waits for me (I can do no more, I can do no more.)"

The chorus goes (forgive spelling errors, from memory right now) "Lesti, lesti, Gia' montiam' su la, lesti, lesti, gia' montiam su' la, Funiculi Funicula etc."

Don't know what Lesti means but "Gia montiam' su la" means [right now? Literally gia' is already] let's go up there [by funicular railway.]

Sorry, this is a bit mixed up. Tired but couldn't resist when I saw this thread.

Rita Ferrara

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: GUEST,sUE
Date: 10 Feb 04 - 05:48 AM

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: GUEST,Sue
Date: 10 Feb 04 - 05:54 AM

Many thanks everyone, for your help. I think I have enough of the words now to make some sense of this song. I am trying to learn Italian so that I can understand better the Neapolitan, Classical and Operatic nmusic which I love as it is not always easy to find translations even on the web.
Thanks again everyone...Sue.

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: GUEST,Ghirotondo at work
Date: 10 Feb 04 - 06:10 AM

Hi, Ferrara. Very good Italian, yours! And very good comprehension of Neapolitan dialect! Wow! By the way, "Lesti" means quick, in haste.

Greetings from Italy!
Ghirotondo

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: GUEST,Jennisara
Date: 13 Apr 04 - 01:23 PM

I have also found this thread quite helpful, having found LOTS of translations of this same song! I needed to learn it, having just become a singer/hostess at Romano's Macaroni Grill, but I wanted to learn the "right" words! Thanks, everyone!

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: GUEST,kathie galanos
Date: 20 Jul 04 - 10:20 PM

what is the name of the italian song that is played in the Macaroni Grill TV commercials?
please help me locate it!!

Thanks

Subject: Help with Italian Song
From: GUEST,Anthony
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 10:59 PM

Im gathering some songs i remember from my childhood. Umberto, Toto, Santagata, Ranieri etc... and there is a song i remember but cant think of any lyrics or anything. all i remember was the chorus went Catarie...or something like that. I know its not alot to work with but im hoping someone knows what song im talking about

thanks

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 12:02 AM

Anthony,
can't remember the exact words right now, but Dean Martin did it.

Phonetically "Vo Lare".... "Cantabile"

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: masato sakurai
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 12:03 AM

Anthony, the song seems to be "Core 'Ngrato."

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: M.Ted
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 12:34 AM

With his usual, razor, precision(and, seemingly, without even being familiar with it) Masato has located the song--it is most generally called "Cateri, Cateri" and the best version (to my taste, anyway) was by far and away, the one done by Tino Rossi--even all three tenors couldn't touch it--maybe one of the most beautiful songs ever--

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 01:06 AM

This "Neopolitan" song (Ungrateful Heart) was written in 1911 for Enrico Caruso, so says a website. Now is there a Caruso recording at the Gramophone or somewhere on line?
Franco Corelli also sang it well.

Three tenors? At least they are a better trio than Rummy, Chummy and dummy.

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: M.Ted
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 01:08 AM

At risk of giving more info than you want--Rossi sang the song(and made it popular) in the 1937 film "Naples au Baiser de Feu" which was released in the US simply as "The Kiss of Fire"--It had some other great songs in it, as well-- Tarentella (in italian) - Ecoutez les mandolines - Mia Piccolina - Rien qu'un chant d'amour - O Sole Mio - Catari, Catari (Core'n grato) - Santa Lucia (in neopolitan) - Marechiare (neopolitan) - Mandolina al chiar di Luna (neopolitan)--he sang in Italian, French, and Neopolitan, which makes sense, because he was Corsican--

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: M.Ted
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 12:27 PM

Q-Missed your post last night and just saw it this morning--

There is a relatively new collection of Caruso's recordings of Neopolitan songs(though he was a Neopolitan street singer before studying opera, he apparently only recorded a few of songs, and late in his career) on RCA Red Seal, it is called "Caruso: Italian Songs"--the recordings are a mixture of his original vocals with newly recorded orchestral tracks, though--

As you undoubtably know, Caruso died before the microphone was introduced into recording, so this is a truly weird combination of sounds--

One of the old guys in my college music dept had actually heard Caruso perform a number of times, and said that though his recordings were incredibly popular, they never captured the essense of his voice--even still, Victor created the Red Seal label especially for him, and his intial recordings were sold for $5--about 1905!

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 12:46 PM

My grandmother had a collection of the old Red Seals featuring Caruso. Sadly given away. He recorded from 1906-1920. Eighteen clips may be heard here: Caruso
Many attempts have been made to improve them; some of the worst by Victor, who added orchestral music.

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: M.Ted
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 01:35 PM

Once, Caruso recordings were an important part of every Italian-American home--even the ones the ones who had milk with dinner still held on to Caruso--

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: GUEST,Anthony
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 03:03 PM

Thank You all soo much!!!
that's the song, Core 'ngrato

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 16 Dec 04 - 10:07 PM

All of the Neapolitan versions posted of Funiculì Funiculà (and the one in the DT) have errors. The dialect has variations, so differences are expected, but this one, I think, is all of a piece. Funiculi
Lyrics by Peppino Turco, music by Luigi Denza, 1880.

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Feb 10 - 06:35 PM

There is no recording of Torna a Surriento sung by Enrico Caruso !!!!

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: GUEST,Zuri
Date: 10 May 10 - 04:07 AM

hi everyone! we're singing this song for a concert and i'm trying to reconcile the translation from the Neapolitan with the translation from the Italian version.

actually, the chorus of the Italian version goes, "Lesti, lesti, via, montiam su la'"

how does that change the meaning of the phrase then? and what does "montiam" mean? none of the online translation sites seem to know. haha

thanks in advance! Ü

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 04:55 PM

Mamma, I'm so happy that i'm returning to you.
Stay with you and not leave you again.
You're the song, better than life.

I'm looking for a old folk song that my mother-in-law use to sing. here is the first verse, approxiately, any help would be grately appreiciated, thank you very much. Rick

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Mar 11 - 05:12 AM

I think that the song could be "Mamma", because your first line seems the traslation of the first line of "Mamma" in Italian:
" Mamma, son tanto felice / perchè ritorno da te".
If this is the song you are looking for, it's not exactly a folk song, but it was a much loved song of the times of my mother. Here is a youtube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrRIAWpIza8&feature=related
and the lyrics
http://www.italianissima.net/testi/mamma.htm
(sorry, I can't do blue clickies)
I hope it helped
ciao
paola

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: polaitaly
Date: 07 Mar 11 - 05:20 AM

Sorry, I was the Guest ...I lost my cookie and I had to reset it.
ciao ciao
paola

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: polaitaly
Date: 11 Mar 11 - 02:07 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: Joe_F
Date: 11 Mar 11 - 08:23 PM

The English words I learned as a child have, of course, nothing to do with the Italian (of any description):

Some think the world is made for fun and frolic,
And so do I, and so do I.
Some think it well to be all melancholic,
To pine and sigh, to pine and sigh,
But I, for one, can see no harm in singing
Some joyous song, some joyous song.
To set the earth with music bravely ringing
Is far from wrong, is far from wrong.
Harken! Harken! Music sounds afar.
Harken! Harken! Music sounds afar.
Funiculi, funicula, funiculi, funicula!
Joy is everywhere. Funiculi, funicula!

Subject: RE: Common Italian Folk Song help (Funiculi/la)
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Sep 11 - 11:20 AM

Thank you Joe F. This is the Enlish version I learned as a child. Couldn't find the words.