Lyr Req: Don Camillo song

Subject: Lyr Add: CARLOTTA (Giovanni Guareschi)
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 02:11 PM

Well it's not exactly a Don Camillo song, it's a song written by the man who wrote the stories about Don Camillo and his enemy and friend, Peppone the Red. I came across it on this site - "The Homepage of Don Camillo, which I discovered because I've been rereading some of those stories (which were the basis of some lovely little films with Fernandel.)

And it was written when the author, Giovanni Guareschi, was in a prison camp run by the Germans in the war, when he heard that his wife had had a baby girl called Carlotta. It's posted on the site, but only in Italian - the site creator the gist of what it means but then says "And there, I'm afraid, my exceedingly limited ability to decipher Italian runs out altogether! But I hope I can come up with some kind of a literal translation, if not a rhyming and scanning one, someday."

So maybe someone out in the Mudcat has enough Italian to help out.

Here are the words (and there's a midi of the tune on that site - which takes a bit of time to load, but it's worth it):

"CARLOTTA"

(verse 1)
Quando sopra il lager nel mattino senza color
si scatena il vento e porta cupo gelo nel cuor
nel paese del sol, tutto luce e calor
sulla sua seggiolina, la Carlottina sta.

(refrain)
La mamma l'ha annunciato con estrema serieta'
il babbo tornera', ma certo tornera'
pero' lei deve stare buona, buona sul balcon
guardando sempre la', verso il canton.

Seduta sul balcone la Carlotta se ne sta
e aspetta quel papa', che visto mai non ha
e palesando invero ragguardevole apprension
sospira masticando il biberon.

(bridge)
Chi sa, chi sa come sara'
questo famosissimo marito di mamma'
forse avra' i baffon, la barba ed il pancion
la pipa ed il baston, e gli occhiali col cordon.
(spoken) (Chi sa, chi sa che scassatissimo papa')

Ormai tramonta il sole e tutta azzura e' la citta'
per oggi non verra', cattivo d'un papa'
gli occhietti gia' si chiudon sulla nuova delusion
il sonno fa cadere il biberon.

~~~~~

(verse 2)
Glace il lager muto, senza vita, senza doman
le baracche vuote, le torrette senza guardian
nel paese del sol, tutto luce e calor
sulla sua seggiolina, la Carlottina sta.

(refrain)
La mamma l'ha annunciato con estrema serieta'
il babbo tornera', ma certo tornera'
pero' lei deve stare buona, buona sul balcon
guardando sempre la', verso il canton.

Seduta sul balcone la Carlotta se ne sta
e aspetta quel papa', che visto mai non ha
e palesando invero ragguardevole apprension
sospira masticando il biberon.

(bridge)
Chi sa, chi sa come sara'
questo famosissimo marito di mamma'
forse avra' i baffon, la barba ed il pancion
la pipa ed il baston, e gli occhiali col cordon.
(spoken) (Chi sa, chi sa che scassatissimo papa')

Ed ecco appare all'angolo uno spledido guerrier
le stelle ha sul cimier, d'argento e' il suo piastrin:
il giustacuore azzurro ed i bottoni tutti d'or:
E' il babbo! E torna quasi vincitor! ...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: wysiwyg
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 03:38 PM

WHOO HOOOOO!!!!!!! Hardi is a HUGE Don Camillo fan!

(Slurpy kissing noises directed over the pond)

Thanks!

~S~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 03:57 PM

I should hope so too! (But sadly so many people who would really love the stories will never have come across them.)

Anyway, for anyone who doesn't know anything about Don Camillo, this site includes links to the stories and to the drawings that go with them. (With copyright permission from Carlotta and her brother, which is refreshing in these days of copyright hoarders):The Little World of Giovanni Guareschi

I know it's a pain sometimes reading stories online - but if you haven't got the books, give it a try, and I swear you won't be sorry.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Lanfranc
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 07:34 PM

Kevin's not only got a cold, but he also has a bad dose of cyberburps! (Kevin's duplicate posts were deleted - Joe O-)

Get well soon - in time for Buntingford at the latest.

Thanks for the link to the Guareschi site, I've loved Don Camillo ever since I first discovered him in the school library when I was 12. I have a couple of the books, but am on the lookout for more.

Pity about those pop-ups though, even Zeroads doesn't suppress them.

My Italian is pretty useless, but I do have a friend who is an Italian translator - unfortunately I don't think he has a poetic bone in his body! The best I could hope for from him would be a literal transalation that you might be able to do something with.

PM me if nothing better offers, Kevin.

Alan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Leadfingers
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 07:43 PM

Red the Don Camillo books WAY back when-- Absolutely brilliant !!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: wysiwyg
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 08:05 PM

Great, Kevin!

~S~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 08:14 PM

Well, if need be there is always Babelfish. Plus a bit of Spanish and Latin. But a real Italian translator would be best, because they'd be likely to know about any idioms. I'm sure with a little help from my fiuends we could come up with some poetic input.

And I think I've got a spare copy of a couple of the books, if I can find it, Lanfranc. (But in the meantime I think all the stories are online, on that link I gave.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: georgeward
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 01:15 AM

Thanks from me too, McGrath. I'd almost forgotten those wonderful stories that a childhood friend long gone turned me on to. Your post reminded me of both stories and friend. What could be better ? (A comprehensive knowledge of Italian - but that I cannot deliver).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 03:41 AM

Wonder what the age profile of the enthusiasts is? I (just about) remember reading and enjoying the stories as a young teenager many years ago...

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Brian Hoskin
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 04:25 AM

I read the stories first when I was around 11 or 12 and still return to them every so often now I'm 35.

Subject: Lyr Add: CARLOTTA (English translation)
From: Ferrara
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 02:39 PM

Nice coincidence: A few weeks ago our local Friends of the Library store was forced to find a new home when the shopping mall kicked them out in the eternal search for more profitable tenants. Dedicated customers rescued hundreds of unsold books from going into the trash. Among the ones I brought home with me was "The Little World of Don Camillo." I read it years ago, thought I'll probably re-read it.

Joe Offer PM'd me about this thread, due to my having a smattering of Italian. I just took a look at the site, too.

What a beautiful, sad song. Lovely, lovely.

Here's a partial quick translation plus my interpretations. Time permitting, will look up some of the words I don't know -- if time doesn't permit, then this is as good as I can do.... But the story is there. I may have mistranslated some words, for example "biberon" may not be bib (but I think it is, and if not, the idea is there), etc.

CARLOTTA

(verse 1)
When, in the colorless morning,
The wind scours the concentration camp and brings ice to the heart,
Then in the country of the sun [Italy], all light and warmth,
On her little chair, sits Carlottina [dear little Carlotta].

(refrain)

Mamma has announced with extreme seriousness,
Pappa will return -- but, certainly, he will return --
But you need to be good, very good, stay on the balcony
Watching alway there, towards the canton [city? Direction of the camp?]

Seated on the balcony, Carlotta remains
And awaits that Papa', whom she has never seen
And [possessing] in truth visible apprehension,
She sighs, chewing on her little bib.

(bridge)
Who know, who knows how he will be,
This most famous husband of Mamma',
Perhaps he will have a mustache, a beard and a paunch [?],
A pipe and a cane, and spectacles on a little cord.

(spoken) Who knows, who knows this [extremely naughty] Papa'?

I'm going to submit this now & translate the second verse in another post because I don't want the cybernetic gremlins to eat the whole thing as happens sometimes.... :-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Wolfgang
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 02:48 PM

It's a most beautiful song

Wolfgang (who has read all of the Don Camillo stories)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Ferrara
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 02:54 PM

Whoops, still have one stanza of the first verse to translate.

By now the sun is setting, and the city is all azure,
For today she won't see this naughty papa',
The little eyes are already closing on new disillusion,
Sleep makes her let go of her little bib. [toy?][causes it to fall]

-----

Rita's note: I'm not altogether sure of the meaning of this second verse but I believe it's dreaming of the day when the war will be over and the interned soldiers can go home again.

(verse 2)
The silent camp is frozen, without life, without a tomorrow
The barracks empty, the turrets without guardian
In the land of the sun, all light and warmth,
Little Carlottina sits on her little chair.

(refrain, same as in verse 1:)

Mamma has announced with extreme seriousness,
Pappa will return -- but, certainly, he will return --
But you need to be good, very good, stay on the balcony
Watching alway there, towards the canton [city? Direction of the camp?]

Seated on the balcony, Carlotta remains
And awaits that Papa', whom she has never seen
And [possessing] in truth visible apprehension,
She sighs, chewing on her little bib.

(bridge)
Who know, who knows how he will be,
This most famous husband of Mamma',
Perhaps he will have a mustache, a beard and a paunch [?],
A pipe and a cane, and spectacles on a little cord.
(spoken) Who knows, who knows this [extremely naughty] Papa'?

-- Rita's note: Here the verse is different from verse 1 ----

And behold, around the corner appears a spendid warrior,
Stars on his [shoulders], silver on his [helmet]:
[Tunic] of azure blue and buttons all of gold:
It's pappa! He has returned as a victor [hero]! ...

--- Rita again: I love the image of the interned soldiers as being the victors over their captors. What a moving song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 02:57 PM

That's lovely! I can see why it "became the unofficial 'anthem' of the camp."

Click on here and you get a midi of the tune, from the Little World of Don Camillo site I gave a link to in the first post. It takes a few minutes to download, but it's worth it. (The guy who runs the site writes in it "I had to guess on the tempo, BTW, so anyone who knows this piece better than I should feel free to get in touch and correct me." But I'd say he's got it about right.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Wolfgang
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 03:16 PM

'biberon' is 'feeding bottle' in Babelfish which otherwise was not helpful with this song.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Ferrara
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 03:26 PM

Yeah, that makes perfect sense, Wolfgang. She chews on the nipple of her bottle, she's just a teensy kid. And lets it fall when she goes to sleep.

I guess Babelfish couldn't translate any of the other words I had trouble with?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Wolfgang
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 03:52 PM

No, Babelfish even couldn't translate a word like 'azzura' and some other words even I could deduce from Latin or French. 'Canton' in particular remains untranslated.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: wysiwyg
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 03:54 PM

I bet Mmario will nail the missing items.

~S~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 04:04 PM

I've sent an email to the person who runs that site, the Little World of Don Camillo, giving them directions to this thread. Maybe he or she will turn up here before too long.

Carlotta of course turns up in "The House that Nino Built", rather more grown up, and quite a character. (And that's in the Little World of Giovanni Guareschi site, with the other stories.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 07:05 PM

Rita again: I love the image of the interned soldiers as being the victors over their captors.

"I had no more influence [on the War] than a nutshell tossed about on the ocean, and I emerged without ribbons or medals on my chest. I emerged as a victor, however, because I came through the cataclysm without hatred in my soul..." Giovanni Guareschi

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Ferrara
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 11:14 PM

McGrath, glad you e-mailed the owner of the site. I was thinking, if I can find more of the missing words, of sending him the translation.

A very fine quote about coming through without hatred in the soul. In the line about coming home a victor, I thought he was talking about coming through with integrity and dignity intact in spite of what he lived through. I admire him for feeling that his real victory was to come through without hatred.

I was wrung out when I finished translating the song. It was so moving.

I still haven't managed to play or download the midi. Will ask Bill (D) to look at it tomorrow. Maybe there's a setting on my browser that needs to be changed.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 06 Nov 03 - 06:45 AM

I think you might need QuickTime - there's a free download on this site

The tune has a sort of period stageg review sound to it - a bit like the 50s musical Salad Days

And I've just got an email back from the Little World of Don Camillo:

Hi!

I took a quick look at your link; will chime into the discussion when I get
a spare minute. :-)

Thanks for starting the effort to translate "Carlotta." It'd be great if we
could come up with something that was singable in English, but even an
ordinary translation will be terrific. I hope your comrades at the Mudcat
bulletin board will let me post it at my site (properly credited, of
course) when it's done.

Great to meet another Don Camillo fan.

Karen Welbourn
http://www.doncamillo.net/

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 06 Nov 03 - 07:02 AM

And here is the email I've just sent back to Karen:

I've just posted that email you sent me on the Mudcat thread. I hope that's all right by you.

And Rita, the Mudcatter somewhere over in America, I think, who's working on translating it, has just posted saying how, when she's got all the words worked out, she'd like to send them to you. Though of course once they're up on the Mudcat they're effectively with you already. And I'd love to have a go at seeing if I could come up with a singable version, if the final version Rita comes up with needs adjusting. (She hasn't managed to get her PC to play the tune yet.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Ferrara
Date: 06 Nov 03 - 01:48 PM

Oh, excellent, McGrath and everyone. I'm sure my words aren't singable -- they're pretty literal but are a springboard for anyone who wants to create an English version of the song. Still haven't found my Ital-English dictionary but "it's around here somewhere."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Ferrara
Date: 06 Nov 03 - 02:12 PM

Okay, Bill saved the midi and I've played it. He suggested bringing it into Noteworthy Composer which will reconstruct the sheet music, at least for the melody. NOW I can think about singing it.

To my mind the midi is a bit too fast.

The more I read the song, the more ideas come to mind about the translation. For example, the last line now seems to be saying, "It's father! And he is returning almost a hero!" or, "sort of a hero," not sure I've found the right wording yet.

My father often quoted an Italian proverb to me: "Traddittore, Tradduttore" which means "Translator, Traitor/Betrayer" but doesn't have the neat sound in English. Hard not to be a traitor to the true meaning.

I wonder whether canton was the Italian word for the camp? To the interned soldiers it would be "Lager" because that's the word they heard every day, but when mamma talks to Carlotta she might use an Italian word? I remember the word "cantonment" as a military installation of some sort but don't know what sort. I've GOT to find that dictionary!

McGrath & Joe Offer, see what you've done to my mind! Now it's an obsession. Sigh.... Caught by the Mudcat. Again. Good though.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Nov 03 - 02:38 PM

as if he were victor(ious)?

"lager" I would make out more to be "compound" - or even "prison yard" wheareas "canton" would be the camp

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 06 Nov 03 - 02:40 PM

Rita? any chance you can send me the mid? I'm blocked from the original site (surprise...seems like I'm blocked from ANTHING interesting...)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Ferrara
Date: 06 Nov 03 - 04:21 PM

Mmario, it's on its way.

Guest, good suggestions. I'm not familiar at all with the word Lager.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 06 Nov 03 - 04:25 PM

wow! much "bouncier" tune then I expected.

whoops!   that was me re: lager

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 06 Nov 03 - 05:42 PM

I think what's needed is both a literal translation and a version adjusted for singing.

I've tried a work-in-progress version to fit the jaunty tune. It's fairly, free, but most of the bits are there, turned around. I didn't make any effort to keep the rhyme scheme. Translating is always a matter of making compromises. Anyway, here is the first half, which is all I've done so far (and still needs tweaking to fit the tune in places. And I wondered whether "throne" might be better than chair in the last lkien of the first verse - to give the same effect of royal authority that "La Carlottina" suggests to me. This is, after all, "The Duchess" from "The House that Nino Built".):

On a dull grey morning, here in the prison yard,
The wind it blows so coldly, it's enough to freeze the heart.
But in the country of the sun, all is light and warmth
There on her tiny chair, little Carlotta waits.
Mamma promised "Cross my heart,
Papa is coming home, some day he's coming home
And you'll be waiting here, so very very very good,
Looking out for him, face towards the camp."

Sitting on her balcony Carlotta's looking out
Is "Papa" coming soon, whom she has never seen?
She's a little worried, it is all a little much,
With her bottle in her mouth, she gives a sigh…

Who knows what he'll be like?
This so very famous man who married my Mamma
Perhaps he'll have a beard, such a chubby little man
With a pipe, a cane, and spectacles that dangle there on a cord

Who knows indeed? This rascal of a Papa…

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 06 Nov 03 - 07:39 PM

And here's a go at the last bit of the first bit -

The sun sets on the city, blue twilight's all around.
You won't be seeing Papa today, in prison he is bound.
The little eyes are drooping, "Tomorrow he'll be here…".
Goodbye, baby bottle" - and she's asleep

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Menolly
Date: 06 Nov 03 - 08:26 PM

Can't help with the song but !!!

Love the books! Found another translation copy in a second hand bookshop, a few years ago about building a house for his family. To keep the doors in the hall evenly spaced - door to main bedroom had "you" squeezing in sidesways.   Not much makes me roll on the floor laughing - but this did!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 06 Nov 03 - 08:46 PM

That'd be "The House that Nino Built", I think - only a few of the stories from that are online on The Little World of Giovanni Guareschi.   Put online by a young man in India - so it's not such a little world, in one sense anyaway.

There are two sorts of people - those who love Giovanni Guareschi, and his Don Camollo and Peppone, and people who have never heard of them.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 07 Nov 03 - 05:02 PM

Right, heres's a more worked on work-in-progress. It fits the tune.

I'm not too sure of some of the words in the last verse, but the sense is there, I think:

On a dull grey empty morning, in the prison yard,
The wind it blows so cold, it is enough to freeze the heart.
But still somewhere there's sunshine, the sun is shining so warm
There on her tiny chair, my little Carlotta waits.
Mamma has promised "Cross my heart, Papa is coming home,
Some day he's coming home, he'll soon be coming home
And you'll be waiting here, so very very very good,
Keep watch for him, keep looking towards the camp."

So sitting on her balcony Carlotta's looking out
Is "Papa" coming soon, this man she's never met?
She's just a little worried, it is all a little much,
She chews her baby bottle, and gives a sigh.

"Who knows what he'll be like?
This so very famous man who married my Mamma
P'raps he'll have a beard, a chubby little man
A pipe, a cane, and glasses, dangling upon a cord

Who knows indeed? That rascally Papa…"

The sun's set on the city now, blue twilight's all around.
You'll not see him today, in prison he is bound.
The little eyes are drooping now, "Tomorrow he'll be here,
So, goodbye, baby bottle…" and she's asleep

The prison camp is silent, cold, it's useless, amd it's dead
The huts and towers are empty now, the guards they all have fled
And out there where there is sunshine, the sun is shining so warm
There on her tiny chair, little Carlotta waits.
Mamma has promised "Cross my heart, Papa is coming home,
Some day he's coming home, he'll soon be coming home
And you'll be waiting here, so very very very good,
Keep watch for him, keep looking towards the camp."

So sitting on her balcony Carlotta's looking out
Is "Papa" coming soon, this man she's never met?
She's just a little worried, it is all a little much,
She chews her baby bottle, and gives a sigh

"Who knows what he'll be like?
This so very famous man who married my Mamma
P'raps he'll have a beard, a chubby little man -
A pipe, a cane, and glasses, dangling upon a cord

Who knows indeed? That rascally Papa…"

And then around the corner comes a soldier from the war
A shining silver helmet, and on his breast a star
His tunic is bright blue, and all his buttons gleaming gold:
Papa is home. Papa has won the war.

As I was putting this together, I kept on remembering meeting my own father for the first time. (Well, I couldn't remember seeing him as a baby), when he came home from the war, and he came up the stairs and said hello.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Nov 03 - 09:20 PM

Wasn't there a TV series with Brian Blessed as Peppone?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Lanfranc
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 12:29 PM

There was a TV series in the 70s(?) 80s(?), but it wasn't Brian Blessed. I think it was an Italian actor called Aldo somethingorother.

Off to do some research, back in a while.

Alan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: GUEST,camillofan
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 08:51 PM

Hi, all.

It's Karen (aka camillofan on most forums), the Don Camillo webmaster who put up the "Carlotta" lyrics that Kevin has brought to your attention. I also made that possibly-too-brisk midi you've been listening to. I was playing from the original sheet music, which didn't specify a tempo; my guess at one was based one two things I got to hear when I was in Italy: first, Alberto Guareschi whistling a bit of the song (!); and second, a proper recording of some of the *other* songs by Arturo Coppola (the composer of the tune) and Guareschi written during that time in the prison camp. (Incidentally, I've also midi-ized one of those songs. Called "Attesa," it, too, is very much of its time, musically speaking. I can put it online if anyone's interested.)

Anyhow, back to the tempo issue. Once the "Carlotta" midi was done, I wrote to Alberto and Carlotta and asked them to listen to it and comment on the tempo. Unfortunately, they were between computers, and it was months before they got around to to checking it out. When they finally did, Alberto told me that some of their father's companions from those days in the Lager were actually with them at the time and enjoyed hearing the song. He didn't say anything about the tempo, which I probably over-optimistically took as a tacit endorsement. Maybe I should ask outright again.

Oh, and about the TV show: there was, indeed, a Don Camillo TV series on the BBC in the early 80s. Mario Adorf played Don Camillo, and Brian Blessed was Peppone. Those were the first days of home video recording, and there are probably tapes of the series out there somewhere, but the BBC has never made it available commercially.

camillofan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 10 Nov 03 - 05:38 AM

Welcome Karen - thanks for dropping in here. That's a great site you've got. And this is a lovely song.

Actually, I don't think the tempo you used is too fast. I think there's maybe an instinct to expect that a song originating in a prison camp would need to be at a solemn pace, but it's not how it seems to have worked in practice in camps, from all I've heard.

To be adopted as a camp favourite it'd need to have been capable of cheering people up. The whole song is one which would be likewly anyone in that situation -"All right, it's a bit rough right now - but before too long we'll be getting back home and seeing our families.

I've listened to it, Oh, I don't know how many times, in the process of adjusting the words in my (hopefully singable) paraphrase of Rita's literal translation, so that they fit - and the more I hear it the more it seems to me that the tempo you've got fits the song.
Anyway if anybody wants to sing it slower, that's no problem? A good song can be sung any number of ways. And this is a good song. (The original is anyway - whether my version works is something to find out. And it still needs a bit of adjusting I think.) The main thing for a song is for people to sing it.

Now I'm trying to work out chords to use so I can sing it myself some time. If anybody out there has any suggestions, I'd be grateful. That second line is tricky.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: camillofan
Date: 10 Nov 03 - 07:14 AM

You can always open up the midi in some songwriting program (Cakewalk or one of its ilk) and work out the chords that way... or maybe I can locate the sheet music (I put it away in a "safe" place; you know how *that* is) and read them from it.

camillofan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Wolfgang
Date: 10 Nov 03 - 10:43 AM

I don't known what an Italian associates with 'lager' but if it was in a German song the half-neutral translation 'camp' would be perfect.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 10 Nov 03 - 11:35 AM

But in fact it was a prison camp or internment camp, where Guareschi and his fellow soldiers were held by the Germans after the fall of Mussolini. I'm not that up in Italian, but I don't think it's the normal Italian word for camp. I think that using the German word rather than the italian word here would be intended to convey the type of camp it was.
...

It's lovely to hear about Alberto and Carlotta, and about Giovanni's comrades still remembering the song.

And I'd love to see and hear "Attesa" - that means "attended" doesn't it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Wolfgang
Date: 11 Nov 03 - 05:10 AM

I'm not an expert for associations in English but in German 'lager' in that context conveys the interpretation prison camp or internment camp or even concentration camp.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Ferrara
Date: 11 Nov 03 - 10:01 PM

McGrath,

Congratulations for giving this a try!

A couple of suggestions: For "But still somewhere there's sunshine, the sun is shining so warm" I'd sure like to something like, "But in the country of the sun, where all is bright and warm" because the contrast between cold (was he actually Germany) in camp, and light and warmth at home, is so poignant.

Also, myself I would prefer "Here in the prison camp" or even "in the intermnent camp" to "here in the prison yard," seems truer to the original.

These are just nit-picks though, it's lovely.

Karen, so glad you posted here. I think you've convinced me that your tempo is right!

Rita Ferrara

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 13 Nov 03 - 01:32 PM

Glad you liked it Rita - it loses something from the literal translation, but that's translations for you. But I'm fairly happy with it.

However I'm not too sure about a few lines, and it's still adjusting itself. The actual sense of some of the words were still provisional in your literal translation, Rita, so I don't want to nail down my version as yet.

As for the points you made, I don't know whether the prison camp would have been in Germany or in German occupied Italy. If the latter "paese del sol" would mean freedom, if the former Italy (as well as freedom). But either way I think you're probably right.

Prison yard or prison camp? I think I put "yard" mainly because I wanted to use a different word for "lager" and "canton", sort of inside and outside. I was envisaging the wind blowing across the exercise yard. And yard somehow sounded bleaker. Also internees often get do get held in prison-like buildings rather than camps, and I felt that in the first line it felt right to make it more inclusive that way. But the main reason was to give me a partial rhyme, heart and yard.

Actually I think I'm likely going to end up with two slightly different singable versions - one to fit the original tune, and one to fit the way I think I'd feel more comfortable singing it, because the tune that comes out when I sing it is a little different.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 13 Nov 03 - 04:56 PM

Kevin, thanks for bringing this up.
I loved Don Camillo and still have a couple of the books.

Seamus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Nov 03 - 04:30 PM

Here's a tweaked version. Still not too sure about some of the words in the last verse, till Rita posts with the completed literal version.

tune ("open in new window")

On a dull grey empty morning, in the prison yard,
The wind it blows so cold, it is enough to freeze the heart.
But in the country of the sun, where all is bright and warm,
Sitting on her tiny chair, Carlotta waits alone
Mamma has promised "Cross my heart, Papa is coming home,
Some day he's coming home, he'll soon be coming home
And you'll be waiting here for him,, so very very good,
Keep watch for him, keep looking towards the camp."

So sitting on her balcony Carlotta's looking out
Is "Papa" coming soon, this man she's never met?
She's just a little worried, it is all a little much,
She chews her baby bottle, and gives a sigh.

"Who knows what he'll be like?
This oh so famous man who married my Mamma
P'raps he'll have a 'tache, p'raps he'll have a beard,
A pipe, a cane, and spectacles, that dangle there upon a cord

Who knows indeed? That rascally Papa…"

The sun's set on the city now, blue twilight's all around.
"You'll not see him today, in prison he is bound."
Her little eyes are drooping now, "Tomorrow he'll be here,
So, goodbye, baby bottle…" and she's asleep

The prison camp is silent now, so useless, and so dead
The huts and towers are empty now, the guards they all have fled -
But in the country of the sun, where all is bright and warm
Sitting on her tiny chair, Carlotta waits alone
Mamma has promised "Cross my heart, Papa is coming home,
Some day he's coming home, he'll soon be coming home
And you'll be waiting here for him, so very very good,
Keep watch for him, keep looking towards the camp."

So sitting on her balcony Carlotta's looking out
Is "Papa" coming soon, this man she's never met?
She's just a little worried, it is all a little much,
She chews her baby bottle, and gives a sigh

"Who knows what he'll be like?
This oh so famous man who married my Mamma
P'raps he'll have a 'tache, p'raps he'll have a beard,
A pipe, a cane, and spectacles, that dangle there upon a cord

Who knows indeed? That rascally Papa…"

And then around the corner comes a soldier from the war
A shining silver helmet, and on his breast a star
His tunic is bright blue, and all his buttons gleaming gold.
"Papa is home. Papa has won the war."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 21 Dec 03 - 03:25 PM

As I thought I might, I've ended up having two singable verses - the one in the last post, which fits the original tune, and this one which has changed things round a bit, not that much, but it felt more comfortable for my way of singing. (In my last verse I had the father coming home a bit more dcruffy than Giovanni's - I hope that's all right):

And here is a link to a RealAudio streaming sound file of this version:

On a dull grey empty morning, here in the prison yard,
There's a cold wind blows acros the camp, enough to freeze the heart.
But in the country of the sun, all is bright and warm,
Sitting on her tiny chair, Carlotta waits alone.
Mamma has promised "Cross my heart, Papa is coming home,
Some day he's coming home, he'll soon be coming home
And you'll be waiting here for him, you'll be as good as gold,
Watch out for him, you'll see him when he comes."

So sitting on her balcony Carlotta's looking out
Is "Papa" coming soon, this man she's never met?
She's just a little worried, it is all a little much,
She chews her baby bottle, and gives a sigh.

"Who knows what he'll be like?
This oh so famous man who married my Mamma.
Perhaps he'll have a moustache, perhaps he'll have a beard,
A pipe, a cane, and spectacles, that dangle on a cord..."

The sun's set on the city now, blue twilight's all around.
You'll not see him today, in prison he is bound.
The little eyes are drooping now, "Tomorrow he'll be here,
So, goodbye, baby bottle…" and she's asleep

The prison camp's deserted now, it's useless, amd it's dead
The huts and towers are empty now, the guards they all have fled
But in the country of the sun, all is bright and warm,
Sitting on her balcony, Carlotta waits alone.
Mamma she promised "Cross my heart, Papa is coming home,
Some day he's coming home, he'll soon be coming home
And you'll be waiting here for him, you'll be as good as gold,
Watch out for him, you'll see him when he comes."

So sitting on her balcony Carlotta's looking out
Is "Papa" coming soon, this man she's never met?
She's just a little tired, it's been so very long,
She bites her lip, and gives another sigh

"Who knows what he'll be like?
This oh so famous man who married my Mamma.
Perhaps he'll have a moustache, perhaps he'll have a beard,
A pipe, a cane, and spectacles, that dangle on a cord..."

And then around the corner comes a soldier from the war
A ragged knapsack on his back, and on his breast a star
His jacket's torn and tattered, but his buttons shine like gold:
Papa is home. Papa has won the war.

"Who knows what he'll be like?
This not so famous man who married my Mamma.
I see he's a moustache, I see he's got a beard,
A pipe, a cane, and spectacles, that dangle on a cord..."

Mamma she promised "Cross my heart, Papa is coming home,
Some day he's coming home, he'll soon be coming home
And you'll be waiting here for him, you'll be as good as gold,
Watch out for him, you'll see him when he comes."

December 2003

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Don Camillo song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 22 Dec 03 - 02:32 PM

That should have been "two singable versions", not "two singable verses" in that last post of mine.