I am trying to find the full lyrics to a beautiful Italian lullabye that I heard on an album by The Gaylords back in the 1950s or early 1960s and learned (to the extent that I could without having any background in Italian at the time).   
I mentioned the song and posted what I could recall of the lyrics in a "Favorite Lullabyes" thread here .

One of our anonymous "Guest" posters (bless him or her) posted some of the missing lyrics here.

However, the words posted by "Guest" sound a little different from my auditory memory of the song. In particular, I heard "tieni," not "tenga," and I heard more syllables in the last two lines.

I've done quite a bit of internet searching but I can't find the song so far. I'd like to know if the origin (e.g., songwriters) is known, etc.


Here is what I've been able to piece together so far:

DORMI, DORMI
(recorded by The Gaylords ca. 1954)

Cho.:
Dormi, dormi,
Dormi, dormi,
Dormi, do-o-o-o-or-mi.

Close your eyes, little baby of mine,
And your mother will sing you to sleep.
Oh, the sweetest of dreams you will find,
Dreams that only a baby can keep.
All too soon you'll be baby no more,
And your mother will silently weep
Till the joy of a dream that's in store
When you rock your own baby to sleep.

Ti di ni, ti di na,
Che bella figlia che tieni Mama,
Y la mama non compra piu
bella figlia come tu,

Dormi, dormi, ...


As I translate it (in my imperfect Italian), the lyrics say:

Ti di ni, ti di na (tra la la or hey nonny nonny or sha na na)
Che bella figlia che tieni Mama (What a beautiful daughter* Mama holds!)
Y la mama non compra piu bella figlia come tu (And mama coudn't buy a more beautiful daughter than you).


*or "son" if you sing "figlio"




So if anyone has corrections or additions, I would really appreciate them.

Genie