ADD: The Wife (la Mogliera) (from Lou Monte)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wife (la Mogliera) (from Lou Monte)
From: Monique
Date: 11 Dec 09 - 02:04 PM

I found a whole version in Italian on line and translated it as well as I could -it's literal! You can hear it here.

Io voglio riturna' a lu mio paese
perche' voglio truva' na bella sposa
na sposa molto semplice e cortese
che non mi faccia troppo scumpari'
a lu cumpare ho chiesto nu cunsiglio
m'ha detto attento a come te la pigli        
se te la pigli senza niente
fai la figura de nu pezzente
se te la pigli ricca assai
chi comanda non lo sai
se te la pigli troppo brutta
poi ti rimane la bocca asciutta
se te la pigli troppo bella
ti ci vo' la sentinella
in ogni modo ogni manera
ih, che guaio e' la mogliera

lu mio cumpare e' nu cirvello fino
e' un uomo che ha girato il mondo sano
pero' co' sta faccenda me ruvina
e intanto una mugliera ho da trova'
e stu cunsiglio tutti m'hanno dato
attento a chi ti porta dal curato
se te la pigli troppo grassa
tutta la casa poi ti sconquassa
se te la pigli secca secca
poi t'abbracci cu na stecca
se te la pigli piccerella
dopo le gira le cirivella
se te la pigli cittadina
piano piano ti rovina
in ogni modo ogni manera
ih, che guaio e' la mogliera

se te la pigli senza niente
fai la figura de nu pezzente
se te la pigli ricca assai
chi comanda non lo sai
se te la pigli troppo brutta
poi ti rimane la bocca asciutta
se te la pigli troppo bella
ti ci vo' la sentinella
se te la pigli troppo grassa
tutta la casa poi ti sconquassa
se te la pigli secca secca
poi t'abbracci cu na stecca
se te la pigli piccerella
dopo le gira le cirivella
se te la pigli cittadina
piano piano ti rovina
in ogni modo ogni manera
ih, che guaio e' la mogliera
in ogni modo ogni manera
ih, che guaio e' la mogliera...

I want to go back to my country
because I want to find a beautiful wife
a very simple and nice wife
that wouldn't put me too much in the shade.
I asked an advice to my friend
he said "be careful of how you catch/take her
if you catch/take her without anything
you'll look like a peasant
if you catch/take her very rich
who rules, you won't know
if you catch/take her too ugly
then you'll remain with a dry mouth
if you catch/take her too beautiful
you'll need a sentry.
in every way, every manner
what a trouble a wife is!"

my friend is a fine mind
he's a man who tripped around the sane world
but this matter's destroying me
nonetheless I must find a wife
and they all gave me this advice
be careful to who you'll bring to the priest's
if you catch/take her too fat
then she'll tear your house down
if you catch/take her very thin
then you'll hug a stick
if you catch/take her tiny
she'll get dizzy
if you catch a city dweller
slowly, slowly she'll ruin you ...
in every way, every manner
what a trouble a wife is!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wife (la Mogliera) (from Lou Monte)
From: GUEST,999
Date: 11 Dec 09 - 12:11 AM

There's a thread at this site that may help.

It takes about 30 seconds to load.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wife (la Mogliera) (from Lou Monte)
From: GUEST,Tommaso
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 11:58 AM

Great job with the lyrics to 'La Mogliera'. Only correction I'd suggest is with "Ci vola sentinella". I believe it means that if one catches a real beauty, one will need a guard/sentinel. "Ci vuol un sentinella".

Subject: Lyr Add: THE WIFE (LA MOGLIERA) (from Lou Monte)
From: GUEST,Bennybuster
Date: 07 Jan 07 - 10:09 PM

Hi Jim! :-)
First of all, thanks so much for the info.... I never knew that about the song.

Secondly, yes there are English verses as well, which I will type. Oddly enough, I saw my sister-in-law today who is fluent in Italian and I had her listen to it. I was misunderstanding what he was saying....so here goes the English and the translation of the Italian words :-)

"THE WIFE (LA MOGLIERA)"

I have traveled to so many places and so many things have caught my eye.
Women have so many shapes and faces, there's a special one for every guy.
So listen to the good advice I give you,
then you'll know just what is on the menu:

Se te la piglia senza niente, fa la figura delu paziente
(If you catch a poor one, you'll be like a peasant)
Se te la piglia ricc' assai, che domanda..non lo sai
(If you catch a rich one, she'll ask, but you don't know)
Se te la piglia troppa brutta, tutta rimane la bocc'asciutt
(If you catch an ugly one, you'll be left with a dry mouth)
Se te la piglia troppa bella, ma ci vola sentinella
(If you catch a real beauty, she'll want to fly like a bird)???

Once I met a girl so shy and pretty and I chose her for my bride to be.
Then one day she packed and left the city, taking all my dough and jewelry.
Since that day, I've gathered so much knowledge,
These are things they don't teach you in college:

Se te la piglia troppa grassa, tutta la casa po disconguassa
(If you catch an obese one, she squash the house)
Se te la piglia troppa secca, po abbraccia con a stecca
(If you catch a skinny one, you'll be hugging a stick)
Se te la piglia picerella, dopo da gira la cerevella
(If you marry a tiny one, she'll make you dizzy)
Se te la piglia cittadino, piano piano te rovina
(If you catch a native, slowly slowly she'll ruin you)

Well, there it is. It is funnier in Italian for some reason...I guess it's because of the literal translation to English that makes it lose its comical undertones.
Thanks again for getting back to me with the info and Happy New Year!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lou Monte's 'The Wife (la Mogliera)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 06 Jan 07 - 11:35 PM

For what it's worth, I was able to find out that LA MOGLIERA was written by by Eldo Di Lazzaro and C. Da Vinci, and it was a hit in Italy in 1951, sung by Quartetto Stars. (Information from here.)

It may have also been sung by Aurelio Fierro.

Eldo Di Lazzaro composed music for several Italian films between 1940 and 1947. (Information from The Internet Movie Database (IMDb).

Bennybuster: Does the song, as sung by Lou Monte, have some English verses as well as Italian? If so, could you give us the English verses, too?

Subject: Lyr Add: The Wife / la Mogliera (Lou Monte)
From: GUEST,bennybuster
Date: 04 Jan 07 - 09:12 PM

I was wondering if anyone is familiar with this song by Lou Monte called "The Wife (La Mogliera)"? I am looking for the Italian stanzas in this song in particular. I speak some Italian, but am not fluent enough to understand what he's saying. I will do the best that I can to write these words down....some may be phonetically spelled. I know that it's comical and that he's talking about seven daughters all with different qualities, again I can get the meaning from most, but not all. For those who can understand it...you'll get a good laugh (especially bocc'asciutto) Thanks in advance! Here goes:

Sette la figlia senza niente
fa la figura del lu paziente

Sette la figlia ricca assai
che domanda, non lo sai!

Sette la figlia troppa brutta
tutta rimane la bocc'asciutto

sette la figlia troppa bella
ma ci vuola sentinella

Sette la figlia troppa grassa
tutta la casa po disconquassa (????)

Sette la figlia troppa secca
po d'abbraccia con a stecca

Sette la figlia pecirelle
dopo da gira la giravella (or cerevella???)

Sette la figlia gettarino
piano, piano del'Romina (or terr omina??)