My son, with what eyes,
with what eyes should I look at you
with your trousers that are worn on the back
and those brand new shoes?
Son without a future,
with the eyes of a hunted animal
and those tears on the water's edge
that won't stop.
My son, with one foot still on dry ground
and the other already on the sea,
with a thin jacket to cover yourself
and a handkerchief to wave goodbye
and your money tied to your belt
so that no one can take it from you
people nowadays aren't afraid of anything,
not even to steal.
But mum, they're stealing my life
when they order me to work
for a few bucks in the fire room
below sea level
in this black black ship
which is said to be unsinkable,
in this black black ship
which is said to be unsinkable.
My son, with what eyes
and what sorrow in my heart,
now that the ship has left
and the tugboat is coming back.
My son without chains,
without a shirt1, the way you were born
on this evil Atlantic Ocean,
my son, already forgotten.
My son, you had everything
and you needed nothing else
and now you're going to confund your face
with other people's faces
and you will most likely get married
in an American brothel,
and you'll have children with a strange woman,
[children] who won't speak Italian.
But mum, to be honest
I don't know what Italian is
and even if I go halfway across the world
I know little about geography
in this black black ship
which is said to be unsinkable,
in this black black ship
which is said to be unsinkable.
1. "nato con la camicia" (born with a shirt) means born lucky