Self Mortification

Here, where the sea shimmers
And the wind gusts strongly
On an old terrace
In front of the Gulf of Sorrento

A man embraces a girl
After she had cried
Then clears his throat (lit: whitens his voice)
And begins the song again

Chorus:
I love you very much
So much, so much, you know
It is a bond from now on
That frees the blood inside the veins, you know

He saw the lights in the middle of the sea
He thought of the nights there in America
But they were only the fishermen's lamps
And the white wake from a propeller

He felt the pain in the music
He rose from the piano
But when he saw the moon emerging from a cloud
Even death seemed sweeter to him

He looked the girl in the eyes
Those eyes, green like the sea
Then suddenly a tear fell
And he believed he was drowning

{Chorus}

The power of opera
Where every drama is a hoax
With a little make-up and with mimicry
You are able to become another

But two eyes that look at you
So close and real
Make you forget the words
Confuse your thoughts

Thus everything becomes small
Even the nights there in America
You turn and see your life
Like the wake from a propeller

But it is life itself that ends
But he did not think about it much then
On the contrary, he was already feeling happy
And began his song again

{Chorus} x 2

Lucio Dalla, "Caruso" (1986)