Avventura a Durango [English translation]

Hot chili peppers in the blistering sun,

dust on the face and on the hat

me and Maddalena in the west

we opened our eyes beyond the gate.

I gave my guitar to the baker's son

for a pizza and a rifle

I'll buy another one along the road

and I'll play for Maddalena at dusk.

Don't cry, Maddalena, God will look after us

and soon we'll get to Durango

Hold me tight, Maddalena, this desert will be over

and you'll be dancing the fandango.

After the Aztec temples and the ruins

the first stars on the Rio Grande

At night I dream of the belltower

and Ramon's neck covered in blood.

It was me, at the inn,

I pulled the trigger.

Come, my Maddalena, let's fly away

the dog is barking and what's done is done.

Don't cry, Maddalena, God will look after us

and soon we'll get to Durango

Hold me tight, Maddalena, this desert will be over

and you'll be dancing the fandango.

At the corrida with tequila and ice

we'll see the toreador touch the sky

in the shade of the old stand

where Villa used to cheer the rodeo.

The friar will pray for forgiveness,

he'll welcome us into the mission.

I'll have new boots and a golden earring

and you'll take the Holy Communion under the bridal veil.

The road is long but I can see the end,

we'll get there for the ball.

God will appear to us on the hills

with his emerald, lizard-like eyes.

Don't cry, Maddalena, God will look after us

and soon we'll get to Durango

Hold me tight, Maddalena, this desert will be over

and you'll be dancing the fandango.

What's the bang I heard?

I have a hot pain in my back.

Sit here, hold your breath:

maybe I wasn't that shrewd.

Quick Maddalena, take my gun

find the point where the flash came from.

Aim well, try to hit it,

we may never see Durango again.

Don't cry, Maddalena, God will look after us

and soon we'll get to Durango

Hold me tight, Maddalena, this desert will be over

and you'll be dancing the fandango.

• Artist:Fabrizio De André
• Album:Rimini (1978)