Amico fragile [English translation]

Evaporated in a red cloud

In one of the many embrasures of the night

With a need for love and affection

Too much "If you love me cry"

For someone to reciprocate,

It was worth it to enjoy your summer evenings

With a very simple "I remember":

To watch you rent a kilogram of grass

To the retired peasants and their women

And liberally gift oceans

And more and more waves to the sailors on duty

Until I could discover your hiding places one by one

Without regretting my credulity:

Because even since the first trench

I was more curious than you

I was much more curious than you.

And then suspended among your "How are you?"s

Astonished by less common and crueler phrases

Like "How are you my friend, my fragile friend,

If you want I can take care of you one hour per month"

"Do you know that I lost two children?"

"Ma'am you're a pretty distracted woman"

And still killed by your courtesy

Just when one of my dreams

A second row dancer

Was swinging for some unknown future

Her present of huge breasts

And her recent C-section

I thought it's beautiful that where my fingers end

A guitar might begin, in some way.

And then sitting amongst your "goodbye"s

I felt less tired than you

I was much less tired than you

I could tease the trousers of the unknown woman

Until I saw her mouth drop wide open

I could ask any of my children

To talk again negatively and loudly about me

I could barter my guitar and his helm

For a wooden box saying "We will lose".

I could ask you what's the name of your dog

Mine's been called Free for a while now.

I could hire a cannibal a day

To have him teach me my distance from the stars

I could go through litres and litres of coral

To reach a place called "Goodbye".

And it never crossed my mind

To be drunker than you

To be much drunker than you

• Artist:Fabrizio De André
• Album:La cattiva strada/Amico fragile (1974)