Don Raffaè [English translation]

My name is Pasquale Cafiero

And I’m an officer in oinè prision

My name is Cafiero Pasquale

I’m in poggioreale since ‘53

At the last chain

At night I feel like a clothe

Luckily at the special division

There’s a brilliant man that talks to me.

All the day with four criminals, villainous, horned and bad men

Every hour with these trash

That spits coursing and that gets angry with me

But at the end I relax

I undress and I read the newspaper

I talk with mr. Raffae

He tells me what he thinks and we drink a coffee

Ah, what a coffee, even in prision they know how to make it

With the receipt of cicirinella

Prision mate, that was given by his mother

IN the first page, twenty pieces of news

Twenty one injustices and what does the state do?

It gets angry, it dismays, it tries

Then gives up with great dignity

I try to think, I sweat

Luckily there’s who talks to me

This beautiful and huge man, I ask for consent to mr. Raffae

A gentleman with six sons

He asked for a home and they give him suggestions

But the assessor, god blesses him

Inside the caravan grows minks

You just have to move, or to speak, to remove him

With respect, it’s three o clock,

Do you want some juice or do you want a coffee?

Ah, what a coffee, even in prision they know how to make it

With the receipt of cicirinella

Prision mate, that was given by his mother

Ah, what a coffee, even in prision they know how to make it

With the receipt of cicirinella

Prision mate, that was given by his mother

There’s inflaction, svalutation

And not everyone has a bag

I don’t have anything but a salary

It’s lucky if a dream

There’s also my daughter innocenza

She wants a husband, she doesn’t want to wait

I don’t ask you grace for me

Do I have to make you the beard or you do it by yourself?

You have a camel dress

At the process you were the best dressed

A brown dress

I saw in television

For this wedding I pray majesty

Can you lend me to go thee

I already have shoes and gile

Would you like a Campari or a coffe?

Ah, what a coffee, even in prision they know how to make it

With the receipt of cicirinella

Prision mate, that was given by his mother

Ah, what a coffee, even in prision they know how to make it

With the receipt of cicirinella

Prision mate, that was given by his mother

There’s no more decor, with golden prisons

Who have ever seen them

These are horrible, for this bad men keep their immunity

Mr raffae, you politically

Are a saint

But here inside you’re paying

And out there they’re having fun.

About it I have a brother

That has been disoccupied for 15 years

He did 50 competitions

90 questions and 200 processes

You that are good and caring

Majesty, I kiss you and I pray you

He sleeps with me and our mother

What a coffe

• Artist:Fabrizio De André
• Album:Le nuvole (1990)