Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Il piantatore di pellame - The Leather Planter

Uno, due, tre, quattro
Questa è la storia del piantatore di pellame
Che arriva e spiega tutto
Spiega tutto così:

Il piantatore di pellame era infelice perché
Lui non piantava il caffè perché cresceva da sé
Pensarci bene lì vicino c'era molto da far
Lui confinava con una piantagione di bar

Il piantatore di pellame un giorno si innamorò
Di una ragazza però che coltivava paltò
Il piantatore di pellame fu felice perché
Mentre le offriva il caffè entrò il suo cane
di nome Bill

Il pomeriggio ormai passava e lui era triste perché
La piantatrice di paltò non gli beveva il caffè
Il piantatore di pellame allor le chiese il perché
E lei rispose: "Col freddo non mi piace il caffè"

Il piantatore di pellame allora accese il falò
E disse: "Quando avrà caldo tolga pure il paltò"
E lei per sempre se n'è andata e lui è felice perché...
Si beve entrambi i caffè con il suo cane
di nome Bill

Il piantatore di pellame © 1970 Enzo Jannacci



One, two, three, four,
this is the story of the leather planter
who arrives and explains everything,
he explains everything thus:

The leather planter was unhappy because
He didn’t plant coffee because it grew by itself.
Thinking about it, there was a lot to do nearby.
He bordered it with a plantation of bars.

The leather planter one day fell in love
With a young girl who, however, cultivated coats.
The leather planter was happy because
While he offered her coffee, in came his dog
by the name of Bill.

The afternoon passed and he was sad because
The coat planter didn’t drink his coffee.
The leather planter then asked her the reason,
and she responded, “With the cold I don’t like coffee.”

The leather planter then lit the campfire
and said, “When it’s hot just take off the coat.”
And she left forever and he is happy because . . .
Both coffees are drunk with his dog
by the name of Bill.

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser


La mia gente is Jannacci's fourth studio album, released in 1970. After being disappointed by his showing at the 1968 Canzonissima song competition, Jannacci decided to distance himself from the world of show business and dedicate himself instead to further training in his chosen field of study, medicine. However, he was still under contract to RCA and owed them more albums. La mia gente reflects some of the bitterness and disillusionment that Jannacci felt in those years about the music world.