L'italiano Lyrics in English by Toto Cutugno

Home / Lyrics translation / Toto Cutugno / L'italiano

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song L'italiano by Toto Cutugno from Italian to English.

These lyrics have verified word for word translations. Click any lyric word to see the translation and hear the pronunciation!

Intro

Let me sing

With the guitar in hand

Let me sing

I'm an Italian

Verse 1

Good morning, Italy, with your spaghetti al dente

Al dente - cooked firm, just right

And a partisan as president

Alessandro 'Sandro' Pertini was an Italian socialist politician who served as the president of Italy from 1978 to 1985

With the car radio always in my right hand

Referring to keeping the car radio in your hand so that it won't get stolen

And a canary above the window

Good morning Italy with your artists

In Italian the word 'buongiorno' literally translates to the English 'good day', but since in English people rarely say 'good day', it is equivalent to the English 'good morning'

With too much America on posters

With songs, with love, with heart

With more women, always fewer nuns

Or: With more women fewer and fewer nuns

Good morning Italy, good morning Maria

With eyes full of melancholy

Good morning, God

You know that I'm here too

Chorus 1

Let me sing

With the guitar in hand

Let me sing

A song, slowly, slowly

Let me sing

Because I'm proud of it

Or: Because I'm one of those proud people

I'm an Italian

A true Italian

Or: A real Italian

Verse 2

Good morning Italy that doesn't get scared

And with mint shaving cream

With a blue pinstripe suit

And the slow-motion replay on Sunday on TV

A Moviola is a device that allows a film editor to view a film while editing

Good morning Italy with your strong coffee

Or: Good morning Italy with the strong coffee / short coffee

The new socks in the top drawer

With the flag at the dry cleaners

And a Fiat 600 with beat-up bodywork

Or: And a (Fiat) 600 (car) broken down / with a down-looking body

Good morning Italy, good morning Maria

With eyes full of melancholy

Good morning, God

You know that I'm here too

Chorus 2

Let me sing

With the guitar in hand

Let me sing

A song, slowly, slowly

Let me sing

Because I'm proud of it

I'm an Italian

A true Italian

Chorus 3

Let me sing

With the guitar in hand

Let me sing

A song, slowly, slowly

Let me sing

Because I'm proud of it

I'm an Italian

A true Italian

Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing

Cristiano Minellono, Salvatore Cutugno

Did you like this lyrics translation?

moviola — slow-motion replay

Moviola is a classic Italian word for a slow-motion replay, especially used for analyzing key moments in a soccer match.

In the song, Toto Cutugno sings about watching "la moviola la domenica in tivù" (the slow-motion replay on Sunday TV), painting a perfect picture of a classic Italian weekend ritual. It's a nostalgic and culturally rich word that captures a slice of life you won't find in a textbook!

Toto Cutugno just wants you to let him sing with his guitar in hand (Lasciatemi cantare con la chitarra in mano), and what follows is a proud, funny, snapshot of daily life in Italy. He greets his homeland countryman-style with Buongiorno Italia (Good morning, Italy) and immediately lists the little details that make up his world: perfectly cooked pasta (gli spaghetti al dente), mint shaving cream (la crema da barba alla menta), and strong espresso (caffè ristretto). He notices the rapid modernization around him, pointing out that there is too much American influence on local billboards (troppa America sui manifesti) and fewer nuns around (più donne sempre meno suore), yet he embraces all of it with a wink.

The lyrics are packed with very specific cultural references from that era. When Cutugno sings about a partisan as president (un partigiano come presidente), he refers to Sandro Pertini, the beloved Italian president who fought in the anti-fascist resistance. He pokes fun at the routine of carrying a detachable car radio in your right hand (con l'autoradio sempre nella mano destra) so nobody steals it, watching slow-motion soccer replays on Sunday television (la moviola la domenica in tivù), and driving an old Fiat 600 with battered bodywork (una Seicento giù di carrozzeria). Through all the melancholic eyes (occhi pieni di malinconia) and dry-cleaned flags, he declares loudly that he is un italiano vero (a real Italian).

Did you know?

In addition to reading lyric translations, you can now learn Italian with music and lyrics from your favorite artists.

Yes, including L'italiano by Toto Cutugno!

No more boring lessons. You can now learn with engaging and culturally relevant lyrics from the best artists.

Toto Cutugno L'italiano Lyrics