Il pescatore – Bilingual Lyrics Italian/English

• By: Fabrizio De André

Lyrics & Translation

Learning Italian through Fabrizio De André's “Il pescatore” offers a unique window into poetic and allegorical storytelling. The song's clear narrative and recurring simple, yet profound, phrases provide an excellent opportunity to grasp key vocabulary related to human needs and emotions. What makes this song special is its powerful message of empathy and its two distinct musical identities: the gentle original and the energetic live version, both beloved in Italian culture.

[English]

In the shadow of the last sun

A fisherman had fallen asleep

And he had a furrow along his face

Like a kind of smile

A murderer came to the beach

Two big eyes like a child’s

Two enormous eyes of fear

They were the mirrors of an adventure

...

And he asked the old man, give me bread

...

I have little time and too much hunger

And he asked the old man, give me wine

I am thirsty and I am a murderer

...

The old man opened his eyes to the day

He didn’t even look around

But he poured the wine and broke the bread

For those who said I am thirsty and I am hungry

...

And it was the warmth of a moment

Then off again towards the wind

Before his eyes still the sun

Behind his back a fisherman

...

Behind his back a fisherman

And the memory is already pain

It is already the regret of an April

Played in the shadow of a courtyard

...

Two gendarmes rode up

They rode up with their weapons

They asked the old man if nearby

A murderer had passed by

...

But in the shadow of the last sun

The fisherman had fallen asleep

And he had a furrow along his face

Like a kind of smile

And he had a furrow along his face

Like a kind of smile

...

[Italian]

All'ombra dell'ultimo sole

S'era assopito un pescatore

E aveva un solco lungo il viso

Come una specie di sorriso

Venne alla spiaggia un assassino

Due occhi grandi da bambino

Due occhi enormi di paura

Eran gli specchi di un'avventura

E chiese al vecchio dammi il pane

Ho poco tempo e troppa fame

E chiese al vecchio dammi il vino

Ho sete e sono un assassino

Gli occhi dischiuse il vecchio al giorno

Non si guardò neppure intorno

Ma versò il vino e spezzò il pane

Per chi diceva ho sete e ho fame

E fu il calore di un momento

Poi via di nuovo verso il vento

Davanti agli occhi ancora il sole

Dietro alle spalle un pescatore

Dietro alle spalle un pescatore

E la memoria è già dolore

È già il rimpianto d'un aprile

Giocato all'ombra di un cortile

Vennero in sella due gendarmi

Vennero in sella con le armi

Chiesero al vecchio se lì vicino

Fosse passato un assassino

Ma all'ombra dell'ultimo sole

S'era assopito il pescatore

E aveva un solco lungo il viso

Come una specie di sorriso

E aveva un solco lungo il viso

Come una specie di sorriso

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
pescatore /peskaˈtoːre/ B1	noun - fisherman
sole /ˈso.le/ A2	noun - sun
sorriso /soˈrri.zo/ A2	noun - smile
paura /ˈpa.u.ra/ B1	noun - fear
pane /ˈpa.ne/ A1	noun - bread
vino /ˈvi.no/ A2	noun - wine
calore /kaˈlo.re/ B2	noun - heat
momento /moˈmen.to/ B1	noun - moment
venti /ˈven.ti/ B2	noun - winds
memoria /meˈmo.rja/ B2	noun - memory
rimpianto /rimˈpjan.to/ C1	noun - regret
gendarmi /ʤenˈdar.mi/ B2	noun - gendarmes (police officers)
assassino /as.saˈsi.no/ B2	noun - assassin

Key Grammar Structures

• All'ombra dell'ultimo sole

  ➔ Use of the preposition + article + noun ('all'ombra dell'ultimo sole') to indicate 'in the shade of the last sun'.

  ➔ The phrase 'All'ombra' combines the preposition 'a' with 'l'ombra' to mean 'in the shadow'.

• S'era assopito un pescatore

  ➔ Reflexive verb in imperfect tense ('s'era assopito') indicating the fisherman was dozing.

  ➔ 'S'era' is the imperfect tense of 'essere' (to be), used with a reflexive pronoun to describe ongoing or repeated past actions.

• Come una specie di sorriso

  ➔ Simile to 'like a kind of smile' using 'come' (like/as) + noun phrase.

  ➔ 'Come' means 'like' or 'as' in Italian, used here to compare the scarred face to a smile.

• Gli occhi grandi da bambino

  ➔ Use of 'da' + noun to specify characteristics ('da bambino' = 'like a child').

  ➔ 'Da' indicates 'like' or 'as' when describing the eyes as 'big like a child's'.

• E aveva un solco lungo il viso

  ➔ Use of 'un solco lungo il viso' ('a scar running along the face') to describe a facial scar or line.

  ➔ Literally 'a furrow along the face,' indicating a scar or deep line marking on the face.