This song by Lucio is dedicated to Caruso, who was an acclaimed Italian operatic singer
And the wind blows hard
Lucio Dalla stayed some time in the same hotel where Caruso spent some time before dying
On an old terrace
A few years before he died, Caruso met and wed a woman 20 years his junior, Dorothy, whom Lucio Dalla describes in this song. He had a daughter with her named Gloria
In front of the Gulf of Sorrento
Sorrento (Surriento in the Neapolitan language) is a town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy, where this song was written
A man hugs a girl
After she had cried
Then he clears his throat
Lit: And then he clears his voice
And recommences the song
Or: And starts to sing again
I love you so much
Lit: I wish you well. Also, this is using Neapolitan dialect, as standard Italian would be: 'ti voglio bene'
But so so much you know
It's a chain now
That melts the blood inside your veins you know
He saw the lights in the middle of the sea
He thought of the nights there in America
Caruso had problems with Italian opera houses, but gained more fame and success in the United States, which is why we see mentions of America in this song
But they were only fishing lights
And the white wake of a propeller
He felt the pain in the music
He got up from the piano
But when he saw the moon come out of a cloud
Even death seemed sweet to him
He looked into the girl's eyes
Those eyes green like the sea
Then suddenly a tear came out
Or: Then suddenly a tear fell
And he thought he drowned
I love you so much
In Italian, I love you said with 'Ti voglio bene' is generally not used in a romantic context. However, in Neapolitan, where this song originates, it's often used romantically
But so so much you know
Or: But very very much, you know
It's a chain now
That melts the blood inside your veins you know
The power of the lyric
Or: The power of opera
Where every drama is a fake
That with a little makeup and with mimicry
Or: With a little make-up and facial expressions
You can become another
Or: You can become someone else
But two eyes that look at you
So close and true
It makes you forget the words
They confuse thoughts
So everything becomes small
Even the nights there in America
You turn around and see your life
Like the wake of a propeller
But yes, it's life that ends
But he didn't think about it much
Rather he already felt happy
And he recommenced his song
I love you so much
Usually in Italian, 'ti amo' is reserved for romantic love, while 'ti voglio bene' is used in a non-romantic context, such as family and friends