La Canzone Di Marinella Lyrics in English Fabrizio De André

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song La Canzone Di Marinella by Fabrizio De André from Italian to English.
This is Marinella's true story
Who slipped into the river in spring
But the wind that saw her so lovely
Carried her from the river onto a star
Alone, without the memory of any pain
You lived without the dream of love
But a king with no crown and no guard
Knocked three times on your door one day
His hat is white like the moon
His cloak is red like love
You followed him for no reason
Like a kid follows a kite
And the sun was out and your eyes were lovely
He kissed your lips and your hair
The moon was up and your eyes were tired
He laid his hands on your hips
There were kisses and there were smiles
Then there were only the cornflowers
That watched with the eyes of the stars
Your skin quivering to the wind and to kisses
They say that as you were coming back
You somehow slipped into the river
And he, who wouldn't believe you dead
Knocked at your door for a hundred more years
This is your song, Marinella
Because you flew up to the sky on a star
And like all the most beautiful things
You lived just one day, like roses
And like all the most beautiful things
You lived just one day, like roses
Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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SONG MEANING

“La Canzone di Marinella” paints a bittersweet fairy-tale around a true, tragic event. Fabrizio De André turns the story of a young girl who mysteriously falls into a river into a luminous ballad where nature, stars and a wandering king all conspire to give her a final moment of love and wonder. By wrapping harsh reality in poetic imagery, he lets Marinella live a dreamlike romance: she follows a crownless king “like a boy follows a kite,” exchanges kisses under sun and moon, and seems to bloom for a single, perfect day—just like a rose.

Yet the song’s tenderness hides a sorrowful core. After that fleeting day, Marinella slips back into the river, her fate sealed. The king’s endless knocking on her door symbolizes love’s refusal to accept death, while the refrain reminds us that the most beautiful things are often the most ephemeral. De André invites listeners to cherish fragile beauty, question social indifference, and feel compassion for every unvoiced Marinella who deserved more than a moment in the sun.

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