Quattro Amici Al Bar Lyrics in English Gino Paoli

Home / Lyrics Translation / Gino Paoli / Quattro Amici Al Bar

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Quattro Amici Al Bar by Gino Paoli from Italian to English.

We were four friends at the bar

Who wanted to change the world

Destined for something more

Than a woman and a job in a bank

We talked

In depth

About anarchy and freedom

Over a glass of Coke and a coffee

You pulled out your whys and put forward your I'll-do's

We were three friends at the bar

One got a job in a bank

We can still do a lot even as three

While the others stay home

We talked

In all honesty

About individuals and solidarity

Over a glass of wine and a coffee

You pulled out your whys and put forward your buts

We were two friends at the bar

One went to the seaside with his woman

Still, we're the strongest

There's no need for a crowd here

We talked

With tenacity

Of hopes and possibilities

Over a glass of whisky and a coffee

You pulled out your whys and put forward your I'll-be's

I'm the one left alone at the bar

The others are all at home

And today around three

Four kids came in

They sat there next to me with two Cokes and two coffees in front of them

I heard them chatting, they've decided to change everything

In this world that's wrong

I'm here with four friends at the bar

Who want to change the world

And then we'll meet like the stars

To drink some whisky at the Roxy Bar

Or maybe we won't meet but

Each one chasing his own troubles

And then we'll meet like the stars

To drink some whisky at the Roxy Bar

Or maybe we won't meet but

Each one chasing his own troubles

Did you like these lyrics?

SONG MEANING

Quattro Amici al Bar is a bittersweet mini-movie set in an everyday Italian café, where big dreams are poured out as casually as coffee. It begins with four fiery friends who swear they will change the world, talking about anarchia and libertà between sips of cola and espresso. As time passes, the head count quietly drops to three, then two, then one: jobs, relationships and routine tug each idealist away until only the narrator is left, nursing his whisky and memories. The shrinking circle mirrors how youthful passion can fade when “real life” calls, turning grand farò (I will do) into quieter però (but) and sarò (I will be).

Yet the song refuses to stay nostalgic. Just when solitude seems complete, four lively teenagers slide into the nearby booth with their own cokes and coffees, buzzing about fixing the broken world. Hope gets a refill, reminding us that big ideas never really disappear, they simply pass from one generation to the next. Paoli’s gentle refrain about meeting “like the stars” at the legendary Roxy Bar captures both the promise and the uncertainty of these dreams. Some of us will keep the rendezvous, others will drift into separate troubles, but the cycle of ideals, friendship and possibility will always start up again around another café table.

Did you know?

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

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

Gino Paoli Quattro Amici Al Bar Lyrics