Learn Italian in Song: La Vasca

by Alex BrittiThis was a big hit in 2001, about the time I was getting ready to quit my job with Roxio. I liked it a lot (I can certainly empathize with wanting to stay in the bathtub all day!), played it loud while working in my home office, and particularly enjoyed one line which, no doubt, you will be able to pick out!

La Vasca

The Bathtub

Voglio restare tutto il giorno in una vasca I want to stay all day in the bathtub
con l’acqua calda che mi coccola la testa With the hot water cuddling my head
un piede fuori che s’infreddolisce appena One foot out, just barely getting cold
uscire solo quando e’ pronta già la cena Come out only when dinner is ready.
mangiare e bere sempre e solo a dismisura Eat and drink always and only too much
senza dover cambiare buco alla cintura Without having to change the hole on my belt
e poi domani non andro’ neanche al lavoro And then tomorrow I won’t even go to work
neanche avvertiro’ perche’ il silenzio e’ d’oro And I won’t even warn them because “silence is golden”
tornero’ con gli amici davanti scuola I’ll go with my friends back in front of [our old] school
ma senza entrare, solo fuori a far la ola But without going in – [we’ll] just stay out and do the hula
non ci saranno ripetenti punto e basta No one will have to repeat [school years], period.
staremo tutti insieme nella stessa vasca We’ll all stay together in the same bathtub
cosI’ grande che ormai e’ una piscina So big that by now it’s a pool
staremo a mollo dalla sera alla mattina We’ll float around from evening to morning
cosI’ che adesso e’ troppo piena e non si puo’ piu’ stare So that now it’s too full and we can’t stay anymore
e’ meglio trasferirci tutti quanti al mare It’s best if we all transfer to the sea
quando fa buio accenderemo un grande fuoco When it gets dark we’ll light a big fire
attaccheremo un maxi schermo e un maxi gioco And hook up a maxi screen and a maxi game
e dopo inseguimenti vari e varie lotte And after various chases and fights
faremo tutti un grande bagno a mezzanotte We’ll all have a big dip at midnight
ritornello: refrain:
mi bagno, mi tuffo, mi giro e mi rilasso I bathe, I dive, I turn, and I relax
mi bagno, m’asciugo e inizia qui lo spasso I bathe, I dry off, and here’s where the fun begins
e mi ribagno, mi rituffo, mi rigiro e mi rilasso I re-bathe, re-dive, turn around, and re-lax
e mi ribagno, mi riasciugo e ricomincia qui lo spasso I re-bathe, re-dry, and here the fun begins again
saremo piu’ di 100, quasi 120 There must be more than 100 of us, almost 120
amici, conoscenti e anche i parenti Friends, acquaintances, and even relatives
con il cocomero e la cocacola fresca With watermelon and cold Coca Cola
con le chitarre a dirci che non e’ francesca With guitars to tell us “it’s not Francesca”*
aspetteremo le prime luci del mattino We’ll wait for the first lights of morning
festeggeremo con cornetti e cappuccino We’ll celebrate with pastries and cappuccino
e quando stanchi dormiremo sulla sabbia And when we’re tired we’ll sleep on the sand
le nostre camere scolpite nella nebbia Our rooms carved out of fog
ma dormiremo poche ore quanto basta But we’ll only sleep a few hours, just enough
per poi svegliarci e rituffarci nella vasca To wake up and dive back into the bathtub.
voglio restare tutto il giorno in una vasca I want to stay all day in the bathtub
con le mie cose piu’ tranquille nella testa With my things more tranquil in my mind
un piede fuori come fosse una bandiera One foot out as if it was a flag
uscire solo quando fuori e’ primavera Come out only when it’s spring outside
ma spero solo questa mia fantasia But I only hope that this fantasy of mine
non sia soltanto un altro attacco d’utopia Isn’t just another attack of utopia(nism)
perche’ per questo non c’e’ ancora medicina Because there’s not yet a medicine for this
che mi trasformi la mia vasca in piscina That would transform my bathtub into a pool
e tantomeno trasformare tutto in mare And even less transform everything into the sea
pero’ qualcuno lo dovrebbe inventare But someone ought to invent it!
* “Non e’ Francesca” is a line from a Battisti song.

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