Leon wrote me,
HELLO
MY GRANDCHILDREN HAVE BEEN AFTER ME FOR SOME TIME TO FIND THE ITALIAN AND ENGLISH WORDS FOR AN OLD ITALIAN SONG WE USED TO SING AS KIDS CALLED (IN ENGLISH) “THE BUTCHER BOY”.
IT WAS A PEPPY SONG, SET TO THE RHYTHM OF THE ITALIAN TARANTELLA. ANY IDEAS?
THANKS
LEON FRANCISCO
If anyone is familiar with this song, please comment below.
Thanks! Lisa
This article was posted on Monday, March 6th, 2006 at 3:42 pm and is filed under Countries & Cultures, Italian, Italian Children's Songs, Italy, Languages, Questions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
March 6th, 2006 at 9:41 pm
Wow — my dad (now 84 with Alzheimer’s) always sang this song drying us off from our baths, and now I sing it to my kids. But we sing nonsense words “la la lee, the butcher boy for me,” (repeat twice more on different pitches) then it ends “the butcher boy, the butcher boy, the butcher boy for me.” If you know solfege, the tone syllables are mi re do, sol do t ti la so ti; re do ti, so ti la so fa so; mi re do, mi fa mi re do re, mi fa (down to) la la, la (up to) mi (down to) so so, so re re do ti do.
What a blast that someone else knows this song — I never knew where it came from, and my family is not Italian!
March 6th, 2006 at 9:46 pm
That’s neat. I wonder where your father heard it.
If you’d like to send me a recording of you singing “The Butcher Boy” to your kids, I’d be happy to post it!
March 8th, 2006 at 7:19 am
I think it’s “La danza”, tarantella by Rossini. The lyrics are below. There are other versions of this song “La luna in mezzo o mare”
Già la luna in mezzo al mare,
mamma mia, si salterà;
l’ora è bella per danzare,
chi è in amor non mancherà.
Già la luna in mezzo al mare,
mamma mia, si salterà;
l’ora è bella per danzare,
chi è in amor non mancherà.
Già la luna in mezzo al mare,
mamma mia si salterà.
Presto in danza a tondo a tondo,
donne mie, venite quà;
un garzon bello e giocondo
a ciascuna toccherà.
Finché in ciel brilla una stella
e la luna splenderà,
il più bel con la bella
tutta notte danzerà.
Mamma mi, mamma mia,
già la luna è in mezzo al mare,
mamma mia, mamma mia,
mamma mia,si salterà,
frinche, frinche, frinche, frinche frinche,
mamma mi, mamma mia,
mamma mia, si salterà,
la la ra la ra la ra
la la ra la la la ra
la ra la ra la la ra
la la la ra la ra …..
Salta, salta, gira, gira,
ogni coppia a cerchio va;
già s’avanza,
si ritira e all’assalto tornerà:
Salta, salta, gira, gira,
ogni coppia a cerchio va;
già s’avanza,
si ritira e all’assalto tornerà.
Serra, serra colla bionda,
colla bruna qua e là,
colla rossa va a seconda,
colla smorta fermo sosta.
Viva il ballo a tondo a tondo,
sono un re,sono un pascià;
è il più bel piacer del mondo,
la più cara voluttà.
Mamma mia, mamma mia,
Già la luna in mezzo al mare,
mamma mia,mamma mia, si salterà;
frinche, frinche, frinche,
frinche, frinche, frinche,
mamma mia si salterà,
frinche, frinche, frinche,
frinche, frinche, frinche,
mamma mia si salterà,
la la ra la ra la ra
la la ra la la la ra
la ra la ra la la ra
la la la ra la ra
March 8th, 2006 at 2:21 pm
You can find out more about this song at http://www.bobshannon.com/stories/lazymaryback.html .
If anyone would like to send the English lyrics, I’d be happy to post them.
April 25th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
Daughter):
Mama dear come over here
And see who’s looking in my window
It’s the butcher boy and oh
He’s got a bundle in his hand
Tell me why he winks his eye whenever he goes by my window
(Mother):
Daughter daughter he’s in love and you’re in love
And love is grand
(Butcher Boy, spoken)
Hey, Marie!
I gotta da pork chop!
Hey, Marie!
I gotta da lamb chop!
Hey, Marie! Marie!
‘Ya want ta marry me?
(Daughter, spoken)
The butcher boy, the butcher boy
I wanna marry the butcher boy
(Chorus and Daughter)
Oh! Ma-Ma!
Oh, get that man for me!
Oh! Ma-Ma!
How happy I will be!
Tra-la-la
And cheery-beery be!
Oh, if I’m gonna marry,
It’s the butcher boy for me!
We also hear from his Baker Boy, another object of Marie’s affection:
(Baker Boy, spoken)
Hey, Marie!
I gotta da fruitcake!
Hey, Marie!
I gotta da cheesecake!
Hey, Marie! Marie!
‘Ya want ta marry me?
(Daughter, spoken)
The baker boy, the baker boy
I wanna marry the baker boy
Finally, the Fisher Boy also shows up, equally vying for Marie’s affection, this time with “fresh-a fish” in his bundle. Who will she marry? For the answer, the road leads to the Andrews Sisters.
As other acts soon jumped on “The Butcher Boy” bandwagon–notably singer/songwriter Dick Robertson (who also hit the Top 10), New York bandleader George Hall, British
June 19th, 2006 at 6:41 pm
Mamma mia, come over here,
See who’s looking in my window.
It’s the little butcher boy,
With a cleaver in his hand!
Oh! Mama, he’s got to marry me!
Oh! Mama, he’s as mad as he could be!
July 30th, 2006 at 10:27 pm
Just want to know the singer and real name of the song, “hey ma ma”. That’s all I know of the song.
If you know please email me at dbertucci1@charter.net .
Thank you, David Bertucci
If anyone knows about this song, please also comment below. Thanks! Lisa
August 15th, 2006 at 1:13 am
Hi,
I think the song you’re looking for is “Luna Mezzo Mare” (Dean Martin recorded a copy of it).
September 25th, 2006 at 6:49 pm
this song was also done by the andrews sisters in english under the name “the butcher boy”.
October 25th, 2006 at 8:36 am
I can’t believe it. This sing just popped into my head this morning. I was singing it to my son. My mom used to sing it. I think the Dean Martin version. Thanks for the words.
December 24th, 2006 at 4:33 pm
There are several variations and singers who have sung C’e la luna mezz’o mare. Lou Monte does one with Italian and English words; Dean Martin, Frank Simms. Look under Lazy Mary also. There are different dialects and therefore , many variations of essentially the same song. Originally done by Paolo Citarella I think
January 19th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
FYI I just saw a reference to a song called The Butcher’s Boy. It’s a Southern Appalachian folk song. Here are the lyrics:
In Jersey City,
Where I did dwell,
A butcher’s boy,
I loved so well
He courted me
My heart away,
And now with me,
He will not stay.
March 5th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
i would love to find the lyrics as done by Dean Martin. You can find them both in Italian & English for the original score, but I really love Dean Martins version and can’t seem to find the lyric anywhere…..
March 26th, 2007 at 7:33 am
I remember this song, because I saw it in a cartoon version on TV when I was a kid, back in the 60s! It was one of those “following the bouncing ball” things, and I remember the chorus very well, but I can’t remember the tune or words to the main verses. Thanks for finally putting me on the track of it!
March 27th, 2007 at 4:32 am
You can hear Lou Monte at…. http://www.bobshannon.com/stories/lazymary.html does a great job of Luna Mezzo Mare.
April 6th, 2007 at 12:16 am
che la luna
May 12th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
I would sure like to have the lyrics to the song ”Mamma.
Italian or English.
Thanks Phil
May 25th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Hello all,
the song is very popular all over southern Italy, where it’s still sung, with slight dialectal variations.
It is about an unmarried girl asking her mamma to find her a husband.
Her mamma thinks about several candidates (the butcher boy, the gardener, the peasant, the firefighter, the fisherman, etc) and for each of them there is a remark about the tools they use for their work which sounds like a sexy hint, so the mother discards them. The refrain then urges her again to find the right one (ai mamma, mi voglio maritar…ai mamma, mi voglio maritar)..etc.
Feel free to ask if you are interested in a detailed translation of the lyrics :)
May 29th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
That would be great if you could give a detailed translation of the lyrics!
Thanks in advance!
Lisa
July 3rd, 2007 at 1:06 pm
On iTunes you can download a couple of different versions for just $0.99 a piece. I have one version. They have the Dean Martin version also. Just search for Luna Mezzo Mare.
Another couple places you can find it is in “The Godfather” movie trilogy. In the original The Godfather film, they place the song during Connie’s wedding reception and the guests take turns singing verses of the song. In “The Godfather, Part II” when Michael and Kay have their party at their Las Vegas home (early in the film), one of the guests at the party is Frankie Pentangeli. The band is playing some “big band” music of some kind and Frankie approaches them and tries to get them to play some traditional Italian music. He tries to lead them in a rendition of Luna Mezzo Mare…..but all his attempt ends up doing is to lead the band in a rousing rendition of Pop Goes The Weasel. (LOL)
July 3rd, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Luna mezz’o mare (Sicilian dialect)
Paolo Citarella
C’e la luna mezz’o mare
Mamma mia me maritari,
Figghia mia, a cu te dari
Mamma mia pensaci tu. O Mamma, piscia fritta baccala O Mamma piscia fritta baccala.
Si ci dugnu lu babberi (barber)
Iddu va, Iddu veni
‘u rasolu manu teni. (razor)
Si ci pigghia la fantasia
Mi rasulia la figghia mia.
Chorus (O Mamma..)
Si ci dugnu falignami (woodmaker)
Iddu va, iddu veni
‘u chianuzzu manu teni. (plane)
Si ci pigghia la fantasia
Mi chiannuzulia la figghia mia.
Chorus (O Mamma…)
Si ci dugnu lu scapparu (shoemaker)
Iddu va, iddu veni
‘u matteddu manu teni. (hammer)
Si ci pigghia la fantasia
Mi matteddia la figghia mia.
Chorus (O Mamma…)
Si ci dugnu zuppunaro (farmer)
Iddu va, iddu veni
‘u zappuni manu teni. (plow)
Si ci pigghia la fantasia
Mi zappunia la figghia mia.
Chorus (O Mamma…)
Si ci dugnu macillaiu (butcher)
Iddu va, iddu veni
La sasizza manu teni. (sausage)
Si ci pigghia la fantasia
Mi sasizzia la figghia mia.
Chorus (O Mamma…)
Si ci dugnu piscialiolu (fisherman)
Iddu va, iddu veni
E lu pisci manu teni. (fish)
Si ci pigghia la fantasia
Mi pisciulia la figghia mia.
Chorus…
Synopsis: A young woman has difficulty in choosing a man to be her husband. She asks her mother to decide. Her mother describes each man and his livelihood. The mother gives a comic answer for each one, indicating for instance, that if you marry the butcher, his sausage will become your fantasy. Obviously, a song fraught with double entendre.
July 27th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Glad to get the words to this song. I have longed to know what the words were and what the English translation is. In the Godfather movie, it is obviously full of double entendre. This song was also used on an episode of “Everybody Loves Raymond.” But since I am a little Irish-English girl, I had no way of finding out the words.
Thanks for your time on this to all of you at this site. Great job. Good for you and yeah for the world wide web.
Anne
July 27th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Paolo Citarella is my husbands great uncle. His parents actually get the royalty checks from the song. They have the original record that it was recorded on. If you have any other questions about the song “Che La Luna”. This is the correct name of the song, feel free to contact us. mattiello2002@yahoo.com
August 7th, 2007 at 4:02 am
Is this the song? Lol!
August 19th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
dont have very much information am looking for a very old song sung in half english half italian with the lyrics oh bella bruna in it
August 24th, 2007 at 10:23 am
As a translator (from English into Portuguese), I came accross the expression
“butcher boy”, but I was unable to find out the meaning of it. It appears in a short story by Saki “The Reticence of Lady Anne” relating to a boy who asked for a Christmas present in march because he had not recieved it in December (in al allkusion, I think, to an innocent person). If you could help me, I would be very grateful.
Éda
August 29th, 2007 at 5:17 am
Hi, ive been thinking about an old italian song that i used to listen to (a very old record that nobody knows what happened to now). It had the lyrics volare (two volares next to each other, i think) in it, but it isnt the famous “volare.” It is a playful song and i think it had a few english words in it. anyway, hope somebody can help me with this, would sure appreciate it. thanks!
September 23rd, 2007 at 11:39 pm
I too am looking for a song that my father used to sing. Half in English half in Italian. So the english words are: Oh how I wanted to tell you my dear just what I feel in my heart: and then it goes into italian that I can sing but cannot write. Does anyone know this song. I have been looking for years.
January 4th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Who is Dicky in Dean Martin’s version of Luna Mezzo Mare?
March 15th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
The problem with Louis Prima’s 1956 version of “Luna Mezza Mare” is its Sicilian dialect. The words, their spellings and the way they are pronounced can’t be understood by anybody anymore because Standard Italian is taught in Italy, today. Prima’s version was only spoken in a section of Sicily back in those days. Dialects changed every five miles back then. Regions in Italy are like states in the USA. Sicily is the southern most region of Italy. I love “Angelina–Zooma, Zooma Baccala.” The translation is: “There’s a half moon over the sea! Mama, I want to get married.” (The girl feels romantic, so she asks her mother if she can get married).
“To whom am I giving you, my daughter?”
“Who do you think I should marry, mama?”
“If I give you to the musician, fisherman, etc., he goes, he comes, always with his insrument, his fish, etc., in his hand. If you choose this fantasy, he’ll instrument, fish, etc., my daughter!”
March 24th, 2008 at 10:27 am
very interesting and true. but do you have the italian dialect words? our sons of italy is thinking about an evening of translated italian songs. it would and could be alot of fun to have the older words. thanks
March 25th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
the best of version of this song, in my opinion, is the Louis Prima version .. also check out his song angelina .. he goes into the song at the end of angelina .. its pretty neat.
April 26th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Angelina/Zooma Zooma was sung by Louis Prima, yes in a Sicilian dialect. The music and the lyrics do not translate very well into English. The Andrews Sisters tried to keep the meaning somewhat the same with Englis lyrics translated to fit the music. The song was also recorded in English by Rude Valley. The song is sort of like Eh Compare, in which you can keep adding verses. Che La Luna for vocations of future husbands and musical instuments for Eh Compare.
May 15th, 2008 at 1:07 am
song is “oh my wonderful one” recorded by the gaylords i 1950
on the mercury label
May 21st, 2008 at 7:23 am
Bonjour!!!
Voilà, je suis à la recherche de la bande son “karaoké” de c’è la luna mezzo al mare.
AVIS à vous tous, qui peut être possédez une version karaoké de cette chanson. Elle me tient particulièrement à coeur, suis de naissance sicilienne, et j’ai toujours vécu en France. Ma fille est chanteuse et pour elle ce serait un grand plaisir de pouvoir chanter cette magnifique chanson qui est la source de nos origines!!! MERCI A TOUS.
je mets à disposition mon adresse mail grazi73hotmail.fr
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Hi!
I’m looking for the karaoke file to c’è la luna mezzo al mare.
To you all who maybe own a karaoke version of this song: it’s particularly dear to me, I’m Sicilian born and always lived in France. My daughter’s a singer and she’d be very pleased to sing this wonderful song which is in our family background. Thank you all. Here’s my email address: grazi73hotmail.fr
May 27th, 2008 at 12:09 am
These are the true lyrics in English from the original song writer Citrollo or something like that. The original Italian version is sung in the Godfather @ Connie’s wedding.
And the moon is in the middle of the sea:
oh my mother I must get married —
oh my daughter who will we get?
My mother I leave it up to you.
If I get you the butcher
he will come and he will go,
but he’ll always hold the sausage in his hands…
if he gets a bright idea
he’ll sausage you oh my daughter.
If I get you the fisherman
he will come and he will go,
but he’ll always hold the fish in his hands…
if he gets a bright idea
he’ll fish you oh my daughter.
If I get you the shoemaker
he will come and he will go,
but he’ll always hold the shoe in his hands…
if he gets a bright idea
he’ll shoe you oh my daughter.
If I get you the garden man
he will come and he will go,
but he’ll always hold the cucumber in his hands…
if he gets a bright idea
he’ll cucumber you oh my daughter.
September 15th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
In reply to Don Woeltje I have heard a very similar song but in a slighting different order and a strange middle part, as well as certain verses ending differently, rather than say the barber will use the razor on her, they say something different. Does anyone know of this version, it is also in the sicilian dialect
November 9th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Just a comment re the English version of Mamma Dear (the Butcher Boy). There was a version of this in 1940’s and it had a greater commedy value because of strict rationing here in UK. Mamma (in that version) really REALLY wants daughter to marry the butcher boy. Nothing else will really do. The melody rings in my head very often.
December 8th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
it’s Che la Luna, which Louis Prima made very popular back when we were young young — and I’m 59 now! I remember my Father thought it was so funny :)
January 16th, 2009 at 2:06 am
My Grandmother died 22 years ago, at the age of 83. She used to sing this song, and it was SO FUN!! She sang both the English and Italian versions. Direct translation, I can not tell you, as I’m a more than a bit rusty on my Italian, but what fun we had singing it!! And when I found Dean’s recording not too long ago, what a pleasure that was for me!
May 1st, 2009 at 9:12 pm
My sister and I and all our friends used to sing a “Butcher Boy” song like this —
In New York City where I was born
A butcher boy I knew so well
He stole my heart away from me
and never gave it back to me
He sat a girl upon his knee
and told her tales he never told me
and now I know the reason why
because she had more gold than I
My father came home that very night
expecting to find his daughter all right
he went upstairs and opened the door
and there he found her on the floor
Oh grief, oh grief, oh what have you done
You killed yourself for the butcher’s son
For the butcher’s son you killed yourself
and this is what she said to me…
May 26th, 2009 at 3:57 am
fascinating info but does anyone have the musical score for the song? I cannot find it anywhere
May 26th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
There are two of them on the site Lisa linked to on March 08 2006…
http://www.bobshannon.com/stories/lazymaryback.html
July 28th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
I heard it on the Mills Brothers’ album, my sister just resurrected it with my children; she said she always sings it to make pizza. I didn’t even know she remembered the words. It’s nice to read all of your comments.
July 31st, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Hi
pls send me name of film in which song “oh my mother we are your children” was sanged.
August 18th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
I love all the variations. Especially the one that says the “problem” is the Sicialian dialect. Well, it was no problem to those who spoke it!
The truest version is the one that bears Paolo Citarelli’s name.
I am 78 and it is the one I grew up with.
Concetta
September 3rd, 2009 at 5:12 am
I grew up listening to the Louis Prima version of the song. Love it. If anybody can find his lyrical version of it and post it that would be great!
October 16th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
my mother itilian roots would would now be 90 from the bronx sang the same one that neecee posted. she said she had learned it in her youth. it might have been her favorite
October 18th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Would I be right thinking it was sung at the wedding at the beginning of the film The Godfather?
January 7th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
We’re planning to do this song on a show on Jan. 24 at an Italian Restaurant and having a heck of a time finding a place to listen to the middle part. I found a lead sheet of the main part in an old fake book, but the guy’s part (I’ve gotta the lamb chop, etc.) isn’t in it.
If you happen to know where to find it to listen, could you let me know?