Il gorilla [English translation]

On the square of a city,

people were looking with admiration

at a gorilla brought there

by the gypsies of a marquee.

With little decency,

the gossip women from that neighborhood

were staring at the animal,

I won’t say how, I won’t say where.

Beware the gorilla!

Suddenly, the big cage

where the animal lived

burst open, I don’t know why,

maybe they hadn’t locked it properly.

The beast, getting out of there,

said, «Today I’m gonna get rid of it»;

he was talking about virginity,

for he was still its slave.

Beware the gorilla!

His owner started yelling,

«My gorilla… watch out:

he’s never seen an ape,

he might mess it up.»

All the bystanders, at that moment,

ran in all directions;

the women, too, demonstrating

the difference between ideas and actions.

Beware the gorilla!

All the people are running hastily,

hither and yon, in a frenzy,

the only ones lingering are an old woman

and a young judge in his robe.

Since everyone else had turned tail,

the four-handed creature hurried,

and with four strides he reached

the old woman and the magistrate.

Beware the gorilla!

«Meh», sighed the old woman, pondering,

«me being still coveted

would be a rather strange thing

and, above all, unhoped for.»

‹Me being mistaken for a monkey›,

thought the judge out of his breath,

‹is not possible, that’s for sure.›;

the following proves he was wrong.

Beware the gorilla!

If some of you were cornered,

and had to choose between

violating a judge or an old woman,

I’d be sure about the choice.

But it happens that the gorilla,

though he’s deemed a magnificent hunk

by those who experienced him,

isn’t outstanding at all when it comes to spirit or taste.

Beware the gorilla!

Indeed, disregarding the old woman,

he heads towards the magistrate,

seizes him tightly by his ear

and drags him to the middle of a meadow.

I can’t relate in its entirety

what happened among the tall grass,

but the show was engaging

and there really was some suspense.

Beware the gorilla!

I’ll just say that in the thick

of the regrettable and bleak drama,

the judge was crying like a calf,

during the pauses he was screaming «Mom!».

He was screaming «Mom!» as did that guy

whom he had had beheaded

the day before, like a chicken,

with a rather peculiar verdict.

Beware the gorilla!

• Artist:Fabrizio De André
• Album:Volume III (1968)