Texts of the Neapolitan songs

'Nu viecchio milionario americano
Teneva nun se sa che malatia.
Era nefrite, tisi o pucundria?..
'A scienza nun sapeva andivinà.

Però un amico intimo dicette:
"Pe' guarì 'a 'sta malatia
Portiamolo in Germania,
Ce stanno prufessure 'e chirurgia".

E 'o juorno appriesso, 'ncopp'a 'nu vapore,
Passaje ll'oceano 'o povero signore.

'E meglie scienziate berlinese
'O visitajeno senza capì niente.
Però, sapenno ca ce steva 'argiento,
Dicettero: "Tentiamo d'operà".

Senza nisciunu scrupolo
'Tagliajeno 'o cuorpo 'e chillu vicchiariello
E, quanno fuje a ll'urdemo,
Campava e nun campava 'o puveriello.

E quase quase, tanto d' 'o dulore,
Steva saglienno 'ncielo add' 'o Signore.

Ma Napule, vedenno 'stu vapore
Ca se purtava 'o viecchio quase muorto,
Dicette: "Favorite dint' ô Puorto,
Tengo 'na cosa ca lle pò giuvà".

Pigliaje 'nu poco 'e Vommero
Cu vinticinche gramme 'e Margellina,
'Nu pizzeco 'e Pusilleco
E 'o preparaje 'na bella mmedecina.

E 'o viecchio, nun appena s' 'a pigliaje,
Dint'a 'nu quarto d'ora se sanaje.

Chest'è 'a ricetta 'e Napule:
'Nu poco 'e sole vi' che te cumbina!
Pure chi è muorto 'e subbeto
Venenno ccà, risuscita e cammina.

Nun ce vò menta cedra e fronn' 'aruta
Pe' stà sempe benissimo in salute.

One old American millionaire
Had unknown disease.
Was it nephritis, tuberculosis or depression?
The science couldn't find out.

But one close friend said:
"To cure him of this disease
Let's take him to Germany,
There are professors of surgery there".

And a day later, on a ship,
Unhappy mister went to cross the ocean.

The best specialists of Berlin
Visited him without understanding anything.
However, knowing he's very rich,
They said: "We'll try to operate".

Without any hesitation
They cut that old man's body
And, when it was over,
The poor man was more dead than alive.

And, having severe pain,
He almost was going to heaven to the Lord.

But Naples, seeing this ship
That was carrying the nearly dead old man,
It said: "Come into my port,
I have something that will help him".

It took a little of Vomero*
With twenty-five grams of Mergellina*,
A pinch of Posillipo*
And it prepared the good medicine.

And as soon as the old man took it,
He recovered in a quarter of an hour.

It's the prescription of Naples:
Look what the sunshine can do to you!
Even a dead, coming here,
Returns to life in a moment.

You don't need mint and rue leaf
To be always healthy.