[Big Red] Pepper

One of many cute, silly songs written and recorded by Edoardo Vianello in the 1960s – and the first few chords of this one are suspiciously reminiscent of “These Boots are Made for Walkin'”. Vianello is still very much around.

ritornello:		refrain:
Da quando tu prendi, tu prendi il solleone		Since you’ve been taking the big sun [tanning a lot]
sei rossa, spellata, sei come un peperone.		you’re red, peeled, you’re like a [big red] pepper
Bagnata dall’acqua, dall’acqua di sale,		Bathed in water, salt water
baciata dal vento che viene dal mare,		kissed by the wind that comes from the sea
accanto alla riva pian piano ti lasci bruciare dal sol.		next to the shore bit by bit you let yourself be burned by the sun
Con tutte le creme massaggi la pelle		With all the creams you massage your skin
ma giorno per giorno ti riempi di bolle,		But day by day you fill up with blisters
le gambe, le braccia, il naso e le spalle, ti lasci bruciar.		the legs, the arms, the nose, and the shoulders you let burn
Ormai pure all’ombra continui a scottarti,		By now even in the shade you continue to burn,
nemmeno la luna riesce a calmarti,		not even the moon can calm you
appena ti stringo tu urli, tu piangi, mio pallido amor.		as soon as I squeeze you, you scream, you cry, my pallid love
Avevi le labbra così vellutate e oggi le hai rosse		You had such velvety lips and today they are red
così screpolate che sembra che io baci		so cracked that it seems like I’m kissing
le ortiche di un campo ingiallito dal sol.		the nettles in a field yellowed by the sun.