One of the most famous and glorious Neapolitan songs was actually written in America. Core 'ngrato (Ungrateful heart), also known as Catari' (after the name of the cruel lady) was written in the States one hundred years ago by Italian immigrants Salvatore Cardillo (music) and Riccardo Cordiferro (pseudonym of Alessandro Sisca, lyrics).
First we'll look at the lyrics in the original Neapolitan, then I'll translate into standard Italian and then English. Finally, we'll examine a mini-mystery about Caruso's version of the words, which differs from others'.
Catarí', Catarí'...
pecché mm''e ddice sti pparole amare?!
Pecché mme parle e 'o core mme turmiente Catarí'?!
Nun te scurdá ca t'aggio dato 'o core, Catarí'...
Nun te scurdá...
Catarí'...
Catarí', che vène a dicere
stu pparlá ca mme dá spáseme?
Tu nun ce pienze a stu dulore mio?!
Tu nun ce pienze, tu nun te ne cure...
Core, core 'ngrato...
T'hê pigliato 'a vita mia!
Tutto è passato...
e nun ce pienze cchiù.
Catarí', Catarí'...
tu nun 'o ssaje ca fino e 'int'a na chiesa
io só' trasuto e aggiu pregato a Dio, Catarí'...
E ll'aggio ditto pure a 'o cunfessore: "Io stó' a murí
pe' chella llá...
Stó' a suffrí,
stó' a suffrí nun se pò credere...
stó' a suffrí tutte li strazie..."
E 'o cunfessore, ch'è perzona santa,
mm'ha ditto: "Figliu mio lássala stá, lássala stá!..."
Core, core 'ngrato...
T'hê pigliato 'a vita mia!
Tutto è passato...
e nun ce pienze cchiù.
Caterina, Caterina...
Perche' mi dici queste parole amare?
Perche' mi parli e il cuore mi tormenti, Caterina?
Non ti scordar che ti ho dato il cuore Caterina
Non ti scordar.
Caterina
Caterina che vieni a dirmi
Questo parlare che mi da' spasimi?
Tu non ci pensi a questo dolore mio?
Tu non ci pensi, non te ne curi.
Cuore, cuore ingrato
Ti sei presa la vita mia
Tutto e' passato...
E non ci pensi piu'.
Caterina, Caterina
Tu non lo sai che sono andato persino in chiesa
Sono entrato e ho pregato a Dio, Caterina
E l'ho detto pure al confessore, Caterina: "Sto per morire
Per quella la'
Sto soffrendo,
Sto soffrendo che non si puo' credere
Sto soffrendo ogni strazio".
E il confessore che e' una persona santa
m'ha detto, "Figlio mio, lasciala stare, lasciala stare".
Cuore, cuore ingrato
Ti sei presa la vita mia
Tutto e' passato...
E non ci pensi piu'.
Cathy, Cathy,
why are you saying these bitter words to me?
Why are you speaking to me and tormenting my heart, Cathy?
Don't forget that I gave you my heart
Don't forget.
Cathy
Cathy what are you saying?
This talk is torture to me.
Don't you think of my pain?
You don't think about it
You don't care.
Heart, ungrateful heart
You've taken my life
Everything has passed
And you no longer think of it.
Cathy, Cathy,
You don't know that I even went to church
I entered and prayed to God, Cathy
And I even told the priest, Cathy: "I'm about to die
for her,
I'm suffering
Suffering that is not to be believed
I'm suffering every kind of hell
And the priest, who is a holy man said: "Son, leave her alone, leave her alone."
Heart, ungrateful heart
You've taken my life
Everything has passed
And you no longer think of it.
Above you have two versions of this sublime song. The first is by the famed tenor Enrico Caruso, the second by the late great Neapolitan singer Roberto Murolo.
Caruso's version, which is perhaps the original, changes the second part when he is in church and doesn't mention the priest (but he does mention praying to God). No other version I have heard, including Murolo's, is like this. Further, I can't quite make out what Caruso is saying instead of the part about the priest. After some digging, I found that the lyricist Sisca was a radical socialist and deeply anti-clerical, so it is possible that this was his original version. I personally think that the version with the priest is superior- regardless of what one may think of the Catholic Church and its clergy.
Oddly, Cardillo, who wrote the music, was surprised by its enormous success and called it a porcheria (junk). How little he knew. It is now in the standard repertoire of every self-respecting tenor. None of whom, to my knowledge, sing Caruso's version.
