Bruno Lauzi’s Turtle Song Climbed From Fifth Place to Chart Domination
This song from 1975 is a single written by Bruno Lauzi, composed by Pippo Baudo and Pippo Caruso, and arranged by the latter. It was used as the opening theme of the TV preview show Un colpo di fortuna and of the animated series Cari amici animali. The 45 rpm record was a great success: it entered the Italian sales chart in fifth place on December 20, 1975, then climbed to the top from January 3 to February 7, staying there for six consecutive weeks.
It remained in the Top Ten for a total of nineteen weeks, until April 24, and became the third best-selling single of 1976. On the B-side of the record was Al pranzo di gala di Babbo Natale, written by the same authors, which was not connected to the two shows. In January 2023, the song was certified gold by the Italian Music Industry Federation for over 50,000 digital sales.
Lyrics
La bella tartaruga che cosa mangerà?
Chi lo sa?
Chi lo sa?
Due foglie di lattuga e poi si riposerà
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
La tartaruga
Un tempo fu
Un animale che correva a testa in giù
Come un siluro filava via
Che ti sembrava un treno sulla ferrovia
Ma avvenne un incidente
Un muro la fermò
Si ruppe qualche dente
E allora rallentò
La tartaruga
Da allora in poi
Lascia che a correre pensiamo solo noi
Perché quel giorno, poco più in là
Andando piano lei trovò
La felicità
Un bosco di carote
Un mare di gelato
Che lei correndo troppo non aveva mai guardato
E un biondo tartarugo corazzato
Che ha sposato un mese fa
La bella tartaruga nel mare va perché
Ma perché?
Ma perché?
Fa il bagno e poi si asciuga dai tempi di Noè
Eh eh eh
Eh eh eh
La tartaruga
Lenta com’è
Afferra al volo la fortuna quando c’è
Dietro una foglia
Lungo la via
Lei ha trovato la per là
La felicità
Un prato d’insalata
Un lago di frittata
Spaghetti alla chitarra per passare la serata
Un bosco di carote
Un mare di gelato
Che lei correndo troppo non aveva mai notato
E un biondo tartarugo corazzato
Che ha sposato un mese fa
Lyrics
The lovely turtle, what will she eat?
Who can say?
Who can say?
Two lettuce leaves, and then she’ll rest
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
The turtle, once upon a time,
Was an animal that ran head down
Like a torpedo she would dart away,
Seeming like a train upon the railway.
But then an accident occurred,
A wall stopped her in her track.
She broke a couple of teeth,
And so she slowed down.
The turtle, from that day on,
Left the running to us alone.
Because that day, a bit beyond,
By going slow she found
Happiness.
A forest full of carrots,
A sea of ice cream,
That, running too fast, she had never seen.
And a blond, armored turtle lad,
Whom she married just last month.
The lovely turtle goes down to the sea because—
But why?
But why?
She swims and then she dries herself,
Since the times of Noah.
Eh eh eh
Eh eh eh
The turtle, slow as she is,
Still catches luck on the fly when it appears.
Behind a leaf, along the way,
She found at last one day
Happiness.
A meadow of fresh salad,
A lake of omelet,
Guitar-strummed spaghetti to enjoy in the evening.
A forest full of carrots,
A sea of ice cream,
That, running too fast, she had never seen.
And a blond, armored turtle lad,
Whom she married just last month.
Source: Wikipedia
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