Officina Zoè – L’America

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Many young men left Italy for America in search of work, leaving the young women in their communities behind. Many of them did not write home or come back to Italy, and formed families with ‘Americanas’ (American women) leaving these women in rural Italy, at the turn of the century, with very few options to marry. For these women America signified the ruin of their home. This live version is by the group Officina Zoè and is sung in the dialect of Salento, from the southern tip of Italy’s Puglia region.

La meju gioventù partiu l’America

la meju gioventù, oh Maria, sorta mia,

la meju gioventù partiu l’America.

Maritama è sciutu l’America e non me scrive

forse ca s’ha truvata, oh Maria, sorta mia!

forse ca s’ha truvata n’americana.

Se iddu se l’ha truvata l’americana

uhè ieu m’aggiu truvatu, oh Maria, sorta mia!

ieu m’aggiu truvatu nu paisanu.

L’America nu se chiama chiù l’America

se chiama la ruvina, oh…

With thanks to Claudia Acuña