I bumped into this video on Facebook. Here is the same video outside Facebook so everyone can see it. It is an Italian song, "L'Italiano" (The Italian man), sung in a Chinese version by an Italian singer, with what is like the worst pronunciation I ever heard for Chinese. The subs read:
Let me sing
Because I'm proud of it
I'm Chinese
A true Italiano.Good morning Italia gli spaghetti al dente
And a partisan for president
with the car radio always in the right hand
And a canary on the window
Good Morning Italy with all you artists
With too much America on the manifests
With the songs, with love, with the heart
With more women and fewer and fewer nuns
Good morning Italia, good morning Maria
With eyes full of melancholy
Good morning God
You know I'm here tooLet me sing with the guitar in hand
Let me sing a song slowly slowly
Let me sing because I'm proud of it
I'm a Chinese person, a true ItalianoLa la la …
Let me sing with the guitar in hand
Let me sing a song slowly slowly
Let me sing because I'm proud of it
I'm a chinese person, a true italianLet me sing
Because I'm proud of it
I'm a chinese person
A true Italiano
I left the bits that are sung in Italian as they were in Italian. If anyone is willing to turn this code block into a block quote while keeping the linebreaks in place and avoiding huge line spacings, they are very welcome to do so. I did not manage that. I shared this video on Facebook saying:
His pronunciation is simply AWFUL :). [Tag to a Chinese friend] 你明白他唱着什么吗？
My friend answered:
我只听懂几句：我感到自豪，我是中国人。这真的Italiano？对吗？
With that help, here is what I have figured out:
让我发现唱歌吧
因为我感到自豪
我是中国人
这真的Italiano。早安Italia, gli spaghetti al dente.
一个？？有一个真相总统
[]
[]
早安Italia？？？书家们
[]
[]
[]
早安Italia，早安Maria
[]
早安神父
你知道我也存在啦啦啦…
让我发现唱歌吧 ［］
让我发现唱一首过慢？？的歌曲
让我发现唱歌吧 因为我感到自豪
我是中国人 却真的Italiano让我发现唱歌吧
因为我感到自豪
我是中国人
却真的Italiano
Some remarks:
- That fāxiàn sounds terribly out of place, so what does it mean? Is it correct?
- That Italiano line is uncertain. zhēn de is pretty certain, but is it shì? zhè? què? Something else?
- Shūjiāmen is absolutely uncertain, half invented in fact. Is it right?
- The last two full lines are uncertain, because in the end I did not re-listen to the second one because I was convinced I wouldn't gain anything that way. Are they correct?
- Is the guòmàn right? What are the two missing characters?
- Obviously lots of pieces are empty because I could only guess a few syllables here and there.
So I tried googling the lyrics, but all I could find were the Italian lyrics and possibly an English translation, but I want to know what he is singing in Chinese. Can anybody help? Thx.
Update
After the last answer reminded me of this, I tried to transcribe the sounds I heard in a very rough Pinyin, and got:
Rang wo faxian chang ge ba
Yin we wo gan dao zi hao
Wo shi zong guo ren
Qie zhen de Italiano
Zao wan Italia gli spaghetti al dente
Yi ge yang guo you yi ge yan xiang zhong tong
You shou jiu xian na zhe yi su qi shen yi shang
Bi shen dian gu dan chang zai chuang kou shang
Zao wan Italia gen ni yi su jia men
Gen hai ma tai guo mei guo lai de si wen
Gen ge qu, gen yi xin, gan ai xing
Lo me nu yu wei lai wei shao siu nu
Zao wan Italia, zao wan Maria
Ni de shen chong man you chou de yan shen
Zao wan shen fu
Ni zhi dao wo gen cun zai
Rang wo fa xian chang ge ba
Na zhe zhi kui ta zi ta
Rang wo fa xian gan chang yi shou wan man ting liu de ge qu
Rang wo fa xian chang ge ba
Yin wei wo gan dao zi hao
Wo shi zong guo ren
Qie zhen de Italiano
La la la
Rang wo fa xian chang ge ba
Na zhe zhi kui ta zi ta
Rang wo fa xian gan chang yi shou wan man ting liu de ge qu
Rang wo fa xian chang ge ba
Yin wei wo gan dao zi hao
Wo shi zong guo ren
Qie zhen de Italiano
With that, I tried filling some holes, and got:
让我发现唱歌吧
因为我感到自豪
我是中国人
这真的Italiano。
早安Italia, gli spaghetti al dente.
一个 yang guo 有一个真相总统
右手就先拿着一 su qi shen yi shang
Bi shen dian 孤单唱在窗口上
早安Italia跟你艺术家们
跟还嘛太过美国来的斯文
跟歌曲，跟你心，跟爱情
Lo 美女有越来越少修女
早安Italia，早安Maria
你的深充满忧愁的眼神
早安神父
你知道我也存在
啦啦啦…
让我发现唱歌吧 拿着 zhi kui ta 自弹
让我发现敢唱一首 wan 慢 ting liu 的歌曲
让我发现唱歌吧 因为我感到自豪
我是中国人 却真的Italiano
让我发现唱歌吧
因为我感到自豪
我是中国人
却真的Italiano
Perhaps the "que zhen de Italiano" are "shi zhen de Italiano", as suggested in comments, but it really sounds like a "que" or "qie". Also, I think "jiu xian" should be "zǒngshì" (总是, always). And, those "gen"'s (gen gequ gen ni xin gen aiqing) really sound like "ka". Perhaps "Lo" = "duō" (多). "wan man" = 慢慢, "ting liu" = 停留, though it sounds out of place. Any help in finishing this?
Update:
I posted on Facebook asking all my Chinese friends for help, and one suggested 发现 should be 放声.
Update 2
After relistening and doing some more Wiktionary search, here is what I think I have:
让我放声唱歌吧
因为我感到自豪
我是中国人
却真的Italiano。
早安Italia, gli spaghetti al dente.
一个 ya guo 游击队员像总统
右手总是拿着一 su qi shen yi shang
⸢Bi she niao⸥(金丝鸟?) 孤单唱在窗口上
早安Italia跟你艺术家们
跟还 ma 太多美国来的斯文
跟歌曲，跟爱心，跟内心
⸢Lo me⸥(多么?) 女（又？）越来越少修女
早安Italia，早安Maria
你的深充满忧愁的眼神
早安神父
你知道我也存在
让我放声唱歌吧
拿着只贵的吉他
让我放声敢唱
一首过慢平语的歌曲
让我放声唱歌吧
因为我感到自豪
我是中国人
却真的Italiano
啦啦啦啦啦啦啦
啦啦啦啦啦啦啦
啦啦啦啦啦
啦啦啦啦啦
啦啦啦啦啦
啦啦啦啦啦
啦啦啦啦啦啦啦
啦啦啦啦啦啦啦
啦啦啦啦啦
啦啦啦啦啦
啦啦啦啦啦
啦啦啦啦啦
让我放声唱歌吧
拿着只贵的吉他
让我放声敢唱
一首过慢平语的歌曲
让我放声唱歌吧
因为我感到自豪
我是中国人
却真的Italiano
让我放声唱歌吧
因为我感到自豪
我是中国人
却真的Italiano
Update 3
Could that be 跟还嘛太多美国来的斯文?
Update 4
I guess "qi shen yi shang" is 汽车音箱, another bad translation because "autoradio" is not just the speakers as this would make it mean in Chinese. We are left with figuring out the classifier which sounds like "su" that the lyrics are using here.
Update 5
The classifier is probably 副, making the line 右手总是拿着一副汽车音箱.
Update 6
The Italiano line might be 就真的Italiano or 真正的Italiano. Jiù seems out of place, and his lips don't seem to close to a /u/ (jiù would be read by him as joo), and the clear j-sound excludes shì and què, and zhè feels strange, so I'm going for 真正.
