Posted by Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio was released on Netflix in December 2022, and it stayed among the most streamed movies on the platform for a while. People loved the beauty of its story and the interpretation Del Toro proposed on the original tale by Carlo Collodi, the cast is outstanding, and there were even some new characters that give a new dimension to the movie. One of the most memorable moments is a song Pinocchio sings when he leaves home, missing his dad: the song’s title is Ciao Papa, and today we’ll discover more about its lyrics and meaning.
You can watch the lyrics video released by Netflix for Pinocchio’s Ciao Papa below.
Pinocchio’s song Ciao Papa: the lyrics and their meaning
Ciao Papa is the song through which Pinocchio says farewell to Geppetto after he leaves home. The title “Ciao Papà” is Italian for “goodbye dad.” Pinocchio sings it after he convinces himself that the best thing to do is to leave home, try to be a good kid, respect the contract he signed with Count Volpe, and send the money he earns to his dad.
That moment of life for Pinocchio is full of uncertainty: he doesn’t know what will happen, how long he will be gone, and where he will go. He’s a young boy who knows nothing about life and tries to follow what others tell him, doing his best to do the right thing. But the future is unknown, and he can’t be sure he’s going in the right direction, alone, without wise guidance he can rely on.
Ciao papa, mio papa
Time has come to say farewell
For how long will I go? Is it far?
No one knows, no one can tell
But one thing is sure: Pinocchio is full of love for his dad, and that always motivates his actions: he wants to be a good boy and make his dad proud. This is the only thing Pinocchio knows for sure, even though he’s not yet aware of how life goes and how people can often deceive him. In his song Ciao Papa, he describes his love for his dad with poetic words, showing his emotional maturity.
If I am gone for a long, long time
I’ll pack away a fine piece of shine
The sound of birds chirping with bells
Drawings of plums, two bags of shells
The smell of bread, a drop of wine
Your memory, father of mine
Farewell, my papa
Of course, love is not the only thing he feels: he’s also afraid of what will come, and he has no idea of all the things that will happen in his life, now that he left the safe nest of his house. A young boy learning how the world works the hard way, surrounded by people who don’t love him, used by Count Volpe for money, and lacking true friends next to him.
Maybe I’ll see a camel cry
Dangerous pirates with a black eye
Eyes in the rain, I try to hide
Tears of a boy who shouldn’t cry
Forevermore I’ll keep in mind
Your memory, father of mine
Farewell, my papa
The memory of his dad becomes, therefore, the guiding light on his new path, and that’s the real meaning of the lyrics inside Ciao Papa: I don’t know what will happen, I don’t know how long it will last, I don’t even know if I’m doing the right thing, but I hope that your love will protect me and keep me safe while I’m far away. It’s a melancholic song full of love, from a young boy that wants to be a good kid to his father, who doesn’t know where he will be.
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The complete lyrics
Ciao papa, mio papa
Time has come to say farewell
For how long will I go? Is it far?
No one knows, no one can tell
If I am gone for a long, long time
I’ll pack away a fine piece of shine
The sound of birds chirping with bells
Drawings of plums, two bags of shells
The smell of bread, a drop of wine
Your memory, father of mine
Farewell, my papa
Ciao papa, mio papa
Time has come to say farewell
I am ready to go, going far
Now I know it will be swell
I shall be gone for a long, long time
Shall be picking many peaks to climb
Maybe I’ll see a camel cry
Dangerous pirates with a black eye
Rain or shine, I’ll keep in mind
Your memory, father of mine
Farewell, my papa
And as I gambol on my long, long climb
I hold on tight to our best of times
Eyes in the rain, I try to hide
Tears of a boy who shouldn’t cry
Forevermore I’ll keep in mind
Your memory, father of mine
Farewell, my papa
