Esther Ofarim (Hebrew: אסתר עופרים‎, born Esther Zaied, 13 June 1941 in Saf… Read Full Bio ↴Esther Ofarim (Hebrew: אסתר עופרים‎, born Esther Zaied, 13 June 1941 in Safed) is an Israeli female vocalist.

She met Abi Ofarim, a guitarist and dancer, in 1959 and subsequently married him. With her husband and without him she began to sing Hebrew and international folk songs.

In 1960 Esther got a small role in the film Exodus. In 1961 Esther won the Song Festival in Tel Aviv, where she sang "Saeni imcha bemachol" and "Neama". Two years later, Esther made the 2nd place at the Eurovision Song Contest with "T'en vas pas", representing Switzerland.

From then on, her duo with her then husband Abi Ofarim began take off. In 1966 they had their first hit in Germany with "Noch einen Tanz". Their greatest success in Germany was "Morning of my Life" in 1967, which was written by the Bee Gees. In 1968 the Ofarims had their international breakthrough with "Cinderella Rockefella", which hit the top of the charts in a number of countries including the UK. They played many live concerts in New York and London, and in 1969 they toured around the world.

As result of problems in both business, and personal relations, they divorced in 1970 [1] (in German).

Esther started her solo career with several albums and concerts. In 1984 she played in Joshua Sobol's piece "Ghetto", produced by Peter Zadek in Berlin (Germany). There she sang some songs, including "Frühling" and "Unter deinen weissen Sternen". The play was extremely successful, which was attributed in part to Esther's strong presence.

Since 1998, Esther Ofarim has been performing several concerts each year, especially in Israel and Germany. This includes annual concerts in the Hamburger Kammerspiele.

Ofarim's songs were prominently featured in the 2004 Israeli film, Walk on Water.

Sto Core Mio
Esther Ofarim Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

'Sto core mio, 'sto core mio
Si fosse de diamante,
'sto core mio, 'sto core mio
Si fosse de diamante,
Sarria spezzato
A tanto dolore!

Quanto, quanto ne prova,

Quanto ne prova e sempe a
Tutte ll'ore!
Quanto, quanto ne prova,
Quanto ne prova e sempe a
Tutte ll'ore!

'Sto core mio, 'sto core mio
Si fosse de diamante,
'sto core mio, 'sto core mio
Si fosse de diamante,
Sarria spezzato
A tanto dolore!

Quanto, quanto ne prova,
Quanto ne prova e sempe a
Tutte ll'ore!
Quanto, quanto ne prova,

Quanto ne prova e sempe a
Tutte ll'ore!

Overall Meaning

The song "Sto Core Mio" by Esther Ofarim is a heartfelt lamentation of intense emotional pain. The first two lines repeat "Sto core mio," which means "my heart" in Italian. The next two lines convey the singer's wish that her heart was made of diamond because the pain is so severe that the heart would break apart. The repetition of this line emphasizes the intensity of suffering and the singer's longing for relief.

The following lines express the ongoing nature of this pain, with the singer acknowledging that she feels it every hour of every day. This sense of constant agony is emphasized by the repetition of "quanto ne prova," which means "how much it tests me." In the final lines, the singer returns to the desire for a diamond heart, acknowledging that even if it were made of such a strong material, it would still break under such intense suffering.

Overall, this song conveys a deep sense of anguish in a simple but powerful way. The repetition and use of Italian phrases add to the emotional intensity and give the song a timeless quality.

Line by Line Meaning

'Sto core mio, 'sto core mio
My heart, my heart

Si fosse de diamante,
If it were made of diamond,

'Sto core mio, 'sto core mio
My heart, my heart

Si fosse de diamante,
If it were made of diamond,

Sarria spezzato
It would still break

A tanto dolore!
From so much pain!

Quanto, quanto ne prova,
How much it suffers,

Quanto ne prova e sempe a
How much it suffers constantly

Tutte ll'ore!
Every hour!

Quanto, quanto ne prova,
How much it suffers,

Quanto ne prova e sempe a
How much it suffers constantly