José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945 in Lares, Puerto… Read Full Bio ↴José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945 in Lares, Puerto Rico) is a singer and guitarist, who has been successful in both Spanish and English music. A victim of congenital glaucoma, he was left permanently blind at birth. He is most known for his Christmas song "Feliz Navidad", as well as his covers of "California Dreamin'" and "Light My Fire".

Barca
José Feliciano Lyrics

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Mattino di sole sulla barca
Sperduti nel mare io e lei
La scema e' li' che si riposa
Io remo pensando ai fatti miei
Sarebbe il momento proprio giusto
Rovescio la barca e lei va giu'
Ma dopo da solo cosa faccio
Io senza di lei non vivo piu'

Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh...

Voi cuori di pietra come fate
Voi che ammazzate la gente per sport
La guardo non sembra neanche piu' scema
Sfiorarla di baci io vorrei
Son cose neanche da pensare
Ti beccano tutti prima o poi
E' dentro di voi che dovete ammazzare
Il vostro pensiero se perde l'amor

Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh...

Due piccole onde la svegliano piano
Non parla mi guarda coss'ha?
Se certo non fossi che lei mi vuol bene
Direi che la pelle mi vuol far
Son cose nanche da pensar
Son bravo a nuotare e lei lo sa
Non so cosa ho fatto piu' che remare
Stasera se vuole la porto anche al nigh

Oh oh
Oh...

Oh oh
Oh...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to José Feliciano's song "La Barca" follows a man's journey with his lover out at sea. The song opens with the man's thoughts as he and his lover are lost at sea on a boat on a sunny morning. However, there is something bothering him as he recounts how his foolish lover is resting while he is left to navigate their journey. He considers overturning the boat, which he ultimately does, causing his lover to fall off the boat. The man then confesses that he cannot live without his lover, and so he must save her.

The next verse is a reflection on how the hearts of people can be cold and merciless to the point of killing for pleasure. But the man sees something different in his foolish lover as he desires to kiss her. This passage in the song takes an unexpected turn, as the man tells us that we must kill our own thoughts if we want to preserve love. He ends the song as they are almost at their destination, where his lover wakes up and wonders quietly what has been going on, and the man offers to take her out to "the nigh." One thing that stands out in the song is the contrast between the light, upbeat rhythm of the music and the melancholic lyrics that slowly reveal the true nature of the man's thoughts.

Line by Line Meaning

Mattino di sole sulla barca
In the morning sun on the boat

Sperduti nel mare io e lei
Lost at sea, she and I

La scema e' li' che si riposa
The silly woman is there resting

Io remo pensando ai fatti miei
I row, thinking about my own affairs

Sarebbe il momento proprio giusto
This would be the right moment

Rovescio la barca e lei va giu'
I overturn the boat and she goes down

Ma dopo da solo cosa faccio
But then, what do I do alone?

Io senza di lei non vivo piu'
I can't live without her

Voi cuori di pietra come fate
You stone-hearted people, how do you do it?

Voi che ammazzate la gente per sport
You who kill people for sport

La guardo non sembra neanche piu' scema
I look at her, she doesn't even seem silly anymore