Poppa Piccolino
Petula Clark Lyrics

All over Italy they know his concertina
Poppa Piccolino's concertina playing can be heard throughout Italy

Poppa Piccolino, Poppa Piccolino,
Poppa Piccolino is known by everyone and is likely a well-respected figure

He plays so prettily to every signorina
Poppa Piccolino plays his concertina attractively to all the beautiful women he sees

Poppa Piccolino from sunny Italy
Poppa Piccolino is from Italy and likely travels around playing music for others

Oh listen to the music I hear
The person singing this song is getting excited by the sounds of Poppa Piccolino's concertina

Oh. Poppa Piccolino is near
Poppa Piccolino is nearby and playing his concertina

To win a smile or maybe a tear
Poppa Piccolino is playing to create an emotional response from his audience

Before travelling on
Poppa Piccolino moves from place to place, playing his music as he goes

A vagabond who wanders along
Poppa Piccolino is a wanderer with no permanent home

A millionaire, but only in song
Through music, Poppa Piccolino is wealthy, but in reality, he does not have much money

As though the world
Poppa Piccolino acts as if the world belongs to him

Might really belong to him
Poppa Piccolino feels a strong sense of belonging in the world, likely due to his love of music

This fellow plays a melody so mellow
Poppa Piccolino plays a soft and relaxing melody

That everyone keeps shouting "Bello, Bello"
Poppa Piccolino's music is so enjoyable that people cannot help but shout praise

No matter what the calendars show
The time of year doesn't matter to Poppa Piccolino, as he is always playing music

It can't be spring, and I ought to know
The singer of this song is certain it cannot be spring until they hear Poppa Piccolino's greeting

Until I hear him singing "'allo, `allo I'm here again"
When Poppa Piccolino introduces himself with his signature greeting, the singer knows spring has arrived

A flower in his battered old hat
Poppa Piccolino wears a beaten-up hat with a flower in it

And a smile for every doggie and cat
Poppa Piccolino is friendly to all animals

And children get the friendliest pat of all
Poppa Piccolino is especially friendly to children, giving them happy pats

I'll give his name so if you ever meet him
The singer wants to share Poppa Piccolino's name so others can recognize him if they meet him

Then you will know exactly how to greet him
Knowing Poppa Piccolino's name will help people greet him properly when they meet him

Everybody loves Poppa Piccolino.
Poppa Piccolino is incredibly popular and well-loved by everyone

He has the cutest little monkey to collect the lira.
Poppa Piccolino has a cute little monkey that collects money for him

But one day Poppa Piccolino was very sad.
Poppa Piccolino experienced a day of deep sadness

He lost his concertina, and he couldn't find it anywhere, and there was no music, and everyone was very unhappy.
Poppa Piccolino lost his beloved concertina, causing everyone in the area to be unhappy

But the little monkey found it for him and gave it back to Poppa Piccolino, and now everybody is happy again.
The little monkey found the lost concertina and returned it to Poppa Piccolino, restoring happiness to the area.

Sunny Italy, Sunny Italy.
Italy is described as being sunny and warm, in contrast to the temporary sorrow caused by Poppa Piccolino's lost concertina.