Then and Now

We came here on a boat
Ah-om-Ah-om
A great steam-spewing boat
Ah-om-Ah-om
Nine weeks aboard that boat
—that barely stayed afloat—
Mama, Papa, Tio, Luigi, Maria, and Me
Ah-om

Mama brought oil and pasta
Ah-om-Ah-om
Tomato sauce, oil, and pasta
Ah-om-Ah-om
Bushels and baskets of pasta
—til Papa cried out “Basta!”—
Mama, Papa, Tio, Luigi, Maria, and Me
Ah-om

Luigi brought the chitara
Ah-om Ah-om
Our fisarmonica and chitara
Ah-om Ah-om
All day strummed that chitarra
—and the melodies of Parma—
Mama, Papa, Tio, Luigi, Maria, and Me
Ah-om

Tio brought the stories
Ah-om Ah-om
Our history and stories
Ah-om Ah-om

Then and Now

Each night told us those stories
—of love and loss and glory—
Mama, Papa, Tio, Luigi, Maria, and Me
Ah-om

We came here on a boat
Ah-om-Ah-om
That great steam-spewing boat
—that barely stayed afloat—
Mama, Papa, Tio, Luigi, Maria, and Me
Ah-om