4/3/1943

Lucio Dalla's song '4/3/1943' is a poignant narrative that delves into themes of love, loss, and identity. The song tells the story of a man who came from the sea, speaking a different language but knowing how to love. This mysterious man has a brief but profound encounter with the narrator's mother, resulting in the narrator's birth. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the man's charm and the tragic brevity of his life, as he is killed shortly after this encounter. This sets the stage for the mother's solitary life, raising her child in a room by the port, with only one dress that grows shorter each day as she waits for her child to be born, seeing him as a gift of love from the very beginning.

The song continues to explore the mother's life, highlighting her youth and the hardships she faces. At just 16 years old, she sings tavern songs as lullabies and embraces her role as a mother, despite the challenges. The sea, a recurring motif, symbolizes both the origin of the narrator's father and the hardships faced by the mother. The narrator's name, 'Gesu' bambino' (Baby Jesus), given perhaps out of love or a sense of playfulness, becomes a significant part of his identity. This name, a constant reminder of his origins, is the most substantial memory of his father's brief life.

As the narrator grows up, he finds himself playing cards and drinking wine, still known as 'Gesu' bambino' by the people of the port. This name, laden with meaning and history, ties him to his past and the story of his parents. The repetition of this identity in the song's closing lines emphasizes the enduring impact of his origins on his life. Lucio Dalla's '4/3/1943' is a touching exploration of how love, loss, and identity are intertwined, and how the past continues to shape the present.