If you haven’t been able to get a hold of me over the past few days, just know that I’ve been extremely preoccupied with a task: memorizing the COWBOY CARTER tracklist from front to back. I have had this album on nonstop since it was released on March 29, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon, especially since I understand the opera translation now from track 11, “DAUGHTER.”
“DAUGHTER” quickly became a much talked about song on social media after Cowboy Carter was released, and it’s no surprise why. The song is hauntingly beautiful, and Beyoncé’s vocals truly stand out. But, there’s one part of the song that really has people talking, and that’s the opera section of “DAUGHTER” in the middle of the song.
While this section of the song is incredible, and IMO, really makes “DAUGHTER” a standout song on the album, I have no clue what the lyrics translate to. And, unsurprisingly, I’m not alone in this. But, if you’ve been on TikTok recently, you might’ve stumbled across some videos of people reacting to this section of the song.
But, what is she singing?! Thankfully, all it takes is a simple google search to learn what the lyrics mean in English. And let me tell you, after knowing what Bey is signing here, it makes “DAUGHTER” 10 times better, which is wild, considering the song is nearly mere perfection as is.
Beyoncé Is Singing Lyrics From Italian Opera Song “Caro Mio Ben.”
Before explaining the lyrics, knowing the history of the lyrics further reflects the brilliance of Bey to include this in her song. “Caro Mio Ben” is a song composed by Tomasso Giordani in the 18th century. The song grew in popularity during the Bel Canto Era, when the style of singing focused on the beauty of tone and expressive, legato phrasing, according to Singer Sticky Notes.
If you’re familiar with opera, these lyrics most likely stood out to you quickly. I, for one, am not well-versed in opera, however, there are lots of people on TikTok who are, and who are sharing their opinions about her usage of this song.
A TikTok posted on April 1 by a user named Teddy Siegel dives into the usage of this song, its relevance in the world of opera, and why some people are nothing Bey’s use of the song as controversial.
As explained by Siegel, “Caro Mio Ben” is essentially the equivalent of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” in the opera world. Everybody knows it, and thats why for those familiar with the genre might have been “triggered” or shocked when they heard Bey using it in her song. Despite this, Siegel notes that it is a beautiful piece, just quite overdone.
However, real ones know that Beyoncé was trained in classical voice, so her ability to do this so well doesn’t come as much of a surprise. I mean, she is Beyoncé, so what can’t she do?
Here’s the translation of the “DAUGHTER” Opera Lyrics:
Ok, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: WTF do these lyrics mean? Thankfully, due to the song’s popularity and importance in opera, it’s not too hard to find the lyric translation. The first few lyrics Bey sings from the song are as follows: “Caro mio ben / Credimi almen / Senza di te / Languisce il cor.” These lyrics in English translate to: “My darling dear / at least believe me, / without you / my heart languishes.” Anybody else crying?
The next lyrics really add to the haunting nature of the song. Bey sings “Il tuo fedel / Sospira ognor / Cessa, crudel / Tanto rigor.” In English, these translate to: “Your faithful admirer / always sighs / stop, cruel one / being so harsh.”
Now that you know what these lyrics mean, it’s time you practice your opera skills coupled with learning some Italian! If Beyoncé can do it, you can (try) to do it too!