Quante volte

The speaker wanders through the night, feeling tired, lonely, and unable to escape thoughts of someone who is no longer with him. The city seems empty, and even a friend’s kindness feels unreliable because he is drunk and forgetful. As the song moves on, memories of longing become sharper and more painful: the speaker recalls pleading, being hurt, finding the person, and losing them again.

Several ordinary images carry emotional weight. The empty benches and dark windows make the city feel abandoned, mirroring the speaker’s isolation. He thinks of the absent person while sitting in the kitchen or putting out cigarettes, suggesting that memories intrude on everyday moments. The “cavallo del barbiere” (a toy horse at a barber’s) may evoke a childhood memory of shouting, briefly connecting adult sadness with a younger self. His wish to break the “idiot moon” gives frustration a vivid, almost comic target.

The lyrics do not explain exactly what happened between the two people, or whether the separation is permanent. The repeated questions suggest a relationship shaped by cycles of desire, conflict, and loss, rather than a simple story of missing someone. The speaker’s self-mocking tone and images of exhaustion make his pain feel real but not entirely solemn: humor and bitterness sit beside tenderness.