Right, here’s what the Italian opera lyrics on Beyoncé’s song Daughter actually mean

If there’s one thing Beyoncé is going to do, it’s surprise us. And she made it clear upon the release of Cowboy Carter: “This is not a country album. It’s a Beyoncé album”. Which is why, it sort of makes perfect sense that the record we all thought was going to be purely Daddy Lessons coded actually contains the unexpected. Specifically, Italian opera.

So, in case you’ve also been listening to DAUGHTER on repeat and wondering what on earth is going on when the Italian aria Caro Mio Ben starts floating through the speakers, here’s all you need to know about what the Italian opera lyrics actually mean and why they’re included on the album:

Right, so what do the Italian opera lyrics in DAUGHTER mean?

As a Bridge on the DAUGHTER track of Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé sings the 18th-century Italian song Caro Mio Ben, which translates to “My Dear Beloved”. The lyrics of the aria, translate loosely to: “My dear beloved/ At least believe me/ Without you my heart languishes”. After the bridge, Beyoncé returns to English, singing her own moody line: “If you cross me, I’m just like my father/I am colder than Titanic water.”

Caro Mio Ben is most often heard in classical music recitals. According to historians, it was written in the early 1780s by a member of the Giordano family (potentially Giuseppe or his older brother Tommaso). The lyrics are short but are intended to express intense heartache over the loss of someone they love and they beg for a conflict to be resolved.

And what actually are the full lyrics to DAUGHTER?

In case you want to investigate the lyrics for yourself (or just sing along, obv) here are Beyoncé’s full DAUGHTER lyrics:

Most Read

Exposed: The six MAFS UK 2024 cast members who already have new partners since the show

Another MAFS UK 2024 groom has posted a new girlfriend since the show and I can’t keep up

Inside the raunchy MAFS UK watch party that hints there’s been yet another couple swap

[Verse 1]
Your body laid out on these filthy floors
Your bloodstains on my custom coutures
Bathroom attendant let me right in
She was a big fan
I really tried to stay cool
But your arrogance disturbed my solitude
Now I ripped your dress and you’re all black and blue
Look what you made me do

[Refrain]
They keep sayin’ that I ain’t nothin’ like my father
But I’m the furthest thing from choir boys and altars
If you cross me, I’m just like my father
I am colder than Titanic water

[Chorus]
Help me, Lord, from these fantasies in my head
They ain’t ever been safe ones
I don’t fellowship with these fakе ones
So let’s travel to whitе chapels and sing hymns
Hold rosaries, and sing in stained glass symphonies
Cleanse me, Holy Trinity, from this marijuana smoke smell in my hair

[Verse 2]
I sashayed my dress
Did my best impression of a damsel in distress
This alcohol and smell of regret
Allured my catch
Outfit too small to hide my scars
Feelin’ bottled up like bottle service broads
How long can he hold his breath
Before his death?

[Bridge]
Caro mio ben
Credimi almen
Senza di te
Languisce il cor
Il tuo fedel
Sospira ognor
Cessa, crudel
Tanto rigor
Ooh, ooh

[Chorus]
Help me, Lord, from these fantasies in my head
They ain’t ever been safe ones
I don’t fellowship with these fake ones
So let’s travel to white chapels and sing hymns
Hold rosaries, sing in stained glass symphonies
Cleanse me, Holy Trinity, from this marijuana smoke smell in my hair

[Outro]
Say I’m nothin’ like my father
But I’m the furthest thing from choir boys and altars
Double cross me, I’m just like my father
I am colder than Titanic water

Related articles recommended by this writer:

• Ok, here’s the secret meaning behind Beyoncé’s 16 Carriages lyrics

• Everything Blue Ivy has been up to since stealing the show at Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour

•What to know about Beyoncé’s hot bodyguard Julius since he sent TikTok into meltdown

Featured image credit via Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records