(Mary Chapin Carpenter)



What if we went to Italy

A suitcase of books and one bag a piece for the summer

I don't speak a word of Italian

Except for Campari and soda for two, how much is a Lire

Yes, a villa will do and a breeze, in Tuscany please



What if we spent all of our days, improving our minds, learning new ways to be lazy

It wouldn't be too much of a strain

Relax after breakfast till lunch comes around

Can't wait for dinner, oh, I need to lie down

And refuel, out by the pool



What if the ancients were lazy like us

Too blissed out to paint, to sketch or to sculpt

Just as relaxed as the tower of Pisa

Not ever missing that old Mona Lisa



What if we never got back on the plane

As summer turned colder and then warmer again

Losing all track of the passing of years

Till it no longer mattered how long we'd been here



What if we went to Italy

Maybe next year, just you and me for the summer

I still can't speak any Italian

But words are replaced under Siennese skies

By nothing so much as a nod, and a sigh, and a wish to be always like this