Ch'ella mì creda libero is a tenor aria from Act III of the opera La fanciulla del West by Giacomo Puccini. It is the final tenor aria sung by Dick Johnson (a.k.a the bandit "Ramerrez") before his death sentence. In the aria, he was hoping for the Sheriff and the miners not to tell Minnie, his lover about his ill-fated destiny. He wishes Minnie to be told that he has gone far away and will never return.
It is said that during World War I, Italian soldiers going away to the front would sing this aria as they marched.
Italian
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Translation in English
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Ch'ella mì creda libero e lontano |
Let her believe I’m far away and free |