Eleni Vitali - The Song of the Gypsies

[Milena]

Could someone translate this song for me?


Den eho topo, den exo elpida
de tha me hasi, kamia patrida
ke me ta heria mou ke tin kardia mou
ftiachno tsantiria sta onira mou

Nas balamos, nas balamos
kai to loumno to afentiko
nagia domles atze I balamo

Ke ta ganikia mas otan chorevoun
ne chastaromata pou se magevoun
kounoune somata kai ta pite tous
mesa se klinoune stis agalies tous

Nas balamos...

[tzina772000]

The dots stand for the Rom/Gypsie words and entire phrases I don't understand.Sorry

Den eho topo, den exo elpida
I don't have a place, I don't have a hope
de tha me hasi, kamia patrida
no homeland will ever lose me
ke me ta heria mou ke tin kardia mou
and with my hands and with my hearts
ftiachno tsantiria sta onira mou
I make çadır in my dreams (not for you çadır = something like tent more arab like though)

Nas balamos, nas balamos
....
kai to loumno to afentiko
...... the boss
nagia domles atze I balamo
.....

Ke ta ganikia mas otan chorevoun
and the .... when they dance
ne chastaromata pou se magevoun
.......that amaze you
kounoune somata kai ta pite tous
they move their bodies and their .....
mesa se klinoune stis agalies tous
they close you into their arms

Nas balamos...

[Milena]

Thanks a lot Tzina.

I'd also suggest you to listen Flamenco version of this song if you are interested. ("Nací en Alamo (Vengo)" by Yasmin Levy) It is very good too.

[tzina772000]

Yeap I know it

[Ellenaki]

Den eho topo, den eh elpida
de tha me hasi kamia patrida
kei me ta heria mou, kei ti kardia mou
fstiahno tsatiria sto nira mou

nas balamo
nas balamo
kei tou loumino t'afentiko
naygia kala portzi balamo

Kei ta nagyikia mas otan horevoun
ne sas taromata pou se mayevoun
konoune somata kei pah ta le tous
me sa se klinoume stis agiales tous

A rough version of the phonetic Greek, I know.... but I am singing this song and we have tranaslated it thus (w/ the help of our Greek teacher who lives in Kefalonia)

I have no place, I have no hope
No homeland will miss me
I make our camps/tents in my dreams

chorus is in Balamo ... 'Balamo' itself is the word for non Roma, Greek ethnic gypsies... and 'outsiders'.

When our women dance, their perfumes/aroma work their magic
moving, with their bodies, they enchant you
and then, enclose you in their arms.... (or 'booooooozhoms' as our teacher says.. :-)

[Ellenaki]

Originally Posted by Ellenaki

me sa se klinoume stis agiales tous

oops... agalies, not agiales!

[panselinos]

This song is originally sung by Giorgos Katsaris, the music and the lyrics are written by Dionysis Tsaknis.

It's sung also by Tsaknis himself, Eleni Vitali, Dalaras.. Thanos Petrelis and Foteini made a great duet too.

The Spanish cover version "Naci en Alamo" ("I Was Born in Alamo") is included in the soundtrack of Tony Gatlif's movie "Vengo", but it was sung by the gypsy girl Remedios Silva Pisa, not by Yasmin Levy. Levy just made a cover of the cover.

"Balamos" is what gypsies call the the non gypsies, i.e. something like "white man". (Depends on the dialect of course, it could be also "gadje". "Balamo" is non-Roma specifically in Greek Romany. )
"Nais" is "thanks". If I remember right, "adje" is "to stay, to stop".

And by the way, Ellenaki, Tzina is right about the lyrics, it goes like "naya domles adjei, balamo".

I never really bothered to translated the Romany part. :/

[Ellenaki]

Originally Posted by panselinos

The Spanish cover version "Naci en Alamo" ("I Was Born in Alamo") is included in the soundtrack of Tony Gatlif's movie "Vengo", but it was sung by the gypsy girl Remedios Silva Pisa, not by Yasmin Levy. Levy just made a cover of the cover.

"Balamos" is what gypsies call the the non gypsies, i.e. something like "white man".

And by the way, Ellenaki, Tzina is right about the lyrics, it goes like "naya domles adzei, balamo".

Wow - opposite of what our Greek friends (and Albanians, who are Balamo) told us... about the Balamo... the outsiders... the Balamo are the Greek ethnics, the gypsies, called the outsiders by the Greek nationals.
the Vengo cover of the song was a wholly different song, lyricswise... they are dissimilar to the point that if the melody was not the same, it would not be Tsaknis' song any longer.
If you listen to both Katsaris (who sang it on Tsaknis' recording) and Vitali sing the song (i have never hear dDalaras' version but would love to. I cannot find it listed anywhere - which CD is it on?), they are singing 'naya kala portzi (sp) balamo...' rather than what you've said. There are several Vitali versions.. and a BEAUTIFUL YouTube video of a performance, w/ Vassilis Saleas accompanying...

Ohhh - I am getting the newcomers welcome here? http://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/im...cons/icon7.gif

[panselinos]

No, like I said, "balamo" is non-Roma specifically in Greek Romany.
The Kardarash in Bulgaria, for instance, say "gadje".

Nais, balamo = Thanks, white man (something like "thanks, but no thanks).

Listen carefully to Giorgos Katsaris. I'll translate the Romany lyrics when I'm not that lazy. lol

[Ellenaki]

But I thought that the Greek Gypsy IS non-Roma... Balamo - the 'outsider', the ethnic Greek... the Roma are the Latin Gypsies... the Greeks are not Roma.

If you know the true translation of the chorus of Ta Tragoudi ton Gyfton, please, please post it here! http://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/im...cons/icon7.gif
There is a world of people out there dying to know what the h#@! Tsaknis was saying!

[panselinos]

Roma = Gypsies, whether they're Greek or not. "Rom" in Romani (the language of the gypsies) means "a man".

"Gypsies" is an exonym, it's what the other people, the outsiders, the balamos call them. Whereas "Roma" is an endonym (and an ethnonym), it's what gypsies call themselves. All of them. Καταλαβαίνεις;
There are many Roma tribes, but all of the gypsies are Roma.

i have never hear dDalaras' version but would love to. I cannot find it listed anywhere - which CD is it on?

Διονύσης Τσακνής - "Παίζοντας με δυό ορχήστρες" (2000)

[Ellenaki]

I am sorry, but I beg to differ... respectfully... :-)
According to our friend who is of Greek/Albanian 'gypsy' descent, 'Balamo' is the Rom name, and their own name, for his people, Greek Gypsies - the 'outsiders'.... he says they are the Greek ethnics, who have their own dialect, more derivative of Greek than of Latin.... He does not consider himself Roma. They call themselves 'Gyftos'. Our thaskala, Eleni, tells us of the class distinctions in Greece, holdovers from pre civil war, and the Gypsies are still looked down upon with great disdain (as it sadly seems they've been viewed by every culture within which they exist...) and are known as the 'outsiders' and she thought that they, the Greek ethnic folk, are what the world Balamo referred to.
This is interesting... I would love the opportunity to ask Eleni Vitali about her beautiful people.
Thank you for the info re: the Tsaknis CD that Dalaras sings the song on... I cannot easily find it here but will be in Athens in December and will get it then.

[tzina772000]

the Greek Gypsies are what panselinos says (the ones that live in Ag.Varvara for example). The Giftoi you are talking about in Greek is Athigganoi. Athigganoi came from the east , they have to do something with the Turks (so also Tourkogiftoi), but to be honest it's not like I saw it written somewhere so I may not be right on that. The Gypsies cam from the parts of Romania (around those parts, not from the country in itself). In the Gypsie language balamos is teh white man. Elenitsa don't forget "psithiroi kardias" the tv series. They were not Giftoi, but Gypsies

[Ellenaki]

thanks for everyones' help... there is so much to learn! :-)