Parios - Tou Louloudaki Tou Baxe

Hello and kalimera!

I would like the Lyrics and the possible English Translation.

I'm American and I speak Greek conversationally, and my parents are from the Cyclades (a tiny island next to Naxos and Paros, no less!) so I grew up in a household with Ta Nisiotika playing constantly.

I love Ta Nisiotika and can sing along with most of the lyrics, but some words still evade me.


Anyways, I figured I do this with your help and the Greek experts can let me know how close I am:

Tou Louloudaki Tou Baxe (x3)
(The Flower of ???)
Pos tha me pari mou taxe
(How it will take me away???)

Tou Louloudaki Tou Vouno (x3)
(The Flower of the mountain)
De m'afise katholounou
(How it wouldn't leave me alone????)

Ela na pame sto nisi (x3)
(Let's go to the island)
Mana sou, ego, ke si
(Your mother???, me and you)

Ela na pame ki pou les (x3)
(Let's go to the place you talk about)
Pou kanoun ta pouliafoles???
(Where they do birdcalling???)


If anybody could help me where ever I have (???) and also provide a little history on this song and any of Parios' renditions of Ta Nisiotika (both albums).

I'm a great fan of his Nisiotika, but I can't find any history on any of the songs, cultural impact, response, etc. All I know about Ta Nisiotika is that my family plays it at every gathering...I'd love to know more about it.

Any help is greatly appreciated...yia'sas!

Geia sou and welcome, Petey. I'm glad you've joined us.

Nisiotika and the Cyclades you say? Okay, then "Ta louloudaki tou baxe" is the perfect song to start with.


Το λουλούδακι του μπαξέ
πως θα με πάρει μου 'ταξε

Το λουλούδακι του βουνού
δε μ' άφησε καθόλου νου

Έλα να πάμε στο νησί
η μάνα σου, εγώ και εσύ

Έλα να πάμε εκεί που λες
που κάνουν τα πουλιά φωλιές

***

To louloudaki tou baxe
("The flower of the garden" or just "the garden flower")

Pos tha me parei mou 'taxe
("Promised me that it will take me away")

To louloudaki tou vounou
(You got it right =)

De m' afise katholou nou
("Took my mind/breath away"; literally "Didn't leave me no mind")

Ela na pame sto nisi
I mana sou, ego ke esi
(You got these right =)

Ela na pame eki pou les
Pou kanoun ta poulia folies
(Where the birds make nests)

______________

Parios was born on Paros (the reason he adopted the name "Parios"; his real name is Varthakouris), so it's not a big surprise he sings nisiotika.

All Greek island music is influenced by its specific geographical location and by a history of occupation by foreign forces, as well as constant raids by marauding pirates of various nationalities: Saracen, Tunisian, Italian and even Peloponnesian Greeks from Mani.

"Nisiotika" or island songs, refers not to the music of all Greek islands, but to the islands of the Aegean (Cyclades, Sporades, Dodecanese, and the islands of the Saronic Gulf). Unlike the music of Crete, Lesvos or Cyprus, the nisiotika are not peculiar to an individual island, although particular songs may be exclusive to one or more of the islands.

The music of the Cyclades is usually in one of two dance rhythms, the syrtos or the ballos, the former being a circle or line dance, the latter, a couple dance probably dating from the Frankish occupation of the islands in the 13th to 16th centuries. Unlike the songs of mainland Greece, characterized by unrhymed 15-syllable verse, the songs of the islands are often in rhymed distichs, usually, but not always, of 15 syllables.

Mariza Koch has recorded some nisiotika songs too.

Panselinos, thanks SO much for all the help on the translation and a little bit of the history.

It really does intrigue me, and I really do appreciate some of the background of these island songs!

Also, which song do you think has the better violi...Ikariotiko, Armenaki, or Louloudaki?

For me, its a tough call because each song has amazingly rich violi!

You're welcome, Petey. I wish I could be of more help, but unfortunately I've never made any researches on the subject.
And I've never been to most of the islands we mentioned above.

P.S. A tough call indeed. =)

Originally Posted by panselinos

("The flower of the garden" or just "the garden flower")

("Promised me that it will take me away")

(The Flower of the mountain)

("Took my mind/breath away"; literally "Didn't leave me no mind")

So let me ask for your interpretation...is he singing a beautiful lady that drove him crazy, or a possible mind-altering substance of the herbal variety?

Like I said, I have no idea of the context from most of these songs, and I'm pretty sure this song isn't about a flower that someone found in the mountains that "took his mind and breath away" and more likely about a girl from the mountains who did the same...but I guess that's the beauty of metaphorical lyrics.

Either way, I think the violi in the song does a great job of creating that "maddening" feel...of almost someone going crazy.