Chris
Can someone help me translate the words to a song?

I've recently begun to listen to Markos Vamvakaris and would like help translating some of his lyrics to English.  If there is a native Greek speaker who can help me I would really appreciate this.  Dictionaries and google translate can only go so far, especially considering all the slang and antiquated expressions.

 

Κάποτε ήμουνα κι εγώ παιδάκι από τα φίνα  

I think this line means something along the lines of: 

And I once was a good-natured/good boy.

και η καρδιά μου επόνεσε για μια γλυκιά τσαχπίνα:

And my heart hurts for a sweet, smart, pretty girl.  

 

I can't make heads or tails of the rest.

 

Όταν την έπαιρνα μαζί ο κόσμος με κοιτούσε.

μ' αυτή μου την αμόλησε και μ' άλλονε γυρνούσε.

Κι από το ντέρτι το πολύ, θολώνει το μυαλό μου.

και η ψυχή μου η δύστυχη σπαράζει απ' τον καημό μου.

Και από τότε πια κι εγώ, καμιά πια δεν γουστάρω

την τσίκα μου πάντα τραβώ, τον αργιλέ φουμάρω

 

Σας ευχαριστώ πολύ.

Jun 23, 2014 7:01 PM
Comments · 4
2

I know it's been more that a week that you posted it but I would like to have a try and translate it :)

 

Once I was a kid too from the good ones

and my heart was hurted for a sweet flirty girl

When I had her with me, people were watching me

But she dumped me and with someone else was wandering
And from all this sadness, my mind is muddy 

and my poor soul is tearing to pieces from my longing.

And since then, I don't want anyone else

I always take my weed and smoke my hookah.

 

The composers/singers of that era, called "rebetes" they were known for smoking weed and τσίκα was something like this that they used in in hookah! :P

 

July 2, 2014

Ευχαριστώ πολύ.  Both of your translations were very helpful and informative.

July 12, 2014

than*

July 2, 2014

I was once a guy who kept his cool
and my heart hurt for a sweet flirty girl

When I took her with me, the world was watching
But she shook me off, and with someone else went

And from the sadness, the more my mind gets stained
And the unhappiness tears my soul from my poor self

And from that moment on I'm no longer myself, nothing pleases me anymore
I always drag my girl with me, smoking my hookah

June 25, 2014