Armenaki - Greek Song

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Vocals, arrangement & video by Farya Faraji. This is a clip I filmed during my trip to Greece in May. I actually wasn't planning to cover this song, as I didn't even know it existed when I went on the trip. My Greek friends in the Peloponnese convinced me to go see Santorini (Thira), something I was reluctant to do at first because I expected it to be completely commercialised and touristic, but thankfully, at that time of the year at least, I discovered an island that still had some authentic charm left to it. I asked the locals what their regional style of music was, and I discovered the existence of Nisiotika, the traditional style centered mostly around that of the Cyclades Islands. Falling in love with it immediately, I knew I had to cover one of their songs in the two days that I had in Santorini, so I quickly learned this song, Armenaki, probably the most well known example of the genre.

Nisiotika and more specifically, the music of the Cyclades Islands is characterised mainly by the usage of the lyra or violin, the santouri and the lauto used to provide chord progressions. I didn't have access to the first, so I decided to build the instrumentation around the latter two. The tsampouna bagpipe is also a traditional instrument of these islands.

Greek Lyrics:
Αρμενάκι είμαι κυρά μου
Πάρε με, πάρε με
Έλα πάρε με

Και στην αγκαλιά σου μέσα
Βαλε με, βάλε με
Έλα βάλε με

Έλα βάρκα να με πάρεις
Πάρε με πάρε με
Έλα πάρε με

Σε νησιώτικο λιμάνι
Βγάλε με βγάλε με
Έλα βγάλε με

Romanised lyrics:
Armenáki ímai kirá mou
Páre me, páre me
Éla páre me

Kai stin angaliá sou mésa
Vale me, vále me
Éla vále me

Éla várka na me páris
Páre me páre me
Éla páre me

Se nisiótiko limáni
Vgále me vgále me
Éla vgále me

English translation:
Armenaki (a sort of boat) I am, my dear,
Take me, take,
Come take me,

And put me inside your arms,
Put me inside your arms,

Come, boat, and take me,
Take me,

To an island port take me,
Come and take me,

The lyrics are very hard to translate for a non-Greek speaker so if any of my Greek subscribers has a better translation, don't hesitate to write them down in the comments and I'll update the description.