The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #150995   Message #3521083
Posted By: George Papavgeris
31-May-13 - 09:01 AM
Thread Name: Origins: Canakkale / Katinaki Mou
Subject: RE: Origins: Canakkale / Katinaki Mou
Katinaki mou gia sena me skotosane
mesa ston teke tou Foti me xaplosane.

Me varesane kale mou re me babesia
ach, tris machairies mou dosan mesa stin kardia.

Etsi hathika gia sena Katinaki mou
Ap to davatzi pou iches vre manaki mou.
==========================================
My Katinaki (Katie) it's for you they killed me
they laid me out in Fotis' dive.

They hit me with a cowardly ambush
ach, three stabs they gave me to the heart

That's how I was wasted for you, my Katinaki
by your pimp, my sweet doll

First recorded by Rosa Eschenazy, 1932.
Turkish and Greek tunes were habitually interchanged with new lyrics. It still happens today to a lesser degree. However I think that in this case the Turkish "Çanakkale" came first to commemorate the events at Gallipoli; then some 10-15 years later the tune was borrowed for a typical Greek refugee (from Asia Minor) song, dealing with the criminal underworld as so many of their songs did.