A snippet from âMy sweet girlâ - a song by Romani band âKristaliâ about the irresistible pull of love. Sometimes, even if you donât want to fall in love, you find yourself at its mercy.
đ¶ To listen to the full song and read the lyrics in Romanes as well as the English translation, head over to our Roma Music section where we publish a song every Friday. đ Link in our bio.
A snippet from âKer keresteâ - a short song in traditional Balkan folklore fashion, performed here by Romani singer Azis. The lyrics sound as if theyâre describing a dream. Itâs up to the listener to decide - or feel - what the song means. âMy shoulders brokeâ can translate to hard work. It can also translate to âI danced a lot.â
Have a listen and decide for yourself.
đ¶ To listen to the full song and read the lyrics in Romanes as well as the English translation, head over to our Roma Music section where we publish a song every Friday. đ Link in our bio.
A snippet from âMy lifeâ - a song by Romani singer from Bulgaria, Liko Pleven, about the fatherâs unconditional love. While mothers soothe pain, nurture, heal, hold, and nourish, fathers make their own contributions and sacrifices. Roma culture, which is still very close to more traditional gender roles at least in larger tribes, designates the woman to be Queen of the house and family, and the man to provide. In poverty-stricken communities, men often take unregimented low-pay jobs abroad, because they are still better paid than jobs at home, and spend months away from their loved ones so they can send money. Even if they donât travel far away, Roma men throw themselves into back-breaking work until the day their health doesnât allow it anymore. Their only satisfaction is when they have been able to secure a home for their children, pay for their weddings, and make sure their grandchildren are provided for. What they want in return is beautifully depicted in this song â only health for their children and the joy of watching them grow up.
đ¶ To listen to the full song and read the lyrics in Romanes as well as the English translation, head over to our Roma Music section where we publish a song every Friday. đ Link in our bio.
Elena is a name associated with catastrophic beauty - the kind that makes people start wars (as in the case of Helen of Troy) or break up their own families. There is a song âElena, Elenaâ that is very popular in Bulgaria and it might very well be one of these Balkan songs that appear in every country and you can never tell where exactly they originated. The Bulgarian lyrics go, âElena, Elena, child of the wild desert. Elena, only you I love.â
Our daughter is also named Elena, after Martinaâs mother. Pepi plays the song âElena, Elenaâ all the time at home and whenever we pass by street musicians, he asks them to play it. They all do, because itâs a classic that everyone knows.
Imagine our joy when Pepi, by pure coincidence, found a rendition of âElena, Elenaâ in Romanes, by the King of Roma music Djemail Gasi. The sentiment remains universal in all languages: Elena shakes oneâs world.
đ¶ To listen to the full song and read the lyrics in Romanes as well as the English translation, head over to our Roma Music section where we publish a song every Friday. đ Link in our bio.
A snippet from âFriendshipâ - a song about the bitterness and loneliness that come when you have no real friends. Many songs, poems, and novels have been written about this element in human nature: when you are fortunate and have money, friends surround you. And when your luck turns, your friends disappear. In this song, Romani singer from Bulgaria Sofi Marinova sings that the only true friends of a man are his wife and children.
đ¶ To listen to the full song and read the lyrics in Romanes as well as the English translation, head over to our Roma Music section where we publish a song every Friday. đ Link in our bio.
