Panayiota

Δεν ξανακάνω φυλακή - Ο Καπετανάκης
(Den Xanakano Filaki - O Kapetanakis)

(I Won't Do Jail Again – Kapetanakis)

1. There are different stories regarding who Kapetanakis was. One story refers to the 1920s, set in the jails of Paleas Stratonas. Around the month of November, there was a royal decree that offered amnesty to the political prisoners. They attempted to escape, which led to violence among the prisoners and the guards. The guard Kapetanakis severely injured four of them.  Some of the above information was published in an old Greek newspaper in the 1920s named Embros (εφημερίδα Εμπρός), in an article written by Nikos Sarant. (Νίκος Σαραντ.). Kapetanakis was said to have disappeared with thousands and thousands of drachmas, never to be found again! Other sources say that Kapetanakis was actually a prisoner named Tasos Kapetanakis (Τάσος Καπετανάκης), who had met with the singer Panayiotis Mihalopoulos. This article explores other theories regarding the possible identify of Kapetanakis.
2. The "Dougla mustache" refers to the American silent movie actor Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., using the Greek pronunciation of his name without sounding the "s" at the end. Fairbanks was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood in the 1910's and 1920's. Greeks used to say "That person has the Dougla mustache," because it was a fashion Fairbanks had popularized.... even as far away as Greece! The common saying, referring to the mustache look, used to be "αλα φέρμπανκς" (ala Fairbanks). When Greeks would refer to a product for waxing a mustache, they referred to it as "μουστάκι αλα Nτούγκλα" (mustache ala Fairbanks). The song is said to have been originally written in the 1930s.
3. There are different stories regarding why a "Dougla mustache" was mentioned with respect to the jail. One story says that in the 1930s, Eleftherios Venizelos was a director at the Jails of Paleas Stratonas in Monastiraki (φυλακές της Παλιάς Στρατώνας στο Μοναστηράκι). He was known as being very strict, and he wore the famous slim mustache.
4. The word melidzana refers to the vegetable eggplant (also known as aubergine). In this song, it's referring to the purple color of eggplant. There are two different theories regarding what the reference in this song means. According to one theory, it refers to prostitutes, who used antiseptics which stained their underwear purple. The other theory, which is more likely, is that the color purple was worn for mourning, by widows and at funerals, especially on the Greek islands. This reference to wearing purple appears quite often in traditional Greek island music. In the Greek language, for dramatic effect, we can say that one's choices or outcomes can cause a loved one to die — either literally or internally. So, in this song, the fact that her son is in jail might make him dead to her, even though he is alive.
5. Literally, pedia means "kids", which can refer to either children or adults.
6. This is calling out the name of Yiasou Paleologou, the bouzouki player featured in the instrumentals of this song. He was a renowned bouzouki player of that era, the nephew of the great Markos Vamvakaris (his mother was Markos' sister).
7. The word penia refers to striking a chord on a musical instrument.

About the Translator

This page was contributed by Panayiota Bakis, who is happy to share her culture and music she grew up with! Here's how Panayiota describes her background: I always love engaging with intelligent like-minded people, especially artists. I love sharing anything and everything about my Hellenic culture and upbringing, especially music and dance. A conversation with me will bring you back to America's favorite Greek-American movie by Nia Vardalos called My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I love investigating Greek culture, history, music, and dance. Speaking of investigating, I think I missed my calling, I probably should have been an investigator. Instead, I use those skills to dig and dig and dig tirelessly, often times falling asleep on my laptop... just to find the truth. But, most importantly, accurate truth. For me personally, and other respectable folklorists, my culture and accuracy are very important. Each generation of ethnic born artists has a duty to do the best it can to pass down our traditions as was taught to us. We have been given this artistic gift to be the gatekeepers of our heritage and culture.

 

 

Copyright Notice

This entire web site is copyrighted. All rights reserved.

All articles, images, forms, scripts, directories, and product reviews on this web site are the property of Shira unless a different author/artist is identified. Material from this web site may not be posted on any other web site unless permission is first obtained from Shira.

Academic papers for school purposes may use information from this site only if the paper properly identifies the original article on Shira.net using appropriate citations (footnotes, end notes, etc.) and bibliography. Consult your instructor for instructions on how to do this.

If you wish to translate articles from Shira.net into a language other than English, Shira will be happy to post your translation here on Shira.net along with a note identifying you as the translator. This could include your photo and biography if you want it to. Contact Shira for more information. You may not post translations of Shira's articles on anybody else's web site, not even your own.

If you are a teacher, performer, or student of Middle Eastern dance, you may link directly to any page on this web site from either your blog or your own web site without first obtaining Shira's permission. Click here for link buttons and other information on how to link.