PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

This page contains a translation into English of the lyrics to the popular Greek song "Kairon" (Καιρον), which was sung by Manolis Aggelopoulos, Keti Gleri, and Fofi Rasel. Also included is a pronunciation guide for the Greek lyrics so you can sing along if you like.

For more information about the laiko and rebetiko styles of music, see Introduction to Laiko / Rebetiko Music elsewhere on this web site.

Song lyrics are provided for educational purposes. If you like the song, please purchase either the album or a download from an authorized source.

About this Song

This song was released in the late 1950s, following the 1952 revolution in Egypt that overthrew the regime of King Farouk. This regime was descended from Albanian military leaders who governed Egypt as Viceroys under the Ottoman Empire, and they were never truly accepted by the Egyptian people. The regime was able to retain its power following the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1922 because of support from the British.

When the Egyptian Army ended King Farouk's reign in 1952, they ushered in an era of nationalism. In the eyes of Egyptians, this was the first time Egypt was free of foreign rule since the conquest by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE. The post-revolution Egyptian government of the 1950's and 1960's sought to reclaim Egypt for Egyptians. During this time, the Egyptian government seized businesses that had been owned by Greeks, Italians, Armenians, and other ethnic groups. In some cases, the government retained ownership, and in other cases it gave the businesses to Egyptian owners.

For example, before 1952, 80% of movie theaters in Egypt were owned by Greeks, but in the 1960's the Nasser-era government seized them and nationalized the entire cinema industry.

According to musician Chris Kalogerson, when the Egyptian government seized restaurants from Greek owners, some of those restaurant owners emigrated to the United States, and started businesses featuring live music and dance in their new homeland.

During this period, countless Greek Egyptians were thrown out of Egypt in exile. As a result of this, Greek Egyptians wrote many songs expressing nostalgia for their homeland.

About Manolis Aggelopoulos

Manolis Aggelopoulos was a Greek legend. He was born in 1939 in northern Greece, to a Romany family. As a child, he traveled throughout Greece with his family's caravan selling everything from carpets to watermelons. The caravan trucks contained a microphone, so young Aggelopoulos broadcast his singing over the loudspeakers along the way.

His big break came in 1959 when he recorded his first 45 rpm vinyl record, bringing the mix of Greek-Tsigane-Arabic fusion into the Greek music scene. For Greeks and Greek-Romany he was a superstar. His funeral in 1989 was massive, and people cried for 3 days.

About Theodoros Derveniotis, the Composer and Lyricist

The composer of "Kairon", Theodoros Derveniotis, (nickname ‘O Hondros’), was born in 1922 in Zagora, a village in Greece. In the custom of Greeks to name children after their father's parents, O Hondros was named after his grandfather, Theodoros D. Derveniotis, a legendary folk musician.

Although the younger Theodoros appreciated folk music, he gradually fell in love with Byzantine and European music. Starting at age five, he was a Byzantine chanter at his church. Around the 1950's, Theodoros decided to try his luck as a music composer. He was self taught in several Greek instruments and reading music.

Derveniotis went on to work and collaborate with some of the biggest stars in Greek Rebetiko/Laiko music, including the great singer Stelios Kazandzidis. In 1959, this partnership came to an end due to Derveniotis deciding he'd had enough of the low income of 300 drachmas on his compositions.

When one door closes, another opens. Derveniotis moved on to his next venture of opening up a Laiko/Light musical school. His fame continued to grow, and he created countless new compositions for some of the greateast stars of Greek music. Theodoros Derveniotis passed away in 2004.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: This photo shows Theodoros Derveniotis, the legendary composer of many songs in the Greek rebetiko/laiko genre.

Song: Kairon (Cairo), 1959

Lyrics: Theodoros Dervenioti

Music: Theodoros Dervenioti

Original Artist: Manolis Aggelopoulos, Keti Gleri, Fofi Rasel

Dance Style: Belly Dance

Τραγούδι: Καιρον, 1959

Στίχοι: Θεόδωρος Δερβενιώτη

Μουσική: Θεόδωρος Δερβενιώτη

Πρώτη Εκτέλεση: Μανώλης Αγγελόπουλος, Καίτη Γλέρη, Φώφη Ρασέλ

Χορός: Οριεντάλ, Χορό Της Κοιλιάς, Ανατολίτικος Χορός, Τσιφτετέλι, Χανούμικο, Κελικός Χορός