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 "Zehra" (Ζεχρά), which was sung by Sofia Vembo. Also included is a pronunciation guide for the Greek lyrics so you can sing along if you like.

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 Sofia Vembo

Sofia Vembo (real name Sofia Bebou), was a legendary singer and actress who became known by the nicknames "Singer of Victory" and "Efi". Pol Nor, whose real name was Nikos Nikolaidis, gave her the stage name of Sofia Vembo.

Vembo was born in the Anatolian region (in modern-day Turkey) of Thraki on February 10, 1910. She was one of four children. They were raised in Constantinople, but quickly quickly became refugees when the Greeks fled Turkey. The family arrived in Greece and eventually settled in Volos.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: This photo of Sofia Vembo with her beloved guitar was her very first promotional photo. It was advertising her appearance at the Kentrikon Theater, where she dressed as a Romani girl and debuted the song "Tsigana Mavromata" ("Black-Eyed Gypsy Woman) in 1933.

Vembo went on to perform as a singer and actress throughout Greece. She was considered the voice of war music in the 1940s, and became highly respected for her monetary donations to the Hellenic Army, which is how she acquired the nickname "Singer of Victory". Her career continued through the “metapolemika” post-war music era of the 1950s.

After her academic studies, Vembo developed an interest in music and fell in love with the guitar. She was discovered by Konstantinos Tsibas (who was actually a German spy). He was one of the most famous talent agents and businessmen that promoted many famous and upcoming artists, and Vembo came to his attention when she was on a road trip en route to Thessaloniki to visit her brother.

Sofia also appeared in the famous 1955 movie Stella alongside Melina Merkouri. She opened her own theater in 1949 called ‘Theatro Vembo’ (Vembo Theater). This theater still stands to this day, and it remains very active with the arts community. Sofia Vembo was laid to rest on March 11, 1978.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: Sofia Vembo, as a young woman.

This is a translation of an excerpt from a September 1966 interview by journalist Taso Koutsothanasi for the magazine Proto:

• INTERVIEWER: Miss Vembo, we all know you as “The Singer of Victory”. Who gave you this characteristic title?
• VEMBO: The victory was not mine “at the broken off legs/feet the young lad”, as Giorgos Fteris says in his poem, which is dedicated to all the men of the Albanian war. I just happened to be singing songs which happened to be about the victories and glories of Albania. That is all. The late Ahileas Mamakis believed – as everyone believed – that I had to be the singer of victory. And he baptized me. I don’t know whether I deserve it, but I am proud and happy.... I found love in my husband Mimi Traiforo. He is wonderful, golden, but shorter than me.
• INTERVIEWER: Your countless friends are eagerly waiting to hear your voice again…will you return to the stage again?
• VEMBO: A person always gets tired when they are working, but what I get out of this is so big. Not as money, but as applause. That is why I want to sing again with this voice that I have, at this old age that I have…

About Eleftheria Arvanitaki

Eleftheria Arvanitaki, one of the artists to record this song, is a Greek folk singer known for singing rebetiko, laiko, and jazz musical styles. Born in 1957, she started her singing career as a member of the ensemble Opisthodromiki Kompania (Retrograde Company) that performed rebetiko music. She then spun off to launch a solo singing career in 1984 with an album that bore her name. She has toured extensively to perform at festivals and other live music events. Arvanitaki performed in the closing ceremony for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens.

Lyrics: Emilios Savvidis

Music: Mihalis Sougioul

Original Artist: Sofia Vembo

Has Also Been Performed By:

• Eleftheria Arvanitaki

Στίχοι: Αιμίλιος Σαββίδης

Μουσική: Μιχάλης Σουγιούλ

Πρώτη εκτέλεση: Σοφία Βέμπο

Άλλοι Ερμηνευτές:

• Ελεύθερία Αρβανιτάκη

Greek Lyrics

Pronunciation

English Translation

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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.