Andonis · Mikis Theodorakis · Maria Farantouri

Andonis · Mikis Theodorakis · Maria Farantouri

Mikis Theodorakis Concert 4

℗ 1974 Galata

Released on: 1974-03-26

"Mikis Theodorakis was an active member of the resistance against the Nazi occupation during World War II and later a leading figure in the opposition to the Greek military junta (1967–1974)"

"Andonis" (or "O Antonis") is a well-known song by the acclaimed Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis. It is featured in two significant works: the Mauthausen Trilogy and the soundtrack for the film Z.
The Song "O Antonis"
Lyrics and Subject: The lyrics were written by Greek poet, actor, and Mauthausen concentration camp survivor Iakovos Kambanellis. The song tells the story of a Greek prisoner named Antonis in the Mauthausen quarries who tries to help an exhausted Jewish friend carry a heavy boulder up 180 steps, an act severely punished by the Nazi guards. The lyrics include the poignant lines, "help is an insult, compassion a curse".
Mauthausen Trilogy: "O Antonis" is a part of Theodorakis's famous Mauthausen Trilogy, also known as The Ballad of Mauthausen, a powerful musical work about the Holocaust.
Film "Z": An instrumental version, titled "Main Title (O Antonis)" or "O Adonis", serves as the main theme for the 1969 film Z, directed by Costa Gavras.

There on the wide staircase
Εκεί στη σκάλα την πλατιά

on the ladder of tears
στη σκάλα των δακρύων

in the Wiener Graben the deep
στο Βίνερ Γκράμπεν το βαθύ

the quarry of lamentations
το λατομείο των θρήνων
Jews and rebels walk
Εβραίοι κι αντάρτες περπατούν

Jews and rebels fall,
Εβραίοι κι αντάρτες πέφτουν,

they carry a rock on their back
βράχο στη ράχη κουβαλούν

rock death cross.
βράχο σταυρό θανάτου.
There is Antonis the voice
Εκεί ο Αντώνης τη φωνή

voice, voice hears
φωνή, φωνή ακούει

oh comrade oh comrade
ω καμαράντ, ω καμαράντ

I struggled to climb the stairs.
βόηθα ν' ανέβω τη σκάλα.
But it's on the wide staircase
Μα κει στη σκάλα την πλατιά

and tears on the stairs
και των δακρύων τη σκάλα

such help is blasphemy
τέτοια βοήθεια είναι βρισιά

such tenderness is a curse.
τέτοια σπλαχνιά είν' κατάρα.
The Jew falls on the step
Ο Εβραίος πέφτει στο σκαλί

and the staircase turns red
και κοκκινίζει η σκάλα

and you, my leventi, come here
κι εσύ λεβέντη μου έλα εδω

rock double bucket.
βράχο διπλό κουβάλα.
I get double, I get triple
Παίρνω διπλό, παίρνω τριπλό

My name is Antoni
μένα με λένε Αντώνη

and if you are a man, come here
κι αν είσαι άντρας, έλα εδώ

on the marble threshing floor.
στο μαρμαρένιο αλώνι.
Source: LyricFind
Andonis (Greek) lyrics © A.E.P.I.