Eleni Dimou (real name Eleni Gkikodimou / Ελένη Γκικοδήμου) was born in Ath… Read Full Bio ↴Eleni Dimou (real name Eleni Gkikodimou / Ελένη Γκικοδήμου) was born in Athens. She graduated from the National Conservatory and started her singing career at the age of 16. In 1980 she performed during a radio session to promote the work of new composers, where she sang songs from Dimitris Lekkas. That same year, she participated in the Thessaloniki Music Festival, ending third. The following year she returned with the song ’Mia Agapi stan ki anti’ (‘A love like this’), written by Sasha Manetas and won the first price. In 1981 she also appeared participated in Manos Loizou’s international concert tour.

Her first album ‘Mila mou apla’ (‘ Just speak to me’) was a collaboration with new singers Manolis Lidakis and Melina Tanagri, based on songs composed by Taki Bougas with lyrics from Antonis Andrikaki. With every following album, Dimou’s popularity increased, thanks to her modern, natural and flexible interpretations, combining the more traditional Greek roots with western pop style.

In 1986 she collaborated with Lakis Papadopoulos on her album ‘Kata bathos alepou’ (‘Basically fox’). With her by that time already highly acclaimed husky, sultry voice she sang both ballads and pop-rock songs. In this periode of time, she collaborated with famous artists like Georgios Dalaras and Mikis Theodorakis.

Her 1988 album ‘Prosopika’ (‘Personal’), recorded with G. Spanos, was both artistically as commercially a great success. In the next decade Dimou keeps releasing new albums regularly, always combining Greek folk music with western arrangements and world music influences. In 1990 she released the album ‘Pathis’ (‘Passions’), on which she chanted byzantine hymns on a requiem by D. Papostolou.

In the second half of the nineties, popularity and album sales decreased. A new generation of Greek pop singers seemed to have taken her place. Dimou seemed to be stuck between Greek folk and modern pop, unable to rejuvenate herself. Around the start of the new millennium, inspiration and creativity seemed to have returned, resulting in more frequent album releases and collaborations with international artists like Alpha Blondy, Salif Keita, The Christians, Gipsy Kings and Linton Kwesi Johnson.

In her almost thirty year spanning career, Eleni Dimou recorded more than 20 albums, nine went gold and three platinum in Greece. She is married to producer and engineer Akis Golfidis and the couple have a son named Anthony.

Dentro
Eleni Dimou Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Η γιαγιά κοιμήθηκε άγγελοσ στο χιόνι
Κάτω απ' το δέντρο το ψηλό
Δίπλα στο σπίτι το παλιό
Που χρόνια ζούσε μόνη

Κι αυτό το δέντρο το ψηλό
Που ξέρει χρόνια το θεό
Χωρίσ βοριά λυγάει

Στα χαραγμένα αρχικά
Απ' τον παππού και τη γιαγιά
Το δάκρυ να κυλάει

Κι αυτό το δέντρο το ψηλό
Που φτάνει ωσ τον ουρανό
Παρακαλάει τ' αηδόνια
Να πουν αντίο στη γιαγιά
Που τη θυμάται κοπελιά
Να πλένει τα σεντόνια

Αυτό το δέντρο το ψηλό
Παρακαλάει το θεό
Σταυρώνοντασ τα κλώνια
Να κάνει πάλι τη γιαγιά
Κορίτσι μ' άσπρα νυφικά
Και προίκα δυο μπαλκόνια

Η γιαγιά ταξίδεψε μ' ένα χελιδόνι
Γέρνει το δέντρο το ψηλό

Σπάνε οι ρίζεσ το μπετό
Ποτέ δεν ήταν μόνη

Overall Meaning

These lyrics are from the song "Dentro" by Eleni Dimou. The song tells the story of a grandmother who passes away and the impact her absence leaves behind.

In the first verse, it is mentioned that the grandmother falls asleep like an angel in the snow, under a tall tree next to her old house. The house is highlighted as the place where she lived alone for many years. This sets the scene for the song, emphasizing the grandmother's solitude and the connection to the tree.

The second verse describes the tall tree with years of knowledge and connection to God. The tree bends and leans towards the engraved initials of the grandfather and grandmother, evoking a sense of sorrow and tears. The tears symbolize the emotional weight of the memories and love that still linger.

Moving on to the third verse, the tree is portrayed as reaching towards the sky, as if imploring the nightingales to bid farewell to the grandmother. The grandmother is remembered as a young girl, taking care of washing the bedsheets. This invokes a sense of nostalgia and the longing to relive past moments shared with the grandmother.

In the final verse, the tall tree pleads with God, crossing its branches, asking for the grandmother to be brought back. The image painted is that of a young girl, dressed in white bridal gowns and with a dowry, overlooking two balconies. This expresses the desire for the grandmother's return and the joyous memories associated with her presence.

The closing line brings the meaning of the song together, stating that the grandmother never truly felt alone, as she traveled with a swallow. The tall tree, representing the grandmother's connection to nature and the divine, leans as its roots break through the concrete. This signifies the lasting impact and presence the grandmother had in her family's lives, never truly being alone even in her absence.

Line by Line Meaning

Η γιαγιά κοιμήθηκε άγγελοσ στο χιόνι
The grandmother fell asleep like an angel in the snow

Κάτω απ' το δέντρο το ψηλό
Underneath the tall tree

Δίπλα στο σπίτι το παλιό
Next to the old house

Που χρόνια ζούσε μόνη
Where she lived alone for years

Κι αυτό το δέντρο το ψηλό
And this tall tree

Που ξέρει χρόνια το θεό
That has known God for years

Χωρίσ βοριά λυγάει
Without the north wind, it bends

Στα χαραγμένα αρχικά
In the engraved initials

Απ' τον παππού και τη γιαγιά
From the grandfather and the grandmother

Το δάκρυ να κυλάει
Tears rolling down

Που φτάνει ως τον ουρανό
That reaches up to the sky