In Turkish, this song is called "Gavur İmam İsyanı", the Revolt of Gavur Imam. Said revolt, in 1833, involved both Turkish-Cypriot and Greek-Cypriot rebels (and a bunch of in-betweens/other, it's complicated) against the Ottoman authorities. Turkish lyrics by anonymous, set to traditional music by Hamza Irkad, later translated in Greek by Monsieur Doumani. The original tune ("Dolama dolamayı" / "Θα σου γοράσω μηχανήν") is a love song.
Gavur İmam İsyanı / Το σύστημαν / The system
The wheel will turn, and it'll be
the poor man's turn to smile
Enough's enough, we're up to here,
no one's obeying this time
My oh my, down with this system
the pasha's system
who steals all the bread,
the grain, the flock
We had such a drought this year,
not a drop of rain did fall,
and the sowing didn't take,
and the seedlings didn't grow.
But the pasha wants his gold,
doesn't care we're hungry, all.
And the peasants get their hoes,
shovels, hammers, pipes of lead
And they raid the pasha's court,
grab him and chop off his head
and chop off his head
and chop off his head
and chop off his head
and chop off his head
and chop off his head
and chop off his head
and chop off his head
and chop off his head
[Turkish- and Greek-Cypriot lyrics, and sources, after the cut]
Gavur İmam İsyanı
Performances: Hamza Irkad 1994, Sol Anahtarı 2009, bANDİSTA 2010, Oz Karahan 2019
Dolama dolamayı
Getirin bağlamayı
Bıktım ben bu zulümden
Osmanlının elinden
Amman amman elinden, yandım kahpe zulmünden
Ben eker ben biçerim paşa alır elimden
Amman amman elinden, yandım bak be zulmünden
Ben eker ben biçerim ağa alır elimden
Gene gurak varıdı
Hiç yağmur yağmadıydı
Tohum toprakta kaldı
Mahsul hiç çıkmadıydı
Amman amman elinden, yandım kahpe zulmünden
Ben eker ben biçerim paşa alır elimden
Amman amman elinden, yandım bak be zulmünden
Ben eker ben biçerim ağa alır elimden
Paşa öşür isterdi
Köylü da veremezdi
Asger köye saldırdı
Her şeyi yağmaladı
(Herşeyi yakıp yıktı)
Amman amman elinden, yandım kahpe zulmünden
Ben eker ben biçerim paşa alır elimden
Amman amman elinden, yandım kahpe zulmünden
Ben eker ben biçerim ağa alır elimden
Köylüler birlik oldu, paşaya karşı durdu
Halk isyanı coştukça, askerler kaçar oldu
Köylüler birlik oldu, paşaya karşı durdu
Gavur İmam vurdukça, Osmanlı kaçar oldu
Εννα γυρίσουν οι τροσιοί
τζι'έννα γελάσουν τζι'οι φτωσιοί
εφτάσαμεν εις το αμήν,
εν σας ακούμε πιόν κανεί
Αμάν κάτω τούντο σύστημα,
του πασσιά το σύστημα
κλέφκει ούλλον το ψουμίν,
το σιτάριν, το μαντρίν
Έππεσεν ξηρασιά φέτι
εν έβρεξεν πιον τίποτις
ο σπόρος εν έπιασεν,
ο σπόρος εν εβλάστησεν
Μα ο πασσιάς θέλει ππαράν,
εν βλέπει το χωρκόν πεινά
Τζι'οι χωρκανοί πιάνουν κουσπίν,
φκιάρκα, σωλήνες τζιαι σφυρίν
Τζιαι στου πασσιά παν την αυλή
τζιαι κόφκουν του την τζιεφαλήν
Sources
Dolama dolamayı / Gavur İmam / Θα σου γοράσω μηχανήν
Gavur Imam Revolt
GR | Η ιστορία (τζιαι η γενεαλογία) ενός τραουθκιού
biz sizin dünyanızın lanetlileri
biz geldik
siz tarihin sonunu ilan etmiş
liberal uzlaşınız içinde şen kahkahalar atarken
duydunuz dimi sokakların sesini
duydunuz yüzyılların lanetini
bitti sandınız ama biz daha yeni geldik