Cretan Lullaby
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Cretan Lullaby Lyrics. An original lullaby inspired by the island of Crete, whose mountain villages keep alive the lyra, a three-stringed instrument central to Cretan music. The lyra is often passed from father to son, and at village festivals musicians still trade mantinades — improvised rhyming couplets — late into the night, the same wandering, singing spirit this lullaby borrows for something much quieter. Here you will find the lyrics, meaning, and chords.
Lyrics & chords
An original arrangement, with guitar & piano chords above each line.
Verse
What the words mean
Chords — guitar & piano
What “Cretan Lullaby” Means
“Kopeli” is a Cretan dialect word meaning “little one” or “young child,” distinct from standard Greek. Crete’s mountain villages, like Anogeia, keep alive the lyra, a three-stringed instrument central to Cretan music and village gatherings. This original lullaby draws on those mountain-village and lyra-music images of Cretan life, with “kopeli” used as a warm address rather than a literal translation.
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