Okro Mch'edelo from Folk Songs by Zelenaya

Okro Mch'edelo - "O, Goldsmith"
Republic of Georgia, Meskheti region

A humorous tune about the physical impossibility of taking out more than you’ve put in, the protagonist brings a small amount of iron to a goldsmith, asking him to fabricate more items than he has provided the material for. The joke is in the lyrics, which go as follows:

"Goldsmith, I’ve found a bird’s iron shoe. Make a spade for me.
And with what’s left, make a hoe for me.
And with what’s left, make an axe for me.
And with what’s left, make a spade for me.
And with what’s left, make a knife for me."

Our arrangement is drawn from a version of this tune learned by American scholar Carl Linich while traveling in the Meskheti region of Georgia. Dressed up in our re-imagined metal stylistics, the repeated chorus borrows a melody from the traditional dance Acharuli Gandagana.

NYC's Zelenaya merges the haunting vocal harmonies of Eastern European polyphonic folk singing with the intensity of sludge, doom, and death metal. The combination pays homage to the traditions and stories transmitted in these songs, while reimagining their context and form.

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