I Once Had a Boy

A translation of the Greek Song I Once Had a Boy written by Arleta for Sotiris Petrulas, a youth killed in the protests against the military dictatorship. 

Dm C Dm
I once had a boy as wild as the northern wind
Dm C Dm 
I once had a boy as wild as the northern wind
C Dm
And a river I filled with tears for what could have been
C Dm 
And a river I filled with tears for what could have been

C F
the sunflower’s petals his eyes
C F
pierce like light through the stained glass
Dm 
Now the dreams that he shared with me
C Dm 
Slip away in the morning like the dew hanging on the grass
Dm 
Now the dreams that he shared with me
C Dm 
Slip away in the morning like the dew hanging on the grass

The third day came and my love did not rise again
The third day came and my love not rise again
Twenty days out in the cold and rain
Twenty days he laid out the cold and rain

Now on the mound above his heart
A blood red poppy grows
Now his voice, spun of wildflowers  
Is gone on the wind like a sparrow flying from the snow
his voice, spun of wildflowers  
Is gone on the wind like a sparrow flying from the snow

I once had a boy as wild as the northern wind
I once had a boy as wild as the northern wind
And a river I filled with tears for what could have been
And a river I filled with tears for what could have been

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