Ara Gevorkyan: "Adana" song

[Hovik]

Thanks Re for the lyrics, I appreciate that. I searched high and low, but I guess I didn't look right under my nose (at Ara Gevorkyans site). Anyway, thank you again! They are powerful words, and beautifully sung - glad they are shared with all.

Now, Re (or Joe) I see you too are a yerevannights junkie like me. I've seen that "Joe, Montreal" in the dedication lines before. You may see "Hovik, Kharpert" there sometimes... though I am more of a yerevannights video junkie than dedication junkie which brings me to a question:

You know how the Yerevan nights.com videos are in .ram format? I tried to save them to my hard drive so I could burn them on a DVD, but all I could do is save the links to them so that I don't have to go to the yerevannights site to open them, but I want to save them to my hard drive as full video files which can be burnt. Any idea's how to do this?

[Hovik]

U welcome Hovik!

Yes I do love YerevanNights radio, when I'm listening to it I feel as if I'm connected to all Armenians around the world, what a nice feeling?. of course they have very nice song collections too, whenever I'm on line YerevanNights is on too. And yes I see you there often, I knew it was you because of (Kharpet)

About saving the video clips: I heard that some people have a program which somehow allows them to save the video clips and even the songs, but sorry can't help you there, I don't know how or what program they are using to do so

Ok, well thanks anyway. I'll try to find a capture program, but if anyone else can advise how to save these videos it'd be appreciated.

For saving songs a great place to go is www.havesov.com
The site is a little on the rabiz / low-quality side, but if you go to the music section you can browse a large library of music and albums, when you select an artist and an album it'll open all the songs on that album, if you look to the right of each song there is a down arrow, click this and you can download the song. I've been downloading entire albums from them and burning them to cd... try it if you like.

[Gavur]

Ara Gevorgyan Sardarapat

http://www.hamovhotov.com/MusicVideos.html

This is not exactly it but you'll love it
you can also download from here

[Gavur]

yw
Its a great site!
You can even watch Armenian movies there

[Hovik]

Many thanks for the link Gav. jan!

Hovik you're going to like this one:

Ara Gevorgyan Sardarapat (It's a very Large file but can be saved)

Thanks RA and Gavur,
I just burned a DVD of Gevorgyan's Sardarabat Concert. I've also burned almost all the movies on www.havesov.com and www.hamovhotov.com onto DVD... Unfortunately I still haven't been able to figure out how to download the video's from yerevannights.com in a standard format. Perhaps there is a program that can capture whatever (video) is shown on the computer screen, but I don't know of any yet... I'll have to work on that. If you have any idea's let me know.
Thanks again!

[Daniel Decker]

Greetings!

Daniel Decker here.

I was doing a search online and discovered this forum. As the author of the lyrics and singer of Adana, I really appreciate your kind words about the song. Though I am not Armenian by birth, the words have a special meaning for me.

As a Christian, the fact of the genocide affects me deeply. During my many visits to Armenia, I have come to love the Armenian people and their rich heritage, as well as their vibrant culture. One of the most significant moments of my life occured on April 23, 2005, when I sang "Adana" in Yerevan for the very first time to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the genocide. I will never forget singing "Adana" as I looked into the eyes of the relatives of so many who lost their lives. That evening, "Adana" was presented again at the genocide memorial in Yerevan.

Perhaps to some, this is just a song. To me, it is a reminder of a great tragedy that must NEVER be repeated. I DO hope that these lyrics will bring a small measure of healing to Armenian families who continue to feel the pain of the genocide.

By the way, here are the complete English lyrics exactly as they were recorded.

NARRATION:
In the city of Adana during the darkest days of the Ottoman Empire, there began a tragedy that marked the start of what was to become known as the Armenian Genocide. The people of Armenia were forced into starvation, torture and extermination. Armenian homes were burned to the ground as
men, women and children were killed. Sometimes entire families were wiped out. They were accused, convicted and sentenced to die because they dared to call themselves "Christians", their crime was in believing in a God who sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for their sins. By 1915 1.5 million Armenians
were ruthlessly slaughtered, because they would not renounce their faith in Christ. Unpunished and undeterred the ones responsible for the massacre in Adana set stage for the terrible genocide of the Armenian people. This is their story.

From the morning sun till the day was done
Fathers worked until their strength was gone,
In the summer air under mother's care
Children played within the village square.
Through the soil and sand, farmers worked the land
Gathering what they grew by their own hand,
Living day by day, trying to make their way
Unaware the price they would soon pay.
CHORUS
Keepers of the sword, marched in one accord
Striking down the weak, without a single word
Ruthlessly they came, with one deadly aim
Kill all who believed in Jesus' name.
In the shroud of night, families took their flight
Unprotected by the soldier's might,
Hungry and alone, starved to skin and bone
Forced to sleep on pillows made of stone.
Wandering in the rain, trembling from the pain
Cries for mercy offered up in vain,
Naked and afraid, on their knees they prayed
As they knelt before the warrior's blade... singing.
CHORUS
To the great I AM, Worthy is the Lamb
To Him who sits upon the throne we bow before You,
Holy is the One, God's Almighty Son
Glory to the Christ, Our risen King.

NARRATION:
Though persecuted, they were not abandoned. As they laid down their earthly lives, they would gain
eternity with Christ. Though the world may forget, God would remember their suffering. Never again
would they hunger or thirst. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who died and rose again, would be
their shepherd. He would
lead them to the springs of living water and God would wipe away every tear for their eyes. They
would encircle the throne of God singing to the great I Am, worthy is the Lamb, who was and is, and
is to come.

To the great I AM, Worthy is the Lamb
Who was and is, and is to come.
Holy is the One, God's Almighty Son
Glory to the Christ, Our risen King.

Words by Daniel Decker
Music by Ara Gevorgian
Copyright 2004 Candelas Music ASCAP


Thank you again and God bless!
Daniel

http://www.danieldecker.com

[Reincarnated Am]

A Big Thank You..!!!!

Mr. Decker it is us Armenians should thank you for what you did for us, I personally have a great respect for you and I’m pretty sure that every Armenian feel the same way. Your name, your image, your voice and your words are imprinted in my heart and my memory forever.

Thank you so much!
God Bless you and all your loved ones.

[Gavur]

We thank the great I Am
Whose words in which we stem
From near or far
Under the shining star
Gave us a Daniel
Whose rhyme guides us to Israel

Thank you Mr. Decker I've listened to your song Adana several times before but when me and my wife read the lyrics that you posted today it was difficult to get through without tears.
Bless you and we will follow you as you come near us to perform this year.

From my family Love+Peace

[Hovik]

Greetings!

Daniel Decker here.

I was doing a search online and discovered this forum. As the author of the lyrics and singer of Adana, I really appreciate your kind words about the song. Though I am not Armenian by birth, the words have a special meaning for me.

As a Christian, the fact of the genocide affects me deeply. During my many visits to Armenia, I have come to love the Armenian people and their rich heritage, as well as their vibrant culture. One of the most significant moments of my life occured on April 23, 2005, when I sang "Adana" in Yerevan for the very first time to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the genocide. I will never forget singing "Adana" as I looked into the eyes of the relatives of so many who lost their lives. That evening, "Adana" was presented again at the genocide memorial in Yerevan.

Perhaps to some, this is just a song. To me, it is a reminder of a great tragedy that must NEVER be repeated. I DO hope that these lyrics will bring a small measure of healing to Armenian families who continue to feel the pain of the genocide.

By the way, here are the complete English lyrics exactly as they were recorded.

NARRATION:
In the city of Adana during the darkest days of the Ottoman Empire, there began a tragedy that marked the start of what was to become known as the Armenian Genocide. The people of Armenia were forced into starvation, torture and extermination. Armenian homes were burned to the ground as
men, women and children were killed. Sometimes entire families were wiped out. They were accused, convicted and sentenced to die because they dared to call themselves "Christians", their crime was in believing in a God who sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for their sins. By 1915 1.5 million Armenians
were ruthlessly slaughtered, because they would not renounce their faith in Christ. Unpunished and undeterred the ones responsible for the massacre in Adana set stage for the terrible genocide of the Armenian people. This is their story.

From the morning sun till the day was done
Fathers worked until their strength was gone,
In the summer air under mother's care
Children played within the village square.
Through the soil and sand, farmers worked the land
Gathering what they grew by their own hand,
Living day by day, trying to make their way
Unaware the price they would soon pay.
CHORUS
Keepers of the sword, marched in one accord
Striking down the weak, without a single word
Ruthlessly they came, with one deadly aim
Kill all who believed in Jesus' name.
In the shroud of night, families took their flight
Unprotected by the soldier's might,
Hungry and alone, starved to skin and bone
Forced to sleep on pillows made of stone.
Wandering in the rain, trembling from the pain
Cries for mercy offered up in vain,
Naked and afraid, on their knees they prayed
As they knelt before the warrior's blade... singing.
CHORUS
To the great I AM, Worthy is the Lamb
To Him who sits upon the throne we bow before You,
Holy is the One, God's Almighty Son
Glory to the Christ, Our risen King.

NARRATION:
Though persecuted, they were not abandoned. As they laid down their earthly lives, they would gain
eternity with Christ. Though the world may forget, God would remember their suffering. Never again
would they hunger or thirst. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who died and rose again, would be
their shepherd. He would
lead them to the springs of living water and God would wipe away every tear for their eyes. They
would encircle the throne of God singing to the great I Am, worthy is the Lamb, who was and is, and
is to come.

To the great I AM, Worthy is the Lamb
Who was and is, and is to come.
Holy is the One, God's Almighty Son
Glory to the Christ, Our risen King.

Words by Daniel Decker
Music by Ara Gevorgian
Copyright 2004 Candelas Music ASCAP


Thank you again and God bless!
Daniel

http://www.danieldecker.com

Dear Daniel,

I don't know what to say, really! What an honor it is to have you visit the forum and say these words.

Your music is, well, how does one say? ...it's indescribable. All I can say is that when I watch you sing "Moush" on the Sardarabad concert DVD (which I was watching today), or I hear you sing Adana, the inspiration, the pride - it sends shivers down my spine. Your work gives us yet another great reason to be proud to call ourselves Armenians.

We can all learn from what you have done, and continue to do for Armenia and Armenians - which are surely your nation and people - by birth or not. There are so many "Armenians" who haven't done a fraction of what you have done for the culture, for the nation, for the recognition of the Genocide of which we are ALL survivors.

I hope to meet you one day, shake your hand, and thank you for what you have given me and those around me through your amazing music. Keep up the great work, and I hope you continue to visit the forum.

Sincerely,
Hovik
Moderator
ArmenianGenocide.com

[Gavur]

The story of the one song...

...While on trip in Armenia, Daniel Decker heard an instrumental "Moosh", by Armenian composer Ara Gevorgian.
"I told my wife that I want to write words to that song," Decker says.
Because Decker was interviewed on that TV show, his measure of fame allowed him to track down and meet with Gevorgian.
The composer told him to go ahead and take a stab at writing lyrics.
Decker wrote lyrics about the story of Noah, the biblical ark-builder who landed at Mount Ararat. He called it "Noah's Prayer."
He sang it to Gevorgian over the phone.Gevorgian loved it so much, he invited Decker to perform the song in concert on the First Armenian Republic Day.
So, on May 28, Decker sang the song in an open air concert in the city of Sardarapat, with Ararat looming in the background.He was accompanied by the 100-piece Armenian Opera Orchestra.More than 3 000 people were there, including Armenian president Robert Kocharian.
After the concert, people were applauding.They surrounded him.They wanted his autograph...

Now, he plans to work more with Gevorgian, whose music Decker describes as
"Like Yanni."
"The Post-Standart/Weekend" (USA) June 14, 2002