“The Accordion” (Τ’ ακορντεόν) is an old, popular Greek song written by Manos Loïzos (Μάνος Λοΐζος) in 1967 while Greece was under far-right military junta control. It’s an unassuming anti-fascist song with it’s slow, folksy tone and fluttering accompaniment, but it’s final words offer a somber battle cry: “Fascism will not prevail!”

Manos spent his latter years in the Soviet Union where he died in Moscow in 1982. I’m not sure if he ever escaped fascism (despotism?), but perhaps the communism of the Soviet Union suited him better than the military junta in Greece.

I first heard this song on a news story about Orestes Fintiklis. Fintiklis was removing Trump’s name from his international hotel in Panama when a scuffle happened between security staff and the new management. Once the fight broken up, employees terminated, and Trump’s name removed from the hotel, Fintiklis sat down at the piano and played this song.

Στη γειτονιά μου την παλιά είχα ένα φίλο
που ήξερε και έπαιζε τ' ακορντεόν
όταν τραγούδαγε φτυστός ήταν ο ήλιος
φωτιές στα χέρια του άναβε τ' ακορντεόν

Μα ένα βράδυ σκοτεινό σαν όλα τ' άλλα
κράταγε τσίλιες παίζοντας ακορντεόν
φασιστικά καμιόνια στάθηκαν στη μάντρα
και μια ριπή σταμάτησε τ' ακορντεόν

Τ' αρχινισμένο σύνθημα πάντα μου μένει
όποτε ακούω από τότε ακορντεόν
κι έχει σαν στάμπα τη ζωή μου σημαδέψει
δε θα περάσει ο φασισμός

In my old neighborhood I had a friend
who knew and played the accordion
when he sang, he was like the sun
fires in his hands ignited by the accordion

But at one dark night, like every other night
he kept a look-out playing the accordion
fascist trucks stood in the paddock
and a gun shot stopped the accordion

The started slogan comes back to me
whenever I hear an accordion
and it has marked my life like a stamp
'Fascism will not prevail!'