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Gia was born and raised in Jijeti. He married a woman from the village and settled down in his father’s house, on a beautiful property with a impressive view of the surrounding mountains.
Gia comes from a family of singers, and as a boy was often heard playing music around the village. He learned many songs from his paternal uncle, Lukhumi Gigauri.
Today, it is a pleasure to witness the smiles that break over the faces of Gia's young children when he sings.
To hear another artist from Jijeti, visit the page of Marta Tsalughelashvili.
This song about the village of Jijeti was first collected in 1985 in the village of Indurt'a by ethnomusicologist Ketevan Baiashvili.
Jijetze
(scroll down for English translation)
Gadmogikhede, jijeto
Veliano da t’qiano
Sada khar chemo lamazo
Tvalch’relo kera tmiano
Rogor ukhdeba gazapkhuls
Svet’itskhoveltan mts’vaneo
Guneba dats’qnarebulma
Ra bevrjer gavikhareo
Miqvarkhar chemo Jijeto
Chemo gamzrdelo dedao
Miqvarkhar gormaghalao
Jijets rom gadmokhedao
Saamur khar satskerlad
Tovleb rom chamoshrebao
Shurtkhi daits’qebs st’venasa
Gugulits achkamdebao
Shurtkhi daits’qebs st’venasa
Gugulits achkamdebao
Qepit urjulo qorani
K’inch’ukhebs chamohqvebao
Verkhvlis kheobav, lamazo
Nap’ireb balakhiano
Sadats k’i gadavikhede
Qvelgan aragvsa qriano
Gadmogikhede, jijeto
Veliano da t’qiano
Sada khar chemo lamazo
Tvalch’relo kera tmiano
Translation:
Jijeti1
Come and look at Jijeti
Its valleys and forests
Where are you, my beautiful one
With blonde hair and eyes of many colors
How the springtime suits you
Green like Svet’itskhoveli2
It puts me at ease
This place has made me happy so often
I love you, my Jijeti
You have educated me like a mother
I love your high hills
That look out over the village
You are so pretty
When snow melts
The birds begin to whistle
The cuckoo coos
The birds begin to whistle
The cuckoo coos
The barking, faithless raven
Soars down from the cliffs
Silver gorge, beautiful one!
With grassy edges
Wherever I look
I am met by the Aragvi3
Come and look at Jijeti
Its valleys and forests
Where are you, my beautiful one
With blonde hair and eyes of many colors
1A beautiful village in the municipality of Tianeti, where Gia, the singer, was born and raised.
2The ''Living Pillar Cathedral'' 11th century Georgian Orthodox church, located in Mtskheta, 20 kilometers northwest of Tbilisi. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the second largest church in Georgia.
3The major river of the eastern Georgian highlands of Khevsureti, Pshavi and Mtiuleti. The 112 kilometer long Aragvi was dammed in Zhinvali in 1986, forming the Zhinvali Reservoir which provides power to much of Georgia. The river eventually flows into the Mt'k'vari at Mtskheta.
A ballad played on the panduri.1
1A three-stringed, fretted lute common in all regions of northeastern Georgia. The instrument is most frequently used to accompany ballad singing. Read more about the panduri here.
Shekhede Metskhets
(scroll down for English translation)
Gamochndnen meskhets, meskhetis gzaze
Dzveli kartveli gmirebi, gmirebi
Vardziashia dgheoba didi
Sak’lavad mohqavt irmebi, irmebi
Movidnen nakhes supra gashlili
Supra nanat’ri enita, enita
Garshemo iqo ghreoba didi
Ver gasdzghebodi tskerita, tskerita
Gamochndnen meskhets, meskhetis gzaze
Dzveli kartveli gmirebi, gmirebi
Vardziashia dgheoba didi
Sak’lavad mohqavt irmebi, irmebi
Translation:
Look at Meskheti1
They appeared on the road to Meskheti
Old Georgian heroes
There is a big festival in Vardzia2
Where they are bringing deer to sacrifice
They came and saw a feast already spread out
A feast long wished for
All around, a boisterous party
One couldn’t help but witness joy
They appeared on the road to Meskheti
Old Georgian heroes
There is a big festival in Vardzia
Where they are bringing deer to sacrifice
1Also known as Samtskhe, a mountainous region in southwest Georgia where the Mt'k'vari River runs.
2A cave monatery site in southwest Georgia, originally constructed in the 12th century. Read more about Vardzia here.
An instrumental motif played on the panduri.1
1A three-stringed, fretted lute common in all regions of northeastern Georgia. The instrument is most frequently used to accompany ballad singing. Read more about the panduri here.
Instrumental.
In their youth, Gia and his friends made a trip to the Likok’i Valley in Khevsureti. His friend wrote this poem there, and entrusted Gia to put it to song.
There is no English translation available for this song. If you are able to provide one, please include it in an email to aurelia@tsutisopeli.com and we will update the page.
Sheqvarebuli Likok’is Mtashi
Text: Mevludi Loseurashvili
Music: Gia Gigauri
Daits’vas likok’is mtai
Guls damamchnia iara
/Mas shemdeg ts’elma orma
Kajivit chamaiara/
Am drom sigizhe mammats’ra
Sibrdzne sich’k’vivne k’i ara
/Ivris p’irelis tvalebma
Mraval ch’irs gamaziara/
Me chamomakhrchet momk’alit
Qelzed chamidet khviara
/Maints mtianleb miqvaran
Tbiliselebi k’i ara/
Daits’vas likok’is mtai
Guls damamchnia iara
Mas shemdeg ts’elma sul orma
Kajivit chamaiara
Georgian singer Tina Makharadze performed this song. Gia learned it from his uncle, Lukhumi Gigauri.
Mtashi Gedzebe Shen Barshi
(scroll down for English translation)
Mtashi gedzebe shen barshi
Tsamkhrebit gagik’vetia
/Ghrubeli nats’navebivit
K’iserze shemogkhvevia/
Khelidan khelshi chkapunobs
Vazhk’atssa ghvinis khelada
/Chamodit torem me tviton
Movdivar uech’velada/
Mtashi gedzebe shen barshi
Tsamkhrebit gagik’vetia
/Ghrubeli nats’navebivit
K’iserzed dagikhvevia/
Translation:
I Searched For You
in the Mountains and Plains
I searched for you in the mountains and plains
You cut across the sky
The clouds were like braids
Curled around your neck
From hand to hand is passed
A splashing jug of wine
Come to me, or else
I will undoubtedly come to you
I searched for you in the mountains and plains
You cut across the sky
The clouds were like braids
Curled around your neck
During the Soviet Union this poem was called ''My Beloved Jughashvili,'' in reference to Stalin. Today ''Georgia'' has replaced ''Jughashvili'' in this song.
Gia learned this song from his uncle, Lukhumi Gigauri.
Chemo T’urpa Sakartvelo
(scroll down for English translation)
Chemo t’urpa sakartvelo, okros pasia
Chemi leksi da simghera, ghvinis tasia
Minda shevsva sadghegrdzelo, me male, male
Chemo t’urpa sakartvelo, shen genatsvale
Shors ts’asvla genatsvale, sheni sakheli
Qoveli dghe da qovel ghame, modis mnakhveli
Silamazit dat’k’bebian, gulit kharoben
Lamazia sakartvelo, asi amboben
Translation:
My Beloved Georgia
My beloved Georgia is worth the price of gold
My poem and song is a bowl of wine1
I want to drink a toast soon
To my beloved Georgia, shen genatsvale2
Your name has traveled far
Visitors come every day and every night
Your beauty sweetens them, their hearts are made happy
Hundreds are saying, ''Georgia is beautiful!''
1In eastern Georgia people traditionally drank wine from small clay bowls.
2Literally ''me instead of you,'' (to take the hardships off of someone and onto oneself), it is used as a term of endearment.
This song is based on Vazha-Pshavela’s1 poem ''Mkhedarta Dzveli Simghera'' (''The Horseman's Old Song'').
1Luka Razikashvili (1861-1916) was one of Georgia’s most famous poets and writers. He wrote under the pen name Vazha-Pshavela, which literally means the ''son from Pshavi.'' He was born and raised in the village of Chargali where a museum for him, opened in 1961, exists today.
Mkhedarta Dzveli Simghera
(scroll down for English translation)
Mit’om gagvzarda dedama
Mistvis get’qvoda nanasa
/T’anze abjari aviskhat
Mudam vlesavdet danasa/
Rom shishs vugdebdet gulshia
Mezobels met’icharasa
/Ar vakelvinot samshoblo
Met’okes atasgvarasa/
Chven zurgs ver nakhavs met’oke
Rom gvnakhos movets’onebit
/Shvilebsats zghap’rad ekneba
Chveni brdzola da omebi/
Sadats vshobilvar gavzrdilvar
Da misrolia isari
/Sad mama-p’ap’a megulvis
Imati k’ubos pitsari/
Translation:
The Horseman’s Old Song
Mother was raised
To sing us lullabies
To wear armor
And to sharpen knives
The fear that lay in the heart
Of our upstart neighbor
We cannot allow the homeland
To be rivaled by thousands
We won't show our backs to the enemy
When they meet us, they will like us
Our struggles and wars
Will be mere fairy-tales to our children
Where I was born and raised
And where I shot an arrow
Where my ancestors await me
In their wooden coffins.
A song about Tianeti, a district capital in east-central Georgia.
There is no English translation available for this song. If you area to provide one, please include it in an email to aurelia@tsutisopeli.com and we will update the page.
Tianetze
Amovedi tianeto, minda shenze rom vimghero
Iorshi ise gamoval, pekhi rom ar davisvelo
Mis baghshiats gasvla minda, minda ikats davisveno
Sak’urort’o adgili khar, chemo k’argo tianeto
Savadmqopa da abanots an tadzemats aashena
Tianeti umet’esad sakalakod daamshvena
Savadmqopa da abanots an tadzemats aashena
Tianeti umet’esad sakalakod daamshvena
Tamadoba chochos uqvars, dzveli kuchit mobrdzandebao
Jghuna ragha uqavito, ts’ints’k’li misha eubneba
Tamadoba chochos uqvars, dzveli kuchit mobrdzandebao
Jghuna ragha uqavito, ts’ints’k’li misha eubneba
A love song also performed by Gela Daiaura, a contemporary Georgian singer from the highland of Khevsureti.
There is no English translation available for this song. If you are able to provide one, please include it in an email to aurelia@tsutisopeli.com and we will update the page.
Rotsa Shens Dalalebs Kari Shlis
Rotsa shens dalalebs kari shlis
Mohgevkhar nest’ans da tamar-kals
/Dedashens movst’atseb kali-shvils
Mere tund qachaghi damarkvan/
Rotsa chavivli me shens sakhlis ts’in
Ik t’ot’ebs mikhrian ts’norebi
/Dedashens utkhari rame chems shesakheb
Sasidzod tu movets’onebi/
Kalao mitkhar sheni var
Guls laghad damekhureba
/Kastumzis shuki atbunebs
Nisli ar maebureba/
Buneba gunebasai gavs
Sit’qva khom ori ertia
/Chemi da sheni gamqreli
Nurtsa zeiti ghmertia/
Rotsa shens dalalebs kari shlis
Mohgevkhar nest’ans da tamar-kals
/Dedashens movst’atseb kali-shvils
Mere tund qachaghi damarkvan/