για τα μένανε

[Theseus]

In this folk song, what does τα mean here? I know that μένανε & σένανε are forms of μένα & σένα, but the τα doesn't make sense to me. The song does make complete sense without the τα.

Τ’ ακούς μαυριδερούλα μου
και συ μελαχρινούλα μου

Τι λένε για τα μένανε
κι αλίμονο σε σένανε

Θέλουν να με σκοτώσουνε
και σ’ άλλον να σε δώσουνε

 

[SBE]

You have to look at the whole expression, Theseus, which is για τα μένα/ σένα which means για μένα/ για σένα.

You probably remember from ancient Greek, τα εμά/ τα σά (mine, yours). And if I am not mistaken there is a dialectic use of mine in English where mine is used like me, myself.

So to recap: (για) τα μένα/ τα σένα= για τον εαυτό μου/ τον εαυτό σου, για εμένα/ εσένα, για τα δικά μου/ τα δικά σου/ για λογαριασμό μου/ σου.

PS of course no one used the expression where I grew up, and because I only know it from "πετραδάκι πετραδάκι (για τα σένα το 'χτισα)", it is forever associated in my mind with the singer whining annoyingly about unrequited love. Can't help it, the song was heard frequently when I was growing up and imo the verses are OK, the music is annoying.

 

[Theseus]

Thanks, SBE. I hadn't connected the two lines & thought that the pronouns were in the accusative, not the genitive. :) I'm now wading through the meaning & origin of γιάλα, which I shall enter as a separate thread.

 

[daeman]

...
Besides the dialectic use of "τα" before a personal pronoun that SBE wrote about (not a genitive in any case, I think, but accusative) —also για τ' εμέ, για τ' εσέ, για τα μας, and the classic slang phrase σε τα μας (btw, the conjecture in slang.gr about its origin seems dubious)— most probably it is added as a filler to match the metre, both in this song and in Πετραδάκι-πετραδάκι.

Πετραδάκι-πετραδάκι - Μιχάλης Μενιδιάτης & Άννυ Λιαροπούλου

Στίχοι: Ευτυχία Παπαγιαννοπούλου, μουσική: Απόστολος Καλδάρας

Μικρολίθου-μικρολίθου δι' εσέ ανήγειρον
της του έρωτος οικίας κτίτωρ μεν, ου κτήτωρ σου ​

Εν νυκτί πυράν ανάψας
την οικίαν έκαυσα
είτα άνωθεν της τέφρας
μόνος αύτην έκλαυσα

 

[Theseus]

Thanks, 'Man. This song wasn't too difficult to translate. The trouble is that I usually get many lyrics from kithara.vu but now it seems as if the site is completely down: the server can't be found at all.
As for σε τα μας it is a very useful phrase to learn, something like the English 'who are you kidding? I'm not thick &c.'