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Istanbul (Not Constantinople) Lyrics

Artist: They Might Be Giants
Album: Flood

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night

Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in Istanbul

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

Istanbul (Istanbul)
Istanbul (Istanbul)

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

Istanbul

Comments/Interpretations
by flickes on 5/14/2008 5:49pm amazing
by Louise on 5/19/2008 4:17pm This song is so magnificently annoying... I sing it in class just to piss off the people around me, and you should, too!
by lala on 5/29/2008 1:47pm o.O why would people be pissed off about this? it is nothing but the truth.
by thanos on 6/18/2008 6:18pm it sucks!It's always been Constantinople.Long live Greece!
by antonio on 6/21/2008 9:58am COSTNTINOPOLI COSTANTINOPOLI NOT ISTANBUL
by Broadway Lover on 6/24/2008 4:24pm We're doing this song in a broadway camp and I love it so much!
by gimmic on 6/27/2008 5:41am thanos and antonio it is difficult to accept for you :)sad for you. FOREVER ISTANBUL...
by John Parton on 6/27/2008 2:57pm "by thanos on 6/18/2008 6:18pm it sucks!It's always been Constantinople.Long live Greece!" Not true... it was Byzantium before Constantinople.
by mi on 7/2/2008 2:37pm its been 600 years greeks... get over it. its turkish
by Arjun on 7/4/2008 7:31pm I could as well claim New York City as New Amsterdam, being a Dutchman ^^.
by Maria on 7/8/2008 5:43am i love it!!
by billbrasky on 7/9/2008 3:23pm love that song right on the mark and i have no ethnic ax to grind (at least as far as Istanbul is concerned)
by Universeman on 7/15/2008 11:57am Amazing song!! I suggest you to watch its video clip you will like it!! P.S. : There are no more camels living in istanbul . Actually there have never been camels living in istanbul ..
by haylez on 7/18/2008 5:24am constantinople just souns better then istanbul
by d.kiz on 7/19/2008 11:17am if you still call istanbul as constantinople it is like calling new york as new amsterdam and that means you are still thinking 600 years back. come to today you back-mindeds . İSTANBUL not constantinople. btw antonio you are sexy that's my boyfriend's name but how sad to see your a jerk you even cant spell constantinople right. not COSTNTINOPOLI baby. ok ?? get this..
by blz on 7/22/2008 8:50am like the song says it was once constantinople now its istanbul and its nobodys business but the Turks!
by blz on 7/22/2008 8:53am by John Parton on 6/27/2008 2:57pm "by thanos on 6/18/2008 6:18pm it sucks!It's always been Constantinople.Long live Greece!" Not true... it was Byzantium before Constantinople." when it was constantinople the people were romans not greeks
by Maria on 7/22/2008 5:51pm it's Konstantinoupoli in greek d.kiz. get this?? go back to egypt and live this city to its owners!
by a swede on 7/26/2008 5:24am It's just a god damn name! What is your peoples problem? >_< And since it's located in Turkey it's turkish, and it's nobody elses business what the hell they call it! :-)
by ha on 7/30/2008 3:27pm now...today...tomarrow...and yesterday...everytime...its istanbul..=)nobody can change it..=)
by dnz on 8/3/2008 8:15pm yes its always istanbul and it will be always istanbul
by a turk on 8/12/2008 8:40am forever istanbul accept that oyu bastards oyu cant get back ahuahhaahuahauha
by a turk on 8/12/2008 8:42am forever istanbul accept that oyu bastards you cant get back ahuahhaahuahauha
by diabolus on 8/13/2008 5:01pm what a stupid and meaningless song.
by carolina on 8/19/2008 7:10am wow lyk it. i luv ISTANBUL..! itz turksh delight on a moonlit night...
by Bethselamin on 8/19/2008 6:38pm It may be meaningless, but not stupid... it always makes me smile and I like it.
by fsm on 8/26/2008 5:36pm hey greeks don't be jelaous;) it's over just shut up,we always conquer;)
by weAreFriends on 8/27/2008 11:03am you are all stupits..i am turk..its' turkish is istanbul and its' greek is constantinople..everyone can call it what they want..it doesnt change the thruth that istanbul now belongs to turks..bye
by Lol on 8/28/2008 3:10pm Sure are a lot of trolls around here
by anon on 8/28/2008 6:06pm by carolina on 8/19/2008 7:10am wow lyk it. i luv ISTANBUL..! itz turksh delight on a moonlit night... thats quite funny.
by sed on 9/5/2008 4:08am wow lyk it. i luv ISTANBUL..! itz turksh delight on a moonlit night... thats quite funny. really? i didn't think you would get the joke. :)
by Laz on 9/9/2008 5:41pm if you want istanbul back, than the world has to give us Baghdah, Egypt, Morocco, Tunus, Holy Lands(Mekke, Medina, Damascus, Palestine, Jerusalem), and so many more countries and cities back. If what I requested is stupid, tahn what the Greek's request is also stupid. Istanbul belongs to Turks and always will be. If you wanna get it you have to destroy 70 million people. Do you understand it, you idiots?
by supporter on 9/16/2008 11:42am that is one of the coolest songs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by nekkid on 9/18/2008 9:43pm song's been around a long time. first recorded by the Four Lads in 1953. also by Bette Midler, The Residents, and Monsieur Camembert from Australia. i like the fast TMBG klezmer version the best.
by x on 9/19/2008 5:35am whether it's Istanbul or Constantinople, there're no deserts and camels in this city :) it's kind of funny actually. But cute song.
by Vlada on 9/26/2008 5:24pm Kosovo is Serbia ~ Constantinople=Hellas
by Jonas Brothers Lover on 9/30/2008 8:43pm I love this song. My teacher played it for the class once, and I fell in love with it. It's catchy. :)
by Adrienne on 9/30/2008 11:30pm For those of you who obviously have not had a World History class...Constantinople belonged to the Romans!! I believe it was named after emperor Constantine in like the 300's. It DID NOT belong to Greeks!!!!
by Can on 10/2/2008 9:58am Just thought I'd point out that the source of the Turkish name "Istanbul" is from the Greek phrase "eis ton polin" meaning "in the city"... so... Greek people should stop getting upset about it.
by Might be pregnant on 10/7/2008 6:26pm Get over it people, its a song for music not for being historically accurate or to support turks/romans/greeks... more to the point, good song
by IŞIL on 10/24/2008 11:55am the singers make fun of it an there are still some people getting annoyed.. Hahaha! It's funny and it shows how affective is this song. If it did not reflect the reality, you would not be annoyed by this "silly" song, as you call...! RESULT: I love this song as well. Hope it's understood. Hahaha....
by Dimitris on 11/1/2008 3:36am Cities "belong" to people not nations!
by el greco on 11/5/2008 6:15am its Constantinople.....MALAKA!!!!!!!!!!
by American GI on 11/5/2008 10:41am I luv that song, we sing in the class sometimes. I´ve read some text about the turks and their history. I have to say, its amazing! :D But this is song is great!!
by mcelik on 11/6/2008 9:40am are they? why the turks in west trakya(selanik,Gümülcine,etc)does't have that right p.s ıt's Istanbul since 1453....
by TURK on 11/17/2008 3:54pm FOREVER AND EVER ISTANBUL NOT ANYTHING ELSE!!!
by axl on 11/20/2008 6:00am guys,i see that this song has been a discussion subject now.greeks are angry about the city's name but,they have to know that turks were having many other cities in the world which don't belong to turks now.and those cities names were different.so why don't turks demand the old names of the cities which belong to them many years ago,but greeks demand it?
by FATİH SULTAN MEHMET on 11/22/2008 5:41pm That song telling helpless of Europe and Greekss hahaha:D
by musty on 11/23/2008 3:06pm istanbul ...islambol... konstantiniyye is the meaning of city..like in arabic its medine , meaning is city... wat a silly name..konstantinopol:))istanbul is better... they think 600years back...my advise is run faster greeeks...remember izmir:)
by Gareth Wiscott on 11/25/2008 8:11pm It's an AMERICAN song so no Turks or Greeks for that matter should even be listening to it. Get your own songs and piss off.
by pizarro on 12/6/2008 1:20pm its constantinople not istambul
by sverigirl on 12/12/2008 9:40pm hej hej there is no meaning to discuss..I was in Istanbul last year..ticket to Istanbul from Stockholm or anywhere that u come from..And turkish people really great and friendly...dont upset but there is really too many turkish in Istanbul..whether city belongs to people...HEJ guysss JAG alskar DIG :))
by Isoran on 12/14/2008 11:51am Actually I believe it was Roman and then Byzantium
by turkish delight on 1/8/2009 1:49pm please just someone speaks who is know anytnhg about turkish people and turkish cultere! İSTANBul Forever!!
by Cansu on 1/9/2009 7:15am Many countries like france, england and russia wanted to conquer İstanbul but they couldn't beacause the turkish soldiers were very conceited and they didn't let others to occupy our glamorous and flamboyant city. So İstanbul is not Constantinople!
by John Rambo on 1/18/2009 9:45am this is very incredible stupid song, and theres no Constantinopol, its Istanbul....
by linda on 1/20/2009 11:34am i loved the song <3333333
by burak on 1/23/2009 12:17am just peace ! I love both of them
by Mayer on 1/25/2009 4:28pm Amazing Song! Istanbul? Costantinople? Constantinopolis? Byzántion? Byzantium? Istim’bolin? Istam’bolin? Neà Romè? Rūmiyya al-Kubrā? Qostantiniyye? İslambol? Pây-i taht? Mikligardur? Carigrad? Gostandnubolis? This is only a part of all the names used to Istanbul. If Istanbul hadn’t its story and all these names, it couldn’t be named as “The City of the Cities” or the “Center of Universe” as it was. However the right name is Istanbul, since the city belongs to the Turks.
by FATİH on 2/1/2009 3:21pm SINCE 1453 ISTANBUL FOREVER
by WHAT on 2/3/2009 3:30pm I am in middle school and we already learned about this. U r sad people. LOOK IT UP!
by 1453 on 2/9/2009 12:38pm sorry guys, It's İstanbul and it will be forever! BTW I have to send my thanks to Fatih Sultan Mehmed for the conquer and Atatürk for the Independence!
by nrgs:) from istanbul! on 2/14/2009 10:58am hey lala and the others like her..see the truths and wake up:) constantinople is just a dream..also only your grandgrandgrandmums could see it;)please open your eyes to 21. cenctury for the name of istanbulll:D
by buuuuR CUT 1923! on 2/16/2009 3:57pm Yay, Grecos get over it, you'll never get it back! Mustafa Kemal Atatürk And Fatih Sultan Mehmet! C*
by Luuu on 2/19/2009 3:45pm This song is amazing!
by Pran on 2/24/2009 8:29am always the same thing with the greeks. they want palces that doesn't belong to them.Istanbul belongs to turks and its wonderful as Saranda belong to albanians.
by recep on 3/3/2009 4:29am istanbul rocks!!!!And the song also.!lol...They might be giants! :)
by Turk89 on 3/5/2009 11:17am Great song, accept it or not its ISTANBUL
by D.L on 3/6/2009 11:33am omg c'mon guyz!!!ist just a song!enjoy!(((although i dont like it very much ))) hey if you want to have it back just go and try to take.why are you swearing and shouting?calm down!
by astra on 3/10/2009 9:26am Hello to all, Turks, Greeks and neutrals :) The City has been an important center for the Greeks for ages, up to very recent times, maybe up to the 1950s-1960s, when the last Greeks had to leave it under unhappy circumstances. So it is natural for the Greek language to keep the traditional Greek name Konstantinoupoli, because language is memory and history. I say Konstantinoupoli when I speak Greek and Istanbul when I talk to non Greeks. Please, relax, Turks, no serious person wants to take The City back. You r funny to believe that, just because we use the historical name of The City. (Historical note: Kosntantinoupolis is a Greek name, not a Roman one. Polis is greek, Civits is Latin. The Estern Roman Empire or Byzantium was totally hellenized and most of the time the majority of its population was Greek, as the Western Roman Empire was latinized).
by astra on 3/10/2009 9:30am Also it's a stupid song because no "Giant" can tell me how to call the city of my childhood. If I go to the UN I will say Istanbul, but in my daily life I say whatever I want.
by rissa739 on 3/11/2009 4:24pm we had to listen to this in class and ill start to hum it and IT IS STUCK IN ME HAED AND CANT GET IT OUT
by drtom on 4/10/2009 10:18pm Americans also say Vienna instead of Wien. I can't stand that myself, so I say Wien. Then I say Vienna 'cause they never heard of Wien. Wieners maybe, but not Wien. Anyway, it's a language thing. When I say "Linux" I alternate pronunciations on different days ... Now, can anybody tell me about that string intro that starts the song?
by Jordan.K on 4/14/2009 3:22am wow u r right this should piss people off .. ALSO WOGS RULE!!! COPY AND PASTE THIS IF U AGREE
by this is athens calling on 4/15/2009 9:45am The Balkan Slavs use the name "Solun" for the Greek city of Thessaloniki. I don't really mind. Why do Turks get so angry with us Greeks that say "Konstantinoupoli(s)" in our language? I don't understand that at all. I'd better not say much about the American song writers. No sense of history, of language, of nothing... I wonder if they were aware of what were they talking about when they wrote the song, or just wrote it with the lightness of the ignorant or the semilitarate. What a pitty that they wasted such a beautiful music to emphasize a practically unexisting problem.
by MABUSE on 4/17/2009 3:26pm Why don't we just agree to change the name to "Atlantis" thus solving a bunch of complicated problems in one swell foop?
by tonyukuk on 4/28/2009 1:16pm ISTANBUL!
by astra on 5/4/2009 8:06am I was born in Istanbul, this city is very important to me (and to the majority of the Greeks) and I feel I can call it Konstantinoupoli in my language (Greek) if I want to. Thus, I know the official name is Istanbul and I call it like that in other languages. None wants to change the name or take the City back (!!). So relax, and please, allow me to keep my memory.
by buhezibub on 5/5/2009 7:16pm Go Ottoman Empire! (destroyed in WWI)
by Alenthas on 5/6/2009 11:45am Hey you Greeks! Like we dont know Megolo Idea of yours. I tell you what you greedy bastards. You took all of those stupid islands around Turkey and demanding to raise sea boundaries to 12 miles. Well then, either islands is ours, or Turkey is yours? That means war you ignorant fools! We try to stay calm, at peace but you just cant stop poking! Everyday another problem! We just had enough of you. You clearly trying to demand war here! Well, I'll pray for your fithy souls if that happens. May the God have mercy on you, 'cause I wont! Anyway... Gotta calm down. I love this song, not only lyrics, its just stuck on my head.
by Sandi on 5/14/2009 3:23pm When I was a kid & heard this song, I thought it was "gotta e stand bull, can't stand tinople."
by Been there, done that on 6/5/2009 4:14pm The Greek argument (it used to be ours, therefore our name is the 'right' name) is amusing but also wrong. Before there were Greeks there, there were Trojans there. The 'correct' name for Istanbul may be Istanbul (based on what it is known as by the people who live there now) or it may be Troy (based on the earliest name known for certain for the place) but what it was known as for periods in between foundation and now is irrelevant.
by astra on 6/5/2009 5:18pm Wow, Alenthans you really have to calm down, pal :) Don't tell me that Turks were in the area before the Turks were, because I' ll laugh! Anyway, none demands any turkish land. There are agreements and we should all respect them if we want to be considered civilized people and not ancient nwarlords. Cheers from Athens (even if I was born in Istanbul).
by astra on 6/5/2009 5:22pm And for the sea borders, we should go to some international court or the UN or something, instead of threatening our neighbours. Otherwise you will say this and we will say that, and war is not an option, in our days. :pppp
by Achilles on 6/13/2009 7:44pm Why does it not mention Byzantium? That really annoys me. Anyway, I must get that on my iPod - it's a great quickstep song, if perhaps a bit slow.
by Anonymous on 6/20/2009 1:10am Indeed the pen is mightier then the sword if its got people at one anothers necks over a song, not to mention naming things. I have no religous or ethnic bindings, and even if I did I wouldnt let a name get to me. Hell think im gonna call that city whatever I want, how about Gripington? I like that name. Seriously folks, get over yourselves, and your names. Call the city what ya want, if it bothers someone they need to get over themselves to. On a lighter note,songs really catchy, I like it.
by Ahron on 6/22/2009 12:17am In the greake and Roman Empires, it's name was Bizantz. After the split of the Christian Roman empire, the city was called on the name of the Caesar Konstantin and it was the Bizntine Empire, until it was concuered by the Othmans at 1453, and the Sultans made it their capital with the name Istanbul. The Greeks can dream about Alexanders Empire and their legasy of name, but Philadelfia is now Aaman, and Alexandia is Iskadrun, and so many other places. This is now a days facts and Status Kwoo, to leave in peace w/o kills. A name is what you get from your parents, and it is what you deserve in your live and what the world gives you. And a song is only a song. and this is a funny song. Thats all. ... and I'm not a greeke or Turk.
by astra on 7/1/2009 10:52am Ahron, You are neither Turk nor Greek, but still it's obvious that you have to blame the Greeks for "dreaming the empire of Alexander"!! Who told you that the Greeks dream of the empire of Alexander? This is a lie and I don't know why you have to say that. The Greeks want peace and so do the Turks - at least the common people. The issue of the name of Istanbul-Konstantinoupolis is a matter of memory and language. Greeks were connected to this city until VERY recently (I have said a thousand times that I am a Greek born in Istanbul, haven't I?). The Jews are slaughtering the Palestinians in the name of historic memory (because God himself gave the land to the Jews 4000 years ago !!!) but you have to blame only the Greeks, who don't slaugter or threaten anyone, just because the Greeks have memory and use the name Konstantinoupolis ONLY in their own language. You must not be serious at all...
by Belgaer on 7/19/2009 10:26pm Don't get me wrong, this is a good song. However, it's just so overused that it's not fun to listen to any more.
by Tupac on 8/25/2009 7:28am Istanbul is the best City (Not Constantinopel)
by Betül on 8/29/2009 2:06pm** Yes,Constan..(anyway ;)) is just a dream.OK? Forever to be İSTANBUL Long time ago was be constantinopolis.. and nobadys cant change istanbul.. thx bye all
by Ahmet Tok on 9/8/2009 9:09am Calling istanbul as Constantinople is the same way as calling yourself as a monkey. So greeks are you still monkeys? Constatinople is evolved to istanbul. If you resist evolution stay monkey then lol :D
by Kutluk Bilge on 9/8/2009 9:24am Remember the football match in istanbul, the big big poster with Fatih Sultan Mehmet ho is the conquerer of Istanbul. What did they say??? what?? i cant hear you?? :)) !!!ISTANBUL SINCE 1453!!!
by Bugra on 9/8/2009 9:25am !!!ISTANBUL SINCE 1453!!!
by MINA on 9/20/2009 8:37am THE TURKS TAKE THE NAME ISTANBUL FROM THE GREEK "EIS THN POLI" WHICH MEANS "TO THE CITY". SO IT IS FUNNY!!!!
by Daerian on 9/24/2009 12:45am THANK YOU MS. TORRES!!! Without you,I would have never found this song! God, it gets annoying, but its too catchy to forget!
by Pink on 10/6/2009 12:17pm It is istanbul!! we always conquer u always go:D i love my city, and iam proud to say ''istanbul'':)
by turkishgreektrick;P on 10/7/2009 7:12pm Awwwwwwwsummmm!!!!!!XDDD
by fatih on 10/9/2009 11:23am Greece is little sassy boy of the West. Greece just wants take a beating by Turks. Always. They did and they will. They went down by Ottoman, after by Atatürk, after by Turkish Army (only 30 years ago, Cyprus peace operation). And all of them caused because of them occupancy policy. If they still want, we can civilize them.
by Wow, stress much?!?! on 10/9/2009 2:06pm You all need to just calm down, I have not laughed this hard in some time. Istanbul is the name now, who cares what it was called hundreds of years ago, except for historians. Not to mention that this is all over a silly song, written because it all sounds funny, not to raise tensions between greeks and turks. Wow, some people really need to chill out.
by stupid on 10/14/2009 5:56pm Instabul is a greek phrase meaning "in the city" Check out the Turk's comments which reflect their civilization. Thanks fatih!
by Name??? on 10/30/2009 8:24pm I agree with the person above the person above me... except the laughing part, and Constantinople wasn't Greek, it was part of the Byzantine Empire, a thousand years after the Greeks disappeared.
by Catchy Song on 11/3/2009 9:29am It's a great city, the only city that a sea is passing through in it. You should visit it in summer time, you should see the maiden tower in the sunset. . As said in the song: "It's nobody's business but the Turks.."
by Istanbul ! on 11/6/2009 1:20pm omg... it has like, 600+ Years, GET OVER IT U GREEK IDIOTS ! btw, it was the east roman empire, not Greeks... learn it first, then write it... ISTANBUL SINCE 1453, FATIH SULTAN MEHMET, THE CONQUERER
by İSTANBUL!! on 11/8/2009 11:21am everybody knows that, İSTANBUL NOT constantinople
by Volkan on 11/10/2009 5:21am Istanbul Since 1453...

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