Interpretation of “In the night of the others” by Trypes

2026-06-12

I was under the impression that I had written an entry for In the night of the others (Μέσα στη νύχτα των άλλων) a long time ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XvkZNbO-eg. It turns out that I did not. Though I have commented before on other pieces of the Trypes (Τρύπες) band:

• Train (2022-06-28)
• New dizziness (2022-08-01)
• Here (2025-02-08)

In the night of the others is an excellent song, both (i) as a fine example of Greek rock and (ii) a poignant reminder to be fair and mindful of our situation.

Below are the original lyrics, my translation of them, and further comments.

Μέσα στη νύχτα των άλλων

Ερμηνεία:  Τρύπες
Στίχοι:    Γιάννη Αγγελάκας (Τρύπες)
Μουσική:   Τρύπες


Δεν ακούει κανείς, δεν ξυπνάει κανείς
μόνο οι καρδιές μας ηχούν και τίποτε άλλο
Ήρθε ο καιρός να μου πεις, είναι καιρός να μου πεις
τι γυρεύουμε εμείς μέσα στη νύχτα των άλλων

Δε μιλάει κανείς, δεν απαντάει κανείς
σκιές βουβές υπνοβατούν πάνω στον πάγο
Ήρθε ο καιρός να μου πεις, είναι καιρός να μου πεις
τι γυρεύουμε εμείς μέσα στη νύχτα των άλλων

In the night of the others

Singer:  Trypes
Lyrics:  Giannis Aggelakas (Trypes)
Music:   Trypes


Nobody listens, nobody awakens
only our hearts echo and nothing else
The time has come to tell me, now is the time to tell me
what are we doing in the night of the others

Nobody speaks, nobody responds
silent shadows sleepwalk on ice
The time has come to tell me, now is the time to tell me
what are we doing in the night of the others

The salient point of this song is to express ourselves in earnest. The titular night describes the state of affairs when we are always behaving in a conformist way for the sake of conformism. If we never show how we truly feel, then we effectively operate in hiding. We pretend that our feelings do not matter, while simultaneously acting like other people’s wellness is of paramount importance. Such is our double-standard and thus the injustice we commit against our own person.

When we do this, we think that we are showing resilience while making pro-social contributions. We assume the role of the reliable friend who happily accommodates the needs of everyone while asking for nothing in return, never to complain nor to ask any questions. And if we are competent in this regard, then we take comfort in consistently suppressing our desires. We even think that we are special in some respect because we apparently do not need any help while others do.

This, however, is not sustainable. By only valuing others, we deny ourselves the important interpersonal skill of pushing back when necessary, of sometimes answering in the negative, of speaking our mind. As such, we only respond affirmatively, which inevitably means that we take on increasingly more emotional burdens as well as concrete people-pleasing responsibilities. We inevitably overwork ourselves. A burnout shall ensue. It may cause irreparable damage or, at least, lead to the kind of injury that is hard to recover from.

The person who wants to help others must learn to include their own self as part of the rest. There should be no double-standard nor any rationalisation along the lines of “I am tougher than them and can handle it”. The goal is to have consistency. Self-love, for example, is not the same as selfishness: it is to care for oneself the way one cares for others. A mother will not be feeding her baby for much longer if she does not eat enough food herself, for example.

The night of the others does not describe some tyranny. It is a condition that comes from within. The reason is that we naturally resist what we perceive of as oppressive. So we would not be searching for something there. Whereas the song asks what are we even trying to find in this figurative place, implying that we have already made a prior judgement of considering it acceptable in some form. Put differently, the problem is of our own making.

The other point of In the night of the others is to have situational awareness: to continuously assess the prevailing conditions in our milieu in order to notice when the night is upon us. This is especially relevant for relationships that start out one way and become something entirely different in the process. If we are not in tune with the circumstances, then we are again forcing ourselves into a situation where our selfhood is suppressed. Here, too, the double-standard is due to us, only this time it comes from complacency rather than a misplaced desire to fit in.

We need exposure and recognition in our life. We have to have moments during which our sincere desires are expressed. Sure, there are times when we will deprioritise our own needs. This is fine. The key is to find a balance, such that there will be daytime after any given night.