POST 0015

Same time & place as POST 0013
SONGING ALONG

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TAYO'Y MGA PINOY
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(Originally Composed & Performed by HEBER BARTOLOME & BANYUHAY)
Late 1970's or early 1980's
My preferred, because musically slightly-better, version: JUDAS

LITERAL TRANSLATION
REFRAIN: REFRAIN:
Tayo'y mga Pinoy We're Pinoy(s)
Tayo'y hindi Kano We're not American(s)
Huwag kang mahihiya Don't be ashamed
Kung ang ilong mo ay pango If your nose is flat

Dito sa Silangan Here in the East
Aku'y/Tayo'y isinilang I was/We were born
Kung saan nagmumula ang (From) Where originates
Ang sikat ng araw The rays of the Sun

Aku ay may sariling I have my own
Kulay Kayumanggi Brown color
Ngunit di ko maipakita But I cannot show
Tunay na sarili My true self

Kung ating hahanapin If we will seek
Ay matatagpuan (Then) We shall find
Tayo ay may kakanyahang We have the identity?capability?
Dapat na hangaan That should be admired

Subali't nasaan But where are
Ang sikat ng Araw? The Sun's rays?
Ba't tayo ang humahanga Why are we the ones admiring
Doon sa Kanluran? The West?

Bakit kaya tayo ay ganito? Why are we like this?
Bakit nanggagaya Why do we imitate
Mayroon naman tayo? When we have our own?

Ulitin ang REFRAIN Repeat REFRAIN

Mayroong isang aso There is a dog
Daig pa ang ulol Worse than mad
Siya'y ngumingiyaw It meows (&)
Hindi tumatahol Does not bark
Katulad ng iba Like some/others (who)
Pa-Ingles-ingles pa Keep speaking English
Na kung pakikinggan which when listened to
Mali-mali naman Turn out/are incorrect/full of errors
Huwag na lang Forget it/Never mind/Better not
(2X) (2X)

Hoy Hoy Ikaw ay Pinoy Hey Hey You are Pinoy
Hoy Hoy Ikaw ay Pinoy Hey Hey You are Pinoy

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Nosi Bayasi (NB):
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A POWERFUL NATIONALISTIC & ANTI-COLONIAL POP SONG WITH BEAUTIFUL MELODY though the lyrics are not perfect. I believe that the 4th to 6th lines from the last may be changed/improved & rewritten. Rating: Music 100% Lyrics 99%

One clearly-affected commenter in the website from where I downloaded the MP3, apparently unfamiliar with this old song, stated in Tagalog something like: "HEY, THIS IS DIFFERENT! ONLY STONED PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THIS!" ["IBA'TO! BATO LANG ANG NAKAKAALAM NITO!"] HAR-HAR-HAR!

NOTE VERY WELL that a mere VERSION can be BETTER than the ORIGINAL.
This is in MUSIC. [e.g., Compare: Paul Young's EVERYTIME YOU GO vs. original HALL & OATES] The BARTOLOME brothers (graduates of U.P. SCHOOL OF MUSIC) have beautiful, really musical voices but the JUDAS version has a strange, unusual underlying background sound that permeates it & immediately sets the mood of the listener. Thus, for me, the JUDAS version is BETTER than the BANYUHAY original. And much better than either would be the imaginary THIRD version having BARTOLOME brothers' vocals combined with JUDAS's instrumentation. Is this state-of-affairs the consequence of ELECTRONIC sound & better sound-GENERATION, RECORDING & REPRODUCTION TECHNIQUES? Does it mean that objective SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY can & do affect & may even CHANGE subjective ART & HUMAN REALITY? - a potentially-controversial PHILOSOPHICAL TOPIC for further discussion.

The song expresses & elaborates on in musical language the MEANING of the following Tagalog saying:

"ANG HINDI MAGMAHAL SA SARILING WIKA AY HIGIT PA SA HAYUP AT MALANSANG ISDA." - Jose Rizal

TANONG: Sumusulat ba si aku (si N.B.) para sa kababayan o para sa dayuhan?
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(n) Ninakaw kay N.B.(Noty Boy)
(s) Stolen from N.B.(Noty Boy)