My Mother’s Bisaya Folk Songs

When I was a child, or maybe I should say ever since I was a child because I still have a problem until now, I had a hard time falling asleep. So my mom used to sing me songs while patting my thigh to lull me to slumber.

Her songs weren’t exactly your average songs, though, or maybe it was just because of the generation gap (37 years). Here are some of the songs she sang, all lyrics written down by memory, so pardon if they’re wrong.

How many of them do you even know? The reason why I’m asking is because I once entered the title of the first song below, “Run Samson Run,” in a charades game, and everybody went “Where on earth did you get that song?!?” But it does exist, everyone. I googled it. I’ve never heard the actual song, though, only my mom’s version.

In the Bible, 1000 years BC
There’s a story of an ancient history
About a fellow as strong as he can be
Till he met a cheating girl who brought him tragedy.

Run Samson run, Delilah’s on her way…

Next up are two songs she always sang one after the other, so at first I thought that they were related. Then I realized no, when I heard the actual version of the first song. But it was much much later that I heard someone else sing the second song, when Jolina Magdangal revived it.

You said you had to work so I went to the show alone
They turned out the lights and turned the projector on
And just as the news of the world started to begin
I saw my darling and my bestfriend walk in.
Though I was sitting there they didn’t see
And so they sat right down in front of me
When he kissed her lips I almost died
And in the middle of the colored cartoon, I started to cry.

Oh sad movies always makes me cry…

 

I realize the way your eyes deceive me
With tender looks that I mistook for love
So take away the flowers that you gave me
And send the kind that you remind me of

Paper roses, paper roses
Oh how real those roses seem to be
But they’re only imitation
Like your imitation love for me

But more interesting than those old songs are the Bisaya folk songs.

Here are a few:

Ang tiki misulod sa sugong
Nagtutaghong
Naglingi-lingi

Maayong gabii sa inyong tanan
Naa ko’y pangutana
Unsa’y imong ngalan
Si Maria Dagan-Dagan

 

Ang langgam pulahon ug dughan
Malisod gayod hingdakpan
Maayo pa lang haluk-halukan
Ang langgam pulahon ug dughan

 

Langgam periko
Abukay secretaryo
Teniente kalapati
Ang maya escrebiente

 

Ang maya wala’y kaulaw
Sa tanang kalanggaman
Sangpiton dili mutingog, dili mutingog kay bungol man

Here are a couple of Bisaya versions (parodies?) of Tagalog folk songs:

Paru-parong bukid ang buktot naligid
Asa dapit naligid didto sa bangilid
Unsa ma’y gitambal, udlot sa pahid
Kaluoy sa Diyos ang buktot natul-id

Misakay sa barko padulong sa Cebu
Misinggit ang kapitan ang buktot naligpitan
Pag-abot sa pantalan ang buktot nabunalan
Pag-abot sa ila ang buktot nikatawa

Bakya mo Neneng
Kitangag sa kanding
Kanding wala’y batasan
Gidala sa hunasan
Sa ala-ala
Bugas tag singkwenta
Isuroy sa Manila
Tik-tik ra’y ganansya

They don’t make sense, do they? Or maybe they’re supposed to have some sort of hidden meaning I don’t know about.

Then here is one song which I thought was also a folk song till I recently found out that it’s actually sang by Pilita Corales.

Ania si Rosas Pandan gikan pa intawon sa kabukiran
Kaninyo nakig uban-uban sa gisaulog nga kalingawan
Balitaw day akong puhunan mao’y kabilin sa akong ginikanan
Awit nga labing karaan nga mao’y garbo sa kabunturan

Ayayay ayayay ayayay
Ayay sa akong balitaw
Kay nindot ba isayaw
Daw hamog sa kabugnaw

Tigadong tigadong tigadong
Intawon sab si Dodong
Nagtan-aw kang Inday
Nagtabisay ang laway

Are any of those songs familiar to you? Did your mom ever sing you to sleep too? I wonder what I will be singing to my own baby someday. Maybe when she grows up she’ll wonder who the hell Taylor Swift is.