Waray Songs On Life and Love

Aside from their songs that are naughty and nonsense, the Warays have also their own share of songs that speak about life and about love. They have a profound effect on my being as a Waray, for they bring poignant memories of my hometown and of my childhood.

In the 1980's while my high school contemporaries were singing Madonna's Material Girl and Papa Don't Preach, I was busy learning Waray songs from Mana Saning and from Mana Jenny, leaders of San Roque Parish Church Choir. Nanay Remy, my mother, likewise taught me songs from her native town of Borongan, Eastern Samar. Aside from these three women, I also learned some songs from the older women of Kalye San Francisco in San Roque, Northern Samar. I sat with them while they drank tuba (coconut wine) and sang Waray songs.

My repertoire of songs grew as I met friends from Laoang and from Catubig. We sang a lot and we always made it a point to sing songs in Waray. Probably we were thinking that it was our only way of connecting with our roots -- we had to leave our families and our hometowns to pursue college education in the city. In school, I was a member of a performing arts group. We did community immersions and we gathered and performed songs indigenous to the islands of Samar and Leyte.

Before I become totally engulfed by forgetfulness, let me share the lyrics of these songs so that my fellow Warays can make use of them or can sing them. Like the women of San Roque and the other Waray speakers who unselfishly shared these songs to me, I am likewise sharing them to you now. Only virtually, though. To my fellow Warays searching for or googling -- yes, google is also a verb, :-) -- "lyrics of Waray songs", this post is for you. Except for Balud, the songs below cannot be found on the World Wide Web as of this writing.

To those who don't speak Waray, I have not prepared any English translation for these texts. Since I'm a blogger and not a poet, I'll leave the job to them: the Waray poets.

AN KINABUHI SAN TAWO

An kinabuhi san tawo
Sugad sin usa nga binhi
Kon upayon gud pagmangno
Matudok ini, madamo
Ug niyan ini dumako
Sugad san aton tanom
Kay minangnoan san gugma
Gugma para sa aton.

Kay inin aton kinabuhi
Kinabuhi usa la
Sugad sin usa ka binhi
Sa gugma kita ginpili
Kay kinabuhi nga langitnon
Bulawan an panahon
Aton gud talinguhaon
An pag-ukoy nga surundon
Aton gud talinguhaon
An pag-ukoy nga surundon.

BALUD


Mga balud nagpapasibo ha kadagatan
Kakuri gud madakpan inin balud
Ha baras napulilid kon diri hira nag-iisog
Hay, Intoy kamakuri mo pagdad-on
Baga-baga ka gud la hinin balud
Kon nasisina nalakat ka
Mag-uusahan ako ha tabi.

Kay ano nga ginbayaan mo ako
Waray na balud inin lawud ko
Hain na an mga haplas mo
Nailiw na an baras ngan bato.

Bisan la danay di nagkakaasya
Sugad han langit ug tuna
Kon an gugma nga marig-on ug masarig
Di mapapara hinin balud.

Kay ano nga ginbayaan mo ako
Waray na balud inin lawud ko
Hain na an mga haplas mo
Nailiw na an baras ngan bato.

Balik na kamahidlaw na ha imo
Waray na balud inin lawud
Hain na an mga haplas mo
Nailiw na an kasing-kasing ko.

BUTA

An kadam-an san nagmamata
Hingyap pa an pagkaturog
Kay mas matam-is an pagwaydong
Sa luyo san mga limbong
An saksi san kamatuoran
Napiyong la san kasugaran
Nag-aantos la nga gintatamakan
An katungod san kadam-an.

Buta kita san kinahanglan
San iba buta kita sa luha
Kay waray pulos an lamrag
San aton mga mata
Kon sa kasing-kasing magpabilin kita nga buta.

Kon kita an magsasaksi
Sa ngaran san at kabugtoan
Nano an imo pag-ugop
Kan kanay ka ba mahisakop
An saksi san kamatuoran
Napiyong la san kasugaran
Nag-aantos la nga gintatamakan
An katungod san katawhan.

DUNGGA AN HUNI SAN KALAW


Dungga an huni san kalaw
Kon tikatunod na an adlaw
Tugob sin kasakit ug kabutlaw
Nagtitikadulom, nagtitikamingaw.

Kundi adto na an kabitun-an
Namimiruk-pirok didto sa hitas-an
Sidlit na liwat matahum nga bulan
An lamrag murayaw, may kahimayaan.



DUYAN

An akon pagtalinguha
Paghimo sin duyan
Kay basi ko ig-abyog
An akon kapagalan
Si Inday nakipaglungon
Napuktol an mga bahayan
Diri ko pagbabasulan
An akon gugma
May bug-at man.

Bisan pa mabari
Duha ka parakangan, ahay!
Tigaman san higugma, Inday
Indig san lumalabay
Bisan pa marugtas
Marakdag an ak dughan
Diri ko pagbabasulan
An akon gugma
May bug-at man.

HURING

Iginhuring mo Ginoo
Sa oras san kagab-ihon
Daw binmati ako sa dapit
Nga masirum.
Hinkit-an ko ikaw naghiyum
Sugad man san mga awit san kagab-ihon
Daw ginpapahinumdom
Kami an imo mga anak
Kay sa imo kasingkasing
Nagpapahuway sa dayon
Nga kagul-anan.

ILO SIN GUGMA

Kakuri daw ngay-an
San nag-uusahan
Nailo sin gugma
Waray na kalipay
Sugad sin gin-anod
Harayo nga tuna
Di na kinikita
An mga pag-anga
Sadton pinalangga
Kay tungod sin gugma
Bisan nagkukuri
Gin-aantos man la.

Kamakuri daw iday
San kalibutan
Tikang ka la ginikan
Lunlon kasakitan
Kon sa adlaw pa man
Sugad ak sin natundan
Kay tungod sin gugma
Bisan nagkukuri
Nag-aantos man la.


KABLAS

Kablas tinamay sa kinabuhi
Sinakit tinalumpigos sinalikway
Kablas sin-o pa an im paglaum
Kay ikaw waray gahum
Sa im kalugaringon
Aanhon an pagbangon.

Kablas kitaa an im kinabuhi
Dagway ka sa Diyos
An nagbuhat sa im
Kablas pinalabi ni Hesukristo
Sanglit ayaw kahulop
Ngan ayaw hingalimti
May-ada ka kadungganan.

KAMALUNHAW

Kamalunhaw nga mabuhi sa kalibutan
Labi na kon may minahal sa kinabuhi
Dayuday nga kalipayan sa adlaw, gab-i
Ginlimot mo an ngatanan may sin tubtuban

Kundi niyan inabat ka sin kakurian
Doon mo la hinumdumi si Bathala
An tawo marupok, madali malimot
Sa Diyos an ngatanan may sin tubtuban

MASITAS

May man bag-o nga masitas
Gamay an dahon, magtayunas
Nanaringsing sin magdulaw
Ngan nagbukad sin magtin-aw
May man tamsi nga aada
Nga nahuhumod sin luha
Iday hinumdumi nala
Kay ako gad iton nga puno sin gugma.

San tikalaya nauga
Nahalawhaw na daw an sanga
Haros pa an darag matunaw
Maubos ngatanan pagtur-aw
Maloloy-on si Bathala
Itinubyan sin waray la
Kon sugad may paglaum
Bisan ak mamatay
Nga sa im hiunong.

WARAY SIN-O MAN

Waray sin-o man nga nabubuhi
Para la sa iya
Waray sin-o man nga namamatay
Para la sa iya.

Kita ngatanan may-ada katungdanan
Sa tagsa-tagsa
Kita ngatanan gintirok sa Diyos
Mga kabugtoan.

16 comments:

  1. Guilty as charged...I was crooning to Madonna's songs hahaha! But I have outgrown that already. It's good that Waray Songs are still pretty much in tact through generations. I am sure you will be passing it on to your little one :-)

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  2. @Aileen Yes, my daughter knows some of these songs. By the way, do we belong to the same age bracket, Ms. A? :-) Salamat sa pagbisita, sis.

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  3. Chronological age, I guess you just slash off a few years but basically, same age bracket nga hehehe...

    Psychological age...I don't know kasi isip bata pa rin ako minsan, kinda playful hahaha! I guess kasi may makukulit na nephews kaya isip bata si tita :-)

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  4. I think that is is awesome that you are keeping up these songs, I think it is important to keep your history up:)

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  5. These are interesting words... my mom could speak Karay a, but waray is different. Visiting here from Straight from the heart

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. @beingwell

    Hey! Thanks for your visit! ...speaking of waray songs, would you know the other lyrics for this one...

    atin ku pong singsing... la-lala-la-la-la....

    I'd really LUV to know hihihihi!!


    Rizza (beingwell)

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    Replies
    1. As far as i know ATING KU PUNG SINGSING ay Ilokano song ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚...ewan q lng din hahaha

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  8. Hi @Rizza, I am familiar with the song, but I don't know its lyrics.

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  9. mam there's a waray song that i really like. it goes like this:

    di ba sadto anay palangga mo ako, kon makatulog ak, papaypayan mo? ang balhas sang lawas ginpapahiran mo...

    do you know the title? hehehe...

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  10. @yo

    Dia ra ang uban nga lyrics ana nga kanta. I forgot the rest of the song:

    I.
    Di ba hadto anay pinalangga mo ako, Bisan nakaturog ginpapaypayan mo, Balhas han lawas pinapahiran mo, Kay nahadlok ka man nga mamatay ako.

    II.
    Kon mamatay ako ngan mabuhi ka pa, Kadto ha lubnganan ngan panginanoa,
    Kon makakita ka hin krus nga tumba
    __________________.

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  11. @Rhodora hi maam, I am proud of you and ur blog. :)

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  12. Hi ma'am @rhodora . I would just like to ask po if you know who's the author of the waray-wary song "Balud" . kailangan ko po kasi para ha ak report ๐Ÿ˜… Thank you ma'am ,hope you notice this po.

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