Bisrock Songs Translation

There was  a time in the music inductry, when the Bisayan Rock, or commonly known as "Bisrock" bands entered the music scene and captured a multitude of listeners, with their meaningful, reality-based and captivating "Bisdak" (Bisaya dialect) songs.  In some Visayan regions, such as Cebu, many bands rose to fame along with their songs. Among them include the Missing Filemon, Brownian Method, Ambassadors,
As  a citizen of Cebu, I can't help but feel proud of them and there songs. And I feel it is rather fit for me to share why. So here in this blog, I will be translating some of their songs into English (as there're already translations to Tagalog), for the benefit of those who don't speak native Bisaya. I think it seems fit for them to know when each song is trying to tell it's audience, because I notice that there are lots of people who rather like the songs but cannot appreciate the meaning because they can't understand the dialect.I will try to translate the lyrics to the most accurate English word that corresponds to them.  I know I can't give enough justice to the songs when translating them to English BECAUSE there are certain Bisaya words that just  DON'T have a corresponding English word. In fact, there are many Bisayan words that cannot be translated into English. What Iw ill do here is translate the lyrics as accurately as I could for the benefit of those whoc ouldn't understand the dialect, becasue the songs are really great. Once you get to understand it, you'll be able to say that they tell a lot about us Bisayas and the Filipinos as well.  I'm a native Cebuana speaker, so I'll do the best I could. I also expect soem help from you guys, especially in translating because sometimes words get stuck up in my mind when I try to find them and I end up writing the not-so-accurate one. But if you do really want to understand them to the bones, the best thing to do is just learn Bisaya and Filipino. Lots of people will be so willing to help you.  So there.  All I ask are two things: that you'll help me with some things I can't translate and PLEASE, although I'll be translating them to English, singing them in that dialect just doesn't seem to be so appropriate with me. I don't know with you. Anyway, the main purpose of my translating them is for the maning. . I'll be including footnotes as well, just to give a glimpse of the  Cebu culture.

* the lines under each Bisrock line are the translation. We'll be posting more soon..

Translation for

 Sine- Sine (Missing Filemon)

sine-sine wala tay laing lingaw
sine-Sine* (refers to the act of playing characters like in a cinema) , there's nothing else we can do
kandila luyo sa habol
candle behind a blanket
katawang binayran ug pisong kinawat
laughter that's paid by a stolen peso*
sa gubaong pitakang lola
from lola's* worn out wallet
anino sa mga artistang papel
shadow of the paper actors/actresses*
gihinganlan tag si Pedro'g Sabel
we named Pedro and Sabel
silang bida niatong estorya
they are the star of our story
sa gugma nga way katumanan
of a love that will never be fulfilled
CHORUS
sine sine sine sa bata pa
sine sine* sine when we were young
di na unta matapos pa
hope it will never end
bisan pa man sa pagdagan sa panahon
even with the flow of time
lantawon mga eksena nga mulabay
gaze upon the scenes that will pass
tanan tawo makasakay
everyone will be able relate
saksihan ta ang pagdagan sa panahon
let's witness the flow of time(or the coming of years)
panahon
time/years*

sige sige ha lang imung paglakaw
just continue your strides
ay'g kahadlok
don't be afraid
may kahayag nga
a light
mudan ag sa dalang mangingit
will illuminate your dark way
lakip na ang langit daw lapad nga adlaw
including the heaven that's like a wide sun

ang kinabuhi sugilanong hiwi
life is a crooked tale
kalipay ,kasakit, ug kalami
happiness, pain and pleasure
silang bida niing salida
they are the stars of this movie(show)
sa gugma nga way katumanan
about a love* that will never be fulfilled

chorus
 chorus


Suroy-suroy (Missing Filemon)

CHORUS
ipaagi lang ug lakbay lakbay
do it through travel*
patid, labay labay
kicking, and throwing
sa lata nga gamay
of the small tincan
ang mag kahilayan nga milumay
the activities that charmed
kang dodong ug inday
dodong* and inday* (look at the bottom of the page)
luyo unya sa atong katawa
(look) behind  our laughter
tan-awon ta ug may kalipay ba
let's see if there's (really) happiness

sayo sa buntag sugod na paglakaw
start walking (or your travels) early morning
kay ang adlaw sa imong panit di pa sakit
because the sun (sun's rays) is not yet painful against your skin
and kadalanan sa atong dakbayan
the streets in our city
gubot pa's lukot
are more chaotic than creases*
basin pag maugmaan
could even last until tomorrow

ayaw baya ug pagmahay
don't  you ever  dare regret
ayaw'g ingnang wa ka kaangay
don't say that you don't like it (or you don't see it's fit)
kay and nakita mu migo
because what you're seeing, friend
kaugalingon mo
is yourself

dalang Colon gamay lang gud gihapon
Colon street , (as usual) is still small
ang Casining sunog balay na run sa buyog
the burned Casini, now is the house of bee
may mga batang naghingos ug putos
there are children sniffing a pack
abi nimo'g pansit apan diay papilit
you thought was pansit*, but it was rugby
REFRAIN
liko's tuo padung Jones Avenue
turn right towards Jones Avenue
you gotta say it cool mura mo'g Amerkano
you gotta say it cool, you sound like an American
but your American Express gikawat sa pulis
but your American Express was stolen by the police

Repeat CHORUS
ay'g tugot nga sa Fuente ka magutman
don't ever allow yourself to be get hungry when in Fuente
kay usahay sa larsian
because sometimes in Larsian
magsakit ang tiyan
your stomach will ache
si aida, lorna o di ba si Fe
aida, lorna or if not, Fe
ay pada sa tigaw
don't allow yourself to be influenced (by these things)
maaan ka nga bugaw
you'll be mistaken as bugaw*

REFRAIN
liko's tuo padung Jones Avenue
turn right towards Jones Avenue
you gotta say it cool mura mo'g Amerkano
you gotta say it cool, you sound like an American
but these will lead the morning soon
but these will lead the morning soon
kay finals na puhon
because (tomorrow/ the next days) will already be finals*

REPEAT CHORUS

parapapapa
ahhhhhhhhhhh

duha, tulo, upat and mall sa Cebu
two, three, there are four malls in Cebu
may Ayala, Shoemart
there's Ayala, Shoemart
may Carbon ug Happy Mart
there's Carbon and Happy Mart
33, 32, 51 ug 82
33, 32, 51 and 82
mga cellphone gilabni
cellphones that were snatched
sa tinderon'g mani
from a peanut vendor

REFRAIN
liko's tuo padung Jones Avenue
turn right towards Jones Avenue
you gotta say it cool mura mo'g Amerkano
you gotta say it cool, you sound like an American
the city smells of guns and goons
the city smells of guns and goons
no more candies and balloons
no more candies and balloons


REP. CHORUS


Harana 

lawm nang gabii mangitngit nga langit
the night is deep, the heaven is dark
nagamata ka pa ba o pinangga?
are you still awake, ny darling*?
wa koy laing dala
i'm bringing nothing else
kundi kining tim-os kung paghigugma
except this true* love of mine
bisag dili takos
nangandoy nga unta lingion mo na
dreaming that you will finally glance

ablihi na ang bintana mo baby
open your  window now, baby
lantawa kining nagaawit o honey
gaze upon this singing man, oh honey
wa koy laing dala
i'm bringing nothing else
kundi kining  awit sa paghigugma
except this song of my love
bisag kinaraan
although old-fashioned,
mga pulong gikan sa akong dughan
the words come from my chest (heart)

wa koy laing dala
kundi kining


nganong gihikaw kanako ang langit?
why was  the  hevaen withheld from me?
balos sa akong pagantos kasakit
in return to my suffering and pain
di ko igsapayan
i will not  mind*
kung ang mag luha ko way padulngan
if my tears have nowhere to go




Inday
inday, wa na sad tay tingganay
lately man gud sige lang kag pangaway


Langit

kung makalingaw
if it is fun
mulakaw maglatagaw
walk, take leisure
way mahimo kung dili nimu ipahungaw
you won't be able to do anything  if you will not burst it out
mangitag lingaw
look for fun
di ka angay mauwaw
you should not be shy
kinsa bang balaod ang imuhang gisunod?
(tell me) who's law are you abiding to?
CHORUS
tawga and kalangitan
call the heavens
pasalamat sa uwan
thank for  the rains
hangyoang mga dsantos nga di na matapos ang unos
beg the saints not to stop the storm

ayawg padal sa uyab mung selosa
don't  be influenced by your jealous girlfriend
sa mga babayeng gusto lang kang hikapon
by girls who just want to touch you
walay gidili
nothing's  forbidden
kung ikaw di magdali
if you're not in a hurry
kung ikaw di mabalaka
if you're not worried
kung kanus a muuli
on when to go home

REPEAT CHORUS

sugod paglakaw
start walking
sa imong paglatagaw
on your travels*
likayi and dalan nga gilakang sa uban
steer clear of the path on which others stepped

REPEAT CHORUS

Stories about the Sto. Niño

These stories I’m about to tell you were related to me over and over again by people I know. Some may be true and some may be exaggerations, but I'm not forcing you to believe in them. Afterall, faith isn’t something you can just impose on people. But I believe in them, and this is why I wrote them here, to share them with you. I just want to tell them, because if I don’t, they may get lost forever.

“Amorsiko”

It was told that when the Basilica was built and the holy child housed, there were many times when the priest, after checking the image, would call his acolyte and tell him to clean the child’s dress up. When the acolyte would ask why, the priest would say that the child has got out of the basilica and wandered about again (nagsuroy-suroy). The acolyte would go and check the Sto. Niño, only to find out that its dress is full of Amorsikos. Amorsiko is a weed that usually grows on unmaintained lands or meadows. Its flowers have a structure that makes them capable of sticking to your clothes. The acolyte, getting to understand the implications (the child Jesus got out of the church and walked around on his own), he would quietly pick the Amorsikos out and clean the child up.

“ Stringful of Fish”

There was a time, a long time ago in the beaches of Cebu, when a child took a stringful of fish from a fish vendor on credit. The child told the vendor to just ask the priest for the payment. So that afternoon the vendor went to the basilica, went to the priest and asked for the payment. The priest was bewildered. He never asked anybody, or any child to get fishes on credit. The vendor explained that that morning, a child approached her to get the fishes and said to ask the priest for the due. The priest got a hint at that and asked the vendor to come with him. Together, they visited the place where the image of the Sto. Niño was kept and there, on the neck of an urn beside the image, hung a string full of wriggling fishes. Knowing who did it, the priest paid for those fishes.

“A child of wonders”

The original Sto. Niño today has one gold leg. Why? Because according to stories, it was cut by the clergy in Spain to stop it from going to Philippines. The Sto. Niño is a miraculous child. During the time when it was housed in the basilica, the Spanish clergy ordered for its return to Spain. It was brought back to Spain, to the king and to the church. For a few days it remained there, then one day it got lost. In Spain the church was in commotion over the loss of the blessed child. Their churches were searched but the child was nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, in the Sto. Niño basilica (Cebu), several priests were surprised at the appearance of the Sto. Niño at its altar, when it was supposed to be in Spain and nobody brought it back there. Spain sent a message asking its whereabouts and they told them that the child was in Cebu and no one knows how it got there. Some Spanish clergy went to bring the Sto. Niño back to Spain. To make sure the child would not go back to Cebu again, the clergy had one of its legs cut and replaced by gold.

The next day, the child was lost again. The Spanish church was in commotion, again. Where was the Sto. Niño? While the Spanish priests were in confusion, Cebu priests were again astonished at the appearanceof the blessed child in the altar. It was the second time the child turned up when it was supposed to be in Spain. They asked around the vicinity whether they have seen a ship from Spain that could have carried the image docking somewhere in Cebu. There was none. Then one fisherman related to the priest what he saw. He said that while at sea, he saw a very small boy, standing in the middle of a halved coconut shell, sailing his way from the direction of Spain to the beaches of Cebu. What was amazing was the fact that the boy wasn’t rowing, but was only standing in the shell, and was going full speed, as if propelled by some force, towards the island of Cebu. The priests did not doubt that the boy could only be the Sto. Niño, making his way home, where he belonged for a very very long time. Since then, Spain did not order for its return, feeling that the blessed child would always try to go home, in his home in Cebu, and would love to stay here.

“ First World War”

If you ever wonder why the basilica still stands until now, when it could have gone down with the others during the first and second world wars, then perhaps this story can answer you. The reason was because when the war broke out, the whole basilica was protected by the child. After the war, there were stories that circulated regarding this one. Someone (a bomb-carrying plane pilot) related that during the chaos and the bomb-droppings, he saw a child at the very top of the basilica, catching every bomb that dropped near it, and throwing it back to the sea. Every single drop was caught. Thrown to the sea. Aside from this, he said he saw a sort of “shield” that stretched over the whole area of the basilica church, protecting it from harm, letting it stand strong until now.

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