I had a short chit-chat with my Chinese colleague a few days ago during lunch time and the usual talk about our job changed when she told me she heard a Filipino song a long time ago and that the meaning of the song’s title was “child”. She told me that everytime she’d hear it played, she’d had goose bumps because of the lovely melody and the reality of what the song had to convey. I knew at that moment which song she was talking about and I remember I have it in my computer. I promised to give her a copy of the song later. It was just wonderful how she could still remember the song, “Anak” by Freddie Aguilar though it was a long time ago that this song was translated into different languages. Hubby likes most of Freddie’s songs, especially this one. I actually met some other Swedish husbands of my friends and they’re also impressed of Freddie’s music. In fact, I borrowed the cassette tape (with Freddie’s songs) of my friend’s husband a few years ago. Then hubby converted them into wave files that’s why I have Freddie Aguilar’s songs in my hard drive.  I personally love all the songs of Freddie and I used to play some of them in my guitar when I was a teenager.

Click to play for your listening pleasure.

Anak   by: Freddie Aguilar

No’ng isilang ka sa mundong ito, laking tuwa ng magulang mo.
At ang kamay nila ang iyong ilaw.

At ang nanay at tatay mo, ‘di malaman ang gagawin.
Minamasdan pati pagtulog mo.

Sa gabi napupuyat ang iyong nanay sa pagtimpla ng gatas mo.
At sa umaga nama’y kalong ka ng iyong amang tuwang-tuwa sa iyo.

Ngayon nga’y malaki ka na, nais mo’y maging malaya.
‘Di man sila payag, walang magagawa.

Ikaw nga’y biglang nagbago, naging matigas ang iyong ulo.
At ang payo nila’y sinuway mo.

Di mo man lang inisip na ang kanilang ginagawa’y para sa iyo.
Pagka’t ang nais mo masunod ang layaw mo, ‘di mo sila pinapansin.

Nagdaan pa ang mga araw at ang landas mo’y naligaw
Ikaw ay nalulong sa masamang bisyo.

At ang una mong nilapitan ang iyong inang lumuluha.
At ang tanong, “Anak, ba’t ka nagkaganyan?”

At ang iyong mga mata’y biglang lumuha nang ‘di mo napapansin
Pagsisisi at sa isip mo’t, nalaman mong ika’y nagkamali.