A List of Philippine Folk Songs With English Translations
Precy loves to write about many topics including Filipino dishes, culture, legends and traditions.
What are the Filipino folk songs you always hear as a child?
Music Pinoy Free
Riddles and fables along with folk dances and folk songs are some of the activities Filipinos enjoy. All mentioned can be seen performed in school activities and even as a past time for families specially the kids.
Writing this article reminds me of grade school days on my Filipino subject where class teachers would tackle folk dances and folk songs.Everyone in the class enjoy the time spent practicing the folk dances and folk songs specially when a school event is near. This means more fun for students than lectures, oral recitations and quizzes as wearing colorful costumes performing these folk dances and songs only comes during these school events.
So what are some Filipino folk songs? Here are some Philippine folk songs that mirrors life in the Philippines. I did read other English translations of these Filipino folk songs and used it as guide, translating the songs in the following English versions that for me, seems more closer and rhymes with the Tagalog version. Well, except for the "Planting Rice Is Never Fun" which already had an English translation available.
Paru-Parong Bukid is a favorite Philippine folk song amongst kids. Along with other Philippine/Filipino folk songs, Paru-Parong Bukid would be seen played in school events.
Read the English translation and have fun singing along with the folk song's Tagalog version.
Paru-Parong Bukid (Farm Butterfly)
Farm butterfly, flying and flitting by,
In the middle of the road
Flapping and floating by
Thirty inches of wrap-around skirt
And an inch of sleeve
The colorful skirt
One foot dragging on the ground
And she has a hairnet
Oh!
And also has a comb
Oh!
Decorated underskirt
She's trying to show off
She's facing the altar
Looking at her reflections
Then she would walk teasingly
With her hips swaying
Bahay-Kubo (Nipa Hut)
The Bahay Kubo Filipino folk song describes the typical farm life in the country and all the kinds of vegetables planted around the hut.
Cheer yourself up or a kid with this song while getting to know your vegetables in Filipino.
Bahay Kubo Folk Song - Know the Veggies in Tagalog
- Fruits and Vegetables in the Philippine Folk Song "Bahay Kubo" (Nipa Hut)
Get to know the vegetables mentioned in the popular Tagalog folk song, "Bahay Kubo"!
Bahay Kubo (Nipa Hut)
Bahay-kubo, kahit munti
Nipa hut although it is small
Ang halaman doon ay sari-sari
The vegetables in there are of many kinds
Singkamas at talong, sigarilyas at mani
Jicama and eggplant, winged bean and peanut
Sitaw, bataw, patani
Long beans, hyacinth beans, lima beans
Kundol, patola
Ash gourd , sponge gourd
Upo at kalabasa
Bottle gourd and squash
At saka meron pa
And still there's some more
Labanos at mustasa
Radish and mustard
Sibuyas, kamatis, bawang at luya
Onions , tomatoes, garlic and ginger.
At sa paligid ligid at puno ng linga.
And all around are lots of sesame plants.
Up for a quiz?
For each question, choose the best answer. The answer key is below.
- What is the Philippine word for the nipa hut?
- kalabasa
- bahay-kubo
- bahay
- Why is it never a fun to do the rice planting?
- It's a hard work.
- It is hot out in the field.
- Because of being in a stoop position from morning until sunset.
Answer Key
- bahay-kubo
- Because of being in a stoop position from morning until sunset.
Have you experienced planting rice?
If you have, surely, rice planting is such a hard work. It will give you backache too if you're new to it as you would be in a stoop position for the whole day! That is what this next Filipino folk song is all about, rice planting.
Rice is a staple food in the Philippines and it isn't an easy task, rice planting requires a lot of work to successfully plant and harvest the grains. Rice planting season also serves as a source of work for many farmers from preparing the field for planting and maintaining it, and of course to harvesting.
Here is an English version of the folk song I found online. Have fun singing along with it.
Planting Rice Is Never Fun in Filipino/Tagalog
Magtanim Ay Di Biro
Magtanim ay di biro
Maghapong nakayuko
Di naman makatayo, di naman maka upo
Bisig ko'y namamanhid
Baywang ko'y nangangawit
Binto ko'y namimintig
Sa pagkababad sa tubig
Sa umaga pag gising
Lahat ay iisipin
Kung saan may patanim
May masarap na pagkain
Ay pagka sawimpalad
Nang inianak sa hirap
Ang bisig kong di iunat
Di kikita ng pilak.
Planting Rice Is Never Fun (The English Version)
Planting rice is never fun
Bent from morn 'til the set of sun
Cannot stand
Cannot sit
Cannot rest for a little bit.
Oh my arms, they are numb
And my waist was tired and hurt
And my legs are numb and set
From all that soaking in the wet.
When the early sun does break
You will wonder as you wake
In the muddy neighborhood
There is work and pleasant food
It is hard to be so poor
And such sorry pain endure
If two hands wont do some work
I won't earn a single dime.
Planting rice is never fun
Bent from morn 'til the set of sun
Cannot stand
Cannot sit
Cannot rest for a little bit.
Curious About Fruits Growing In The Philippines?
- Fruits Found In The Philippine Country
If you've been to the Philippines, surely you have tasted some of these fruits. And if you are someone who is just about to visit this tropical country, and are eyeing on the adventure of exploring the land, don't miss the fruit tasting...
And here's the fourth Philippine folk song that kids enjoy singing in school or while playing around. This folk song is about two lovers, Leron is the guy and his sweetheart Neneng. The song is about the two picking up papaya and tamarind with a box made of bamboo or coconut leaves that is called buslo in Tagalog.
Fruit picking is such an enjoyable activity for sweethearts in the country where the guy climbs the tree and the lady wait and catch the fruits.
And since the Tagalog version is already in the video, let's have the English translation.
Buslo Box
- BUSLO Image
See here a photo of the "buslo" box. This one was made of coconut leaves.
Leron, Leron My Love
Leron, Leron my love
Young papaya fruit above
Carrying bamboo basket
To keep the fruits in it
Then as he neared the end
The entire branch broke up
What an unlucky day
Better find another one.
Wake up Neneng
We will go climb a tamarind
Carry the bamboo box
And fill it with ripe fruits
At the end of the branch
It started on swaying
Hold on tight Neneng
You might fall off the tree
Leron, Leron my love
Young papaya fruit above
Carrying bamboo basket
To keep the fruits in it
Then as he neared the end
The entire branch broke up
What an unlucky day
Better find another one.
A guy that I would love
Is a courageous man
Who has seven knives
And daggers which is nine
A journey he will take
Distant parts beyond
One plate of noodles that is
The foe he will engage!
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Comments
lorvie joy jadol on June 11, 2017:
this folk songs is really a big help for me ..as a student....i really really so much needed a folk songs this time........its big help for me .... thank ou..and godbless :)
xian hibanada on August 19, 2016:
wow! this is so much helpful!
Jennifer Baniqued on June 26, 2016:
Do you have Isang butong mangga?
Juanmanuel on June 04, 2015:
Thank you for this understable site.. I hope and i pray that everyone know this site.. Thak you po
mae on May 11, 2015:
what are the igorots folksongs?
precy anza (author) from USA on September 02, 2013:
Hi Minie, I'm glad this helps :) And thank you for leaving a comment. That made my day, I mean night ^-^'
minie kayline on August 31, 2013:
wow this is much understandable than any other site! i could even use this for my homework now.this is the best soooooooooooo coooooooooool!
Ee on January 16, 2013:
Corrections on the translation of Farm Butterfly
"isang bara ang tapis" - a wrap that's a yard thick.
Isang dangkal ang mangas - (with) sleeves as tall as the span of a hand with the index and little finger stretched.
Ang sayang de cola isang piyesa ang sayad - a skirt with a train, with a part/corner (of the skirt) touching the ground.
May patneta pa sya - she even has a decorative comb/pin.
Naguas de ojetes - a petticoat ebroidered with eyelet holes.
Greensleeves Hubs from Essex, UK on September 03, 2012:
My pleasure - the review will be complete in the next 24 hours - hope a few more comments come your way!!
precy anza (author) from USA on September 01, 2012:
Thanks Greensleeves Hub! ^-^' I guess not much people want to sing along with the videos?! Lol. That sounds like a great hub you are working on. Sure, you can use that photo capsule text from Music Pinoy Free. :) I'd be looking forward to your folk music hub so I can visit other hubbers work. :)
Greensleeves Hubs from Essex, UK on September 01, 2012:
precy anza;
I love this hub for the information it gives about Philippines music, and the charming, joyful nature of the songs, all of which raise a smile, and the links are useful too. Voted up in all categories.
It's a shame the article hasn't received any comments before, but maybe I can help bring a little more traffic. I am writing a review of the 10 best folk music hubs on HubPages and I would like to include this one. I do need to use the 'Philippines Folk Songs' photo capsule text from Music Pinoy Free to help advertise the review. Is that OK? If you want to see the kind of reviews I've been writing, three which have been written about other topic categories can be accessed from:
https://hubpages.com/community/HubPageReviews-Gree...
My review will be published within the next week, and I sincerely hope that it introduces a few more people to your hub, and to Filipino music. Alun.
