Painting by Papo de Asis. Beginning of the End. From www.laluzdejesus.com
Okay, i’m going to commit sacrilege again, i’m going to translate. Apologies. One tries: for non-Filipinos who might chance 
upon this site. (translating is always risky, one tries not to be too literal, but at the same time, to be faithful to the lyrics so that the composer would not get angry. “Palay” (unhusked rice) is used in Philippine newspapers, but it doesn’t seem to be used in the published dictionaries of English words. I used the word “rice”, sorry po, it’s one syllable, it works well with the other words in the song like life, hope, soil, toil, etc.. “Nakasuga”, i think, is how we tie the carabao’s nose to rein it, i don’t have a translation, sorry po, i used another word. I retained “palay” in the title though.)
BUTIL NG PALAY
(A Grain of Palay
Words and music by Jess Santiago
Vocals and acoustic guitar by Jess Santiago from the album Halina (“Come” , or “Charm”, or “Comeliness”), 1991
Bawat butil ng palay
( Every grain of rice
Ay butil ng pawis
(is a bead of sweat
Ng bawat alipin
(of every enslaved peasant
Aping magbubukid
(oppressed tiller of the soil.)
Bawat butil ng palay
(Every grain of rice
Ay butil ng luha
(is a drop of tear
Ng kayraming inang
(of many, many mothers
Natali sa lupa
(shackled to the soil
Bawat butil ng palay
(Every grain of rice
Ay butil ng dugo
(is a trickle of blood
Kalansay at bungo
(all the the bones and remains
Ng ating ninuno
(of all our ancestors
Butil ng pawis
(Every bead of sweat
Ng luha at dugo
(every drop of tear and blood
Butil ng palay
(is a grain of rice
Butil ng ginto
(our grains of gold
Bawat butil ng palay
(Every grain of rice
Sanggol na walang malay
(is an unborn child
Hindi pa man isinisilang
Nakasanla na ang buhay
(whose unlived life
is payment for our woes)
Bawat butil ng palay
(Every grain of rice
Ay isang magsasaka
(is a peasant
Nakasuga sa lupa
Ang kanyang hininga
(whose breath is prisoner
of the soil
Bawat butil ng palay
(Every grain of rice
Ay butil ng buhay
(is a grain of life
Butil ng pag-asang
(a grain of hope
Sumibol sa parang
(born in fields of toil)
Bawat butil ng palay
(Every grain of rice
Ay isang magbubukid
(is a peasant
Nagbibigay-buhay
Sa buong daigdig
(Feeding the whole world
With grains
from his hands
and toil.)
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