Roberto Hernandez, left, met a Filipino pilot, who fly a 5-seater plane from Philippines to Palau to be used by Palau Missionary Aviation for convenient travel to Angaur, Peleliu and other far states. (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
CHANGING THE LYRICS AND TITLE
(Intentionally or Accidentally)
IIN BETWEEN 1994-2004, I have a lot of experiences with singing customers while operating karaoke at Image Restaurant. Some of them are intentionally changing the lyrics and some of them don’t know the title of the song that they like to sing.
A Palauan guy requested to me once of the song “Wise Men”. I don’t know a song by that title and it comes to my mind that the first 2 words of the song “Can’t Help Falling In Love” starts with “Wise Men Say, Only Fools Rush In”. When I play it, he said that’s it. And I will politely say to him that the title of that song is “Can’t Help Falling In Love”.
A few months later, another Palauan guy requested me the song “When The Night”. I know that what this guy means is the song “Stand By Me” that starts with “When The Night Has Come”. When the song is ready to play, I said to him, “Ole, here’s your song “When The Night”. Laughter follows.
Many Palauans can speak or understand Japanese language. The Japanese song “Kokoni Sachi Ari” is very popular to many of them but the title is hard to memorize so it’s easy for them to request to me the first word of that song that becomes more popular than the title – “Arashi”.
Intentionally, I’m changing the first 2 lines of the lyrics “Blue Bayou” – I fell so bad I’ve got a worried mind, I’m so lonesome all the time. I changed the “lonesome” to“handsome”.
The same with the song by Lobo “How Can I Tell Her” – She knows when I’m lonesome (handsome).
The 5th stanza of the song “House of the Rising Sun” is this – Well, I’ve got one foot on the platform, The other foot on the train, I’m going back to New Orleans, To wear THAT ball and chain.
Change one word to the last line “To wear that ball and chain” to “To wear MY BALLS and chain.”
And just few days ago, on Marcia Florentino’s birthday at Breeze Bar of Palau Royal Resort, she celebrated in with me singing Palauan, Japanese, American songs. When Kurt sang the song “Love Will Keep Us Alive” by Eagles, I teach him to change coda of the song from “When we’re hungry, love will keep us alive” to“When we’re hungry, I will eat you alive.”
When Dodie Pineda sang the song “I Swear” at Image Restaurant many years ago, one letter makes a big difference in the 2nd stanza of the song – “I see the questions in your eyes, I know what’s weighing on your mind, You can be sure I know my part.” The last word “part”, Dodie sang it “fart”. Silent laughter follows.
Finally, there’s a Chinese lady who requested me to ready the song “Take Me Home Country Roads” by John Denver and she will sing it. My former employer of 13 years Margarita Borja Dalton is having a drink at a nearby table. The first line of the song is “Almost Heaven, West Virginia” and the Chinese lady, who had a hard time with her pronunciation, sung it “Almost Heaven, Wet Vagina”.
Margie called me and whispered, “Do you hear what she sung? Wet Vagina?” Silent laughter follows and we keep it to ourselves. Until now.
Source:
Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 8-9
Vomune 21
Issue 84
November 22, 2012
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