POETRY: We Are the Spring

by Dragon Moon (translation by Kalayo Pestao)

Dragon Moon wrote this bilingual song for a kids' garden show, but it has since become an anthem for all ages. Inspired by the Tagalog song "Bahay Kubo" as well as the famous quote by Pablo Neruda, the song illustrates how plants and humans grow and create cycles of change. It is in English and Tagalog.

There's a time to sprout
Peeking out from under
Then we stretched it out
As the weather grows warmer
Get that sun and water
Till we bloom like a flower
Go from spring to summer
Shining in the golden hour
Now we head to fall
Getting ready for harvest
Bearing gifts for the world
Then lay our seed to rest
Till our roots grow deeper
Into the earth we are planted
Even in the rainshowers
We making it happen

Chorus:

Seed to plant to flower to fruit
Moving through life cycles like me and you
Leaves and stems and flower and root
Many parts make one whole me and you
And it grows cold
But we're still here
We are the spring and they can't stop us

Mga halaman sa kalibutan
Like plants all around
Gulay at mga prutas
Vegetables and fruits
Talong at singkamas
Eggplant and jicama
Sitaw at sigarilyas
green bean, winged bean
Langka at mangga
Jackfruit and mango
At marami pang iba
And so much more
Tayo ay nagkaisa
We came together
Sa ibang bansa
In a different country
Nagbubunga.. Nagbubunga.. Nagbubunga.. Nagbubunga
Bearing fruit/bringing forth

Tulad ng mais at palay
Like corn and rice
Nagbibigay ng buhay
Giving life
Ang mga magsasaka
The farmers
Ay bayani na tunay
Are true heroes

Spoken:

Wag nating kalimutan na ang lupa ang pinanggalingan ng ating buhay
Let's not forget that it is land that brings forth life

Land is life. Water is life. We must stick together so that we thrive.

Chorus:

Seed to plant to flower to fruit
Moving through life cycles like me and you
Leaves and stems and flower and root
Many parts make one whole me and you
And it grows cold
But we're still here
And it grows cold
But we're still here
We are the spring and they can't stop us
They can't stop us, they can't stop us
We are the spring and they can't stop us.

Listen to We Are the Spring:

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Dragon Moon is a dynamic duo combining the forces of Kalayo Pestao, aka Rogue Pinay, (vocals/ lyrics) and Andy Panda of My Parade (music/ instrumentation). Their sound blends many influences such as island music, hip-hop, punk and R&B. Their content and style merges their commitment to community organizing, healing and liberation.

Feature image attributed to Heinz Bunse under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 2.0).