The Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler)

It must have been cold there in my shadow
To never have sunlight on your face
You were content to let me shine, that's your way,
You always walked a step behind.

So I was the one with all the glory,
While you were the one with all the strength.
A beautiful face without a name -- for so long,
A beautiful smile to hide the pain.

Did you ever know that you're my hero and everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle, 'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

It might have appeared to go unnoticed
but I've got it all here in my heart.
I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it
I would be nothing with out you.

Fly... fly... fly away, you let me fly so high.
fly... fly... so high against the sky
So high I almost touched the sky.
Thank you, thank you, thank God for you,
the wind beneath my wings.

Today is the first of May. We are celebrating the "Labor Day" here in the Philippines. Everyone in the labor force longs to have a holiday and this is it, this is such a long weekend!

I am writing about this song because for me, it depicts labor - labor of all sorts. I have always wished that someone would sing this for me or someone I would sing it to but no one has yet reached that standard, the standard of being my hero, someone who is really beneath my wings. (I would say my family but that would be my "HEROES") However, I can name two reasons. First, because I haven't really flied like an eagle, I haven't really reached what I wanted to be. I am still longing for so much in my life. I still dream of things which I haven't realized.

Secondly, work is always in progress. I know there are people who are continuously working to be my hero. Little by little, inch by inch, they are nearing that and I would want to thank them for staying with me, for giving me company.

I said to myself once "stay with the one who will never leave me". Who would that be? My answer is MYSELF. Sounds crazy but for me the only real person who knows me best is myself, my keeper, my helper, my guardian, my conscience, my soul, my mind, my body and all the tiny genes in me. I thought since I cannot call anybody my hero, no one calls me their hero (to be worthy of this song), why don't I just call myself, my own hero? I know that's crazy but for now, let me be just that for myself - a HERO!

WIND BENEATH MY WING - Bette Midler

This is a favorite of my brother-in-law. He is also my favorite, I seldom kid him, because he is my only brother-in-law ("bayaw" is the local word for brother-in-law). I also call my sister, my favorite sis because she's the only sis I have, I mean my blood sister.

I really don't know why my bayaw liked this song. I never got the chance to ask him, besides, he's such a quiet guy. He only talks a lot when he's got plenty of beer in his tummy, although, I "over-talk" him, really!

Before he married my sister, I heard him sing this song in a bar not just once. And when they got married, this song is also on queue on the videoke screen. I even made a video of his daughter with this song as a background. Well, never mind the mnemonics, he is still my favorite bayaw as long as he remains to be in love with my sister.... what more can I ask for? And this song will remind me of him.

By the way, I had become an avid fan of American Idol 2008 so when Jason Castro sang this, I truly enjoyed the sound of it! It was really perfect! Perfect song for this blog site too!

So here is the lyrics and music of the song:


LYRICS OF THE SONG
Michelle, ma belle, these are words that go together well,
My Michelle.

Michelle, ma belle, sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble,
Très bien ensemble.

I love you, I love you, I love you.
That's all I want to say, until I find a way
I will say the only words I know that you'll understand.

Michelle, ma belle sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble,
Très bien ensemble.

I need to, I need to, I need to.
I need to make you see oh, what you mean to me.
Until I do I'm hoping you will know what I mean.

I love you...

I want you, I want you, I want you.
I think you know by now I'll get to you somehow.
Until I do I'm telling you so you'll understand.

Michelle, ma belle.
Sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble,
Très bien ensemble.
I will say the only words I know that you'll understand, my Michelle.

This is the version of Jason Castro (American Idol 2008 Finalist)

Michelle - Jason Castro

I haven't really heard of this song for quite some time now, probably more than a decade already. I always long for the FM stations to play this song once again but I think most of them do not even know about this song. Before I begin, here is the lyrics of the song I found over the internet.

LYRICS OF THE SONG HOME
Think of home... Home

When I think of home, I think of a place where there's love overflowing
I wish I was home, I wish I was back there with the things I been knowing

Wind that makes the tall trees bend into leaning
Suddenly the snowflakes that fall have a meaning
Sprinkling the scene, makes it all clean

Maybe there's a chance for me to go back now that I have some direction
It would sure be nice to be back home where there's love and affection
And just maybe I can convince time to slow up
Giving me enough time in my life to grow up
Time be my friend, let me start again

Suddenly my world has changed it's face but I still know where I'm going
I have had my mind spun around in space And yet I've watched it growing

If you're list'ning God, please don't make it hard to know
If we should believe in the things that we see
Tell us, should we run away? Should we try and stay?
Or would it be better just to let things be?

Living here, in this brand new world might be a fantasy
But it taught me to love... so it's real, real to me

And I've learned that we must look inside our hearts
To find a world full of love like yours, like mine

Like home...

I always see our old house mostly known as an "ancestral house" where the children grow up with their parents and other relative, the extended family as we call it here in the Philippines. I call it our ancestral house because we lived there for almost 3 decades and although it is now a history, it forms part of my character, my upbringing, my happiness, my tears. I really don't have to hear this song to be reminded of our "ancestral house" but surely, when I remember home, I hear this song behind my head.

We left that house and moved to a better one. Nothing could be more complete and fulfilling than having your family so close, not necessarily physically close, but close by heart. I am always proud of my family and I will always here.

By the way, here is a bit of information I learned from High School: The distinction between a house and a home.

A house is a structure that holds a home.
A home is where the family lives, which includes the father, mother and children (some with household help).

So there is a simple definition I learned from our Home Economics teacher, I bet my classmates would also recall those words. ;-0

Home - Diana Ross

To some, this is a love song but to our high school batch of 1993, this is our graduation song. Yes, 16 years ago, the "leaders" of our class decided this should be our graduation song perhaps because there were too few songs related to graduation to chose from during those days.

This would remain a love song for me but it would remind me of a dear friend - Agnes. This song would definitely always remind me of her because I've known her to be fond of love songs. I remember she was so happy when our class president announced that this would be our graduation song. This kinda tickled her heart which enabled her smile to shine the brightest when such announcement was made.

She is a very dear friend, very sweet, very thoughtful. I could hardly believe I was her friend. She would give me encouraging words, she made a poem for me, she is very open, she never fails to make me smile, she is everything a real friend could be. We still get in touch until today.

To all of you, maybe this song will really make a good graduation song... it is for me... because it reminds me of a friend like Agnes.

LYRICS OF SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD
We had the right love at the wrong time
Guess I always knew inside
I wouldn't have you for a long time
Those dreams of yours are shining on distant shores
And if they're calling you away, I have no right to make you stay

But somewhere down the road, Our roads are gonna cross again
It doesn't really matter when, but somewhere down the road
I know that heart of yours will come to see
That you belong with me

Sometimes goodbyes are not forever
It doesn't matter if you're gone
I still believe in us together
I understand more than you think I can
You have to go out on your own
So you can find your way back home

And somewhere down the road
Our roads are gonna cross again, it doesn't really matter when
But somewhere down the road I know that heart of yours
will come to see that you belong with me

Letting go is just another way to say I'll always love you so

We had the right love at the wrong time
Maybe we've only just begun, maybe the best is yet to come

'Cause somewhere down the road
Our roads are gonna cross again
It doesn't really matter when
But somewhere down the road
I know that heart of yours will come to see
That you belong with me

Somewhere Down The Road - Barry Manilow

I asked songdiary why would she want me here. I think the reason was this: to have someone write about Tagalog/Filipino songs and try to translate them in English. We all know that direct translation from one language to another is not possible so for the sake of this blogsite, I will try to translate the song/s the best way possible.

This is my first story:

I love the rhythm of this song and each time I hear this, I remember Harold. I remember him because during our first meeting, he told me he liked this one. Right there and then, I knew we clicked with each other. My friend, who is our common friend told me that he's got a crush on me. I didn't really notice him until I was told about it.

I always remember him with his "mighty ducks" uniform... his smile is different when he looks at me. Now I'm wishing it was him but life was so different then. It is more different and difficult now that I lost contact with him. I hope when you hear this song, you'd also remember me.



MY ROUGH TRANSALATION OF THE SONG

PANAHON NA NAMAN (ENGLISH)
May, may naririnig akong bagong awitin (there, I am hearing a new song)
at may may naririnig akong bagong sigaw. (and there, I am hearing a new shout)

Hindi mo ba namamalayan? (Don't you realize it?)
wala ka bang nararamdaman? (Don't you feel anything?)
Ika ng hangin na humahalik sa atin (The air that kisses us says:)

"panahon na naman ng pag-ibig. (It is the season of love)
panahon na naman aahh. (It is the season... ahhh)
panahon na naman ng pag-ibig. (It is the season of love)
gumising ka tara na." (Wake up, let us go!)

Masdang maigi ang mga mata ng bawat tao (Take notice of the eyes of each person)
nakasilip ang isang bagong saya (There peeping one new happiness)
at pag-ibig na dakilang matagal nang nawala, (and love that is great, has long been gone )
kumusta na? (How it is going?)
nariyan ka lang pala. (Oh, there you are!)

"panahon na naman ng pag-ibig. (It is the season of love)
panahon na naman aahh. (It is the season... ahhh)
panahon na naman ng pag-ibig. (It is the season of love)
gumising ka tara na." (Wake up, let us go!)