"Atin Cu Pung Singsing" is a folk song that's sung by adults and children.

Notes

*Manuel translated this as "father", but I noticed all over the internet it's translated as "mother". I asked Manuel about this and here's what he wrote, "People are confused about the translation of who gave the ring to the singer. Literally, it's the father (indung). Then again, it's usually a female relative who bequeaths or gives a ring to a woman (i.e., daughter, niece)."

Carla wrote, "The line 'Keng indung ibatan' is currently translated as 'from my father' as 'indung' is father. However, the phrase 'indung ibatan' refers more to an ancestral relative such as a great-grandmother or great-grandfather, suggesting that the ring is an heirloom. It's a very old way of speaking the Kapangpangan dialect. My dad taught me this song as a little girl."

**To pray

*****

Ernie wrote to me, "...it is a song I learned as a little boy growing up in Lubao, Pampanga, Philippines, the hometown of Gloria Arroyo, the President of the Philippines".

Comments

Manuel wrote the following when I asked about this song: "I'm familiar with that song. It's in Kapampangan, and its tune is the one copied by 'Ako Ay May Lobo'.

It's difficult to translate that song line by line, because Filipino and even Kapampangan make use of reverse order in sentences.

We can change the translation (and still make it correct)."

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Ernie for contributing this song. Thanks to Manuel Viloria for letting me use his translation (which I edited above) from his blog post Philippine Folk Song: Atin Ku Pung Singsing and for commenting on this song. Thanks to Carla Ocampo for writing about the meaning of "Keng indung ibatan".

Salamat pu!