Answer:
May pumukol sa pipit sa sanga ng isang kahoy
At nahagip ng bato ang pakpak ng munting ibon
Dahil sa sakit, di na nakaya pang lumipad
At ang nangyari ay nahulog, ngunit parang taong bumigkas,
“Mamang kay lupit, ang puso mo’y di na nahabag,
Pag pumanaw ang buhay ko, may isang pipit na iiyak.”
Considering how plaintively sad the theme and words are of this folk song, it’s slightly incongruous with contemporary sensibilities that most canonical interpretations of the melody, such as by Pilita Corrales and the Mabuhay Singers, are very upbeat. It’s almost like gleefully making fun of a helpless creature in deep throes of pain.
