Walang Hanggang Paalam by Joey Ayala - cover version

Cover: Walang Hanggang Paalam by Joey Ayala

Here’s a cover version of the Joey Ayala song “Walang Hanggang Paalam,” a song in Filipino that talks about long-distance relationships. It was a particularly poignant song for me back when my wife was in the US and I was stuck in the Philippines waiting for my immigration papers. But the song is written in a way that transcends human relationships and could very well be talking from the point-of-view of immigrants pining for the country of their birth.

The Song

Here’s my very rough line-by-line translation of the song into English, for those of you who have no idea what’s being sung:

Filipino English
Walang Hanggang Paalam Infinite Farewell
by Joey Ayala
01. 01.
Di ba tayo’y narito Aren’t we here
Upang maging malaya To be free?
At upang palayain ang iba? And to free others?
Ako’y walang hinihiling I ask for nothing
Ika’y tila ganoon din And you seem to be the same.
Sadya’y palayain ang isa’t-isa Let us free one another.
KORO CHORUS
Ang pagibig natin ay Our love is
Walang hanggang paalam An infinite farewell
At habang magkalayo And while we are far away,
Papalapit pa rin ang puso Out hearts come ever closer.
Kahit na magkahiwalay Though we be far apart,
Tayo’y magkasama We are together
Sa magkabilang dulo ng mundo From the opposite corners of the world.
02. 02.
Ang bawat simula ay Every beginning
Siya ring katapusan Is also the end.
May patutunguhan ba Is there a destination
Ang ating pagsinta? For our affection?
Sa biglang tingin At first glance,
Kita’y walang kinabukasan We have no future.
Subalit di-malupig ang pag-asa. But hope will always be victorious.

A Back-to-Basics Approach

Taking a look at my video workflow, I realized how much effort was going into recording and then editing live video performances. And while it was a good introduction into the waters of video making, I figured there’s gotta be an easier way. So I set up one camera to record something in one take, live with an acoustic guitar and vocal mic. Simple. Quick. A simple black and white filter for the video, and a simple audio boost for the volume and it’s done.

It feels closer to the spontaneous way I make and produce my music. I’ll try to keep going by uploading something on a more regular basis. Crossing my fingers and hoping I can do this on a weekly basis. Wait and see. And if you haven’t already, please subscribe to my Youtube channel? Thanks!

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