00:00 ♪ I got off the jeepney ♪
00:05 To be quite honest,
00:06 the last time I rode a jeepney was probably in college.
00:11 It's a memorable story.
00:14 And also why I don't ride anymore is because I got hold up on the jeepney.
00:17 One time, I tried to get on the jeepney
00:21 because I slipped and fell.
00:25 I got my hand stuck and I got hurt.
00:29 When I was in high school, my jeepney was full.
00:32 So I was like, "It's okay, I'll just get on it."
00:34 "Let's get on it!"
00:36 Yeah!
00:37 I felt like, "Yeah, I'm the man!"
00:39 Then, it started raining.
00:42 I felt like, "Yeah! Even better!"
00:45 That's the feeling, right?
00:47 You're on the jeepney and it's raining.
00:49 I spent a lot of time on the jeepney growing up.
00:52 I was so confused when I was getting my pay and the message.
00:57 I was always not in the mood.
00:59 I used to be so eager to ride a jeepney.
01:01 I didn't get it. I just wanted to get my pass.
01:03 But my grandma always got me first.
01:05 It was one of the poems by our good friend, Datu.
01:22 I was the one who added the melody to the lyrics.
01:26 The lyrics were written by Datu, our classmate.
01:29 Armo's classmate in high school.
01:31 My classmate in grade 5.
01:33 "Jeepney" is a poem in the same way that I think
01:36 that all songs are poems if seen from certain perspectives.
01:40 None of these are personal experiences
01:42 except for riding the jeepney part.
01:44 What happened was, he won a poetry writing contest.
01:48 I think I was also the finalist in that group.
01:53 We were asked to perform because he won last year.
01:55 The winning poem last year was performed to him for poetry reading.
01:59 He said, since we already had a band,
02:00 and the year was almost over, that's why he was giving awards.
02:03 He said, "What if instead of reading the lyrics,
02:05 we just made a song?"
02:07 The inspiration was my trips or our trips as friends
02:13 from Katipunan to UP.
02:16 And then that was a fictitious setting.
02:22 I suppose that was one of the reasons why I enjoyed jeepney rides.
02:25 There's a line in the demo version,
02:28 "Ang amoy mo'y naroon pa rin."
02:30 "Anyo mo sa aking bulsan"
02:36 "Ang amoy mo'y naroon pa rin."
02:42 That's why we did "Ang kahapon ay naroon pa rin."
02:45 My brother actually suggested it.
02:46 Because "Ang amoy mo'y" is like, "Amoy mo'y."
02:52 We were just laughing at the sound of "Amoy mo'y."
02:54 If you think about it, it's like live writing.
02:56 Because we had five minutes to come up with a song
02:59 and then head upstairs.
03:00 It's like a two-minute walk uphill.
03:03 You're still panting.
03:05 You're knocking on people's doors. You're getting a little nervous.
03:07 I remember the nights
03:14 I saw under the light of the moon
03:19 It's so moonday, but it really hits the spot.
03:24 It's so nostalgic.
03:27 That's where the so-called "sea of lights" usually happens.
03:31 The house lights that are turned off.
03:34 Even though we've seen those sea of lights a few times,
03:38 we still get really emotional.
03:41 Well, when we do the "sea of lights,"
03:43 it's a different feeling.
03:44 Because I know it's not really the song,
03:46 it's more of a lighting spectacle.
03:48 It doesn't have to be a big venue.
03:49 But when you do it and you're so far away,
03:52 when we do it in relatively smaller towns in Canada,
03:57 there are some Filipinos who can't go home in a while.
03:59 For them to do that,
04:00 and then in unison, you're just kind of lost in a sea of lights.
04:03 We'll be together
04:09 in the warmth of the sea of lights
04:16 Fun fact.
04:18 We usually perform "Jeepney"
04:20 usually either last or second to the last song.
04:24 We usually play "Jeepney."
04:26 You think of it as muscle memory.
04:28 It's automatic.
04:29 Even if you don't think of the parts anymore.
04:31 But there were times when the intro happened.
04:36 Then, Yael looked at me.
04:39 She asked me to practice the first line.
04:41 I was like, "How do you do the first line?"
04:43 She forgot how to do the first line.
04:48 How do you do the tone?
04:50 It's like, "Bumaba, bumaba ko."
04:53 Not the tone.
04:54 How do you do the "liko?"
04:57 Then I tried.
04:59 "You should know that."
05:00 Even I got caught.
05:02 Even I didn't remember.
05:05 "Okay, just extend it."
05:06 Eventually, Yael got caught.
05:08 It was surprising that even though we often play the drums,
05:12 we sometimes blank on how to start "Jeepney."
05:16 Fun fact.
05:17 I hope you didn't notice that.
05:20 ♪ Luma yu na, ha ha ha ha ♪
05:24 We heard that Yael made an English version of "Jeepney."
05:30 That gig was Yael's acoustic set.
05:34 The three of us were at his house.
05:37 We heard that.
05:38 "I heard on the news that you made an English version."
05:43 It was on the spot.
05:44 We were surprised and at the same time happy.
05:48 "You did it on the spot?"
05:51 "Of course, we never made an English version."
05:55 "You're really good. You're quick to think."
05:59 "You're not just slow, you're quick to think and translate."
06:04 After that incident, we requested other gigs from the organizers.
06:10 "Can we have an English version?"
06:13 Sometimes, we were given an English version.
06:17 Even the chorus.
06:18 I don't know if this makes sense or whatever.
06:21 Celebrating your own language is a very high-end thing.
06:24 I put the lyrics of "Jeepney" in front of me because I know I'll laugh.
06:27 It's hard not to laugh at your own joke when you know people are laughing.
06:31 That's the hardest thing. I'm a theater director, so I get it.
06:34 When I sing...
06:35 ♪ I disembarked from a jeepney ♪
06:41 ♪ Where the two of us were once side by side ♪
06:46 People would laugh and I'd know that they were like, "Oh, man. Here we go."
06:52 I enjoyed disembarking from the jeepney.
06:54 When I see how many people are affected or at least connected to that song,
06:59 it's very humbling.
07:01 We're lucky to be on this stage.
07:06 The space, especially.
07:08 When I see the lights that look like stars in the night sky,
07:13 I feel overwhelmed every time.
07:17 But the tidbits, depending on the version you listen to,
07:20 Datu is always there. I always think about Datu.
07:25 When we came up with that, we were around 17 to 18 years old.
07:30 Now, I'm 37. Gosh, it's been 20 years.
07:34 We didn't know that it would eventually become our anthem as a band.
07:38 To the musicians out there, play original music, share your stories, not just sounds.
07:44 We'll keep on doing what we love to do.
07:47 We'll keep on doing good songs for you.
07:50 Thank you for the love since day one.
07:55 I think I was just thinking about the things we're doing.
08:00 And then, we were brought around the world.
08:02 Thank you so much.
08:03 We won't be here for long if not because of you.
08:06 We're all about nostalgia.
08:08 We're all about celebrating the past and looking towards a bright future.
08:12 I think if we have a mission, vision, that's what it is.
08:16 And Jeepney kind of embodies that.
08:19 That's it.
08:19 That's the story of the song.
08:21 [Music]
08:33 Hi, I am Armal.
08:34 This is Gosh.
08:35 And this is Ted.
08:35 Hey guys, this is Yael of SpongeCola.
08:37 Like and subscribe to OG's YouTube channel.
08:40 you
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