Song Dissection is all about looking at our favorite songs in a different light, hopefully to extract more knowledge and wisdom from them. This Wednesday, we’re looking at a song originally written by Buklod, and popularized by Bamboo.

According to the Philippine Music Registry, the song was originally written by Rom Dongeto in 1989 and was included in the album Karapatang Pantao, an anthology of songs by various artists. In 1991, “Tatsulok” became the carrier song of Buklod’s second album. Eventually, it was picked up by Noel Cabangon again when he transitioned to a solo career, and afterwards was picked up by Bamboo, giving it a new lease on life in 2007, as part of the album We Stand Alone Together.

The original song was evidently rooted in folk rock, complete with native instruments playing in the background.

It starts off with a warning: “Totoy, bilisan mo, bilisan mo ang takbo, Ilagan ang mga bombang nakatutok sa ulo mo, Totoy tumalon ka, dumapa kung kailangan, At baka tamaan ka ng mga balang ligaw.” It’s implied that the environment Totoy is running around in is a violent one, perhaps in a war. However, the environment is made clearer in the second verse: “Totoy, makinig ka, wag kang magpa-gabi, Baka mapagkamalan ka't humandusay diyan sa tabi, Totoy, alam mo ba kung ano ang puno't dulo, Ng di matapos-tapos na kaguluhang ito.” It’s heavily implied that Totoy is running around during the time of Martial Law in the Philippines, when curfews were strictly implemented, and it wasn’t surprising to hear police and military abuse on the news.

However, the song doesn’t point fingers at any one person. Instead, it points at the people who are holding all the power, and are ultimately refusing to distribute it to the powerless, being content to just hold on to it for their own selfish desires. The song wants to illicit anger and revulsion, hoping to incite a revolution, and it’s one of those songs that truly show the plight of the poor.

At the end of it all, the song doesn’t attempt to take sides; in fact, it encourages you to do the opposite: instead of bothering with distinctions in allegiances, get to the root of the problem—the numerous power-hungry individuals trying to seize and stay in power, no matter what.

The song invokes in us anger, seeing as how the wealthy are the only ones capable of “affording” justice, while the rest of the country is abused by the rich and powerful.

It’s been covered numerous times by different artists, but you can listen to the original song by Buklod here:

Which version of “Tatsulok” did you like best: the original, or the covers? Tell us down in the comments below, or tweet them to me via @rafael_reynante!