Iwan Fals, born Virgiawan Listanto on 3 September 1961 in Jakarta, is a cha… Read Full Bio ↴Iwan Fals, born Virgiawan Listanto on 3 September 1961 in Jakarta, is a charismatic Indonesian singer/songwriter and remembered as Indonesia's the most dangerous singer on the '80s and '90s.

He was popular for his gritty-witty ballads accentuated on life of Indonesia's marginalized groups or political satire on the troubled Indonesian social/political scene under Soeharto. His socially aware hit-songs including: "Oemar Bakri" tells about teacher, "Lonteku" is a love story between a criminal and a prostitute, and "Wakil Rakyat" is about members of parliament.

After Reformasi movement on 1997 which leads to democratisation he was a kind of losing the edge for political satire, but his mature musical experience keeps him on Indonesian pop chart with inward-looking songs and songs about personal relationships.

Balada Orang Orang Pedalaman
Iwan Fals Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Aw!

He ya ya ya he ya ho
He ya ya ya ho ya he
He ya ya ya he ya ho
He ya ya ya ho ya he
He ya ya ya he ya ho

Balada orang-orang pedalaman

He ya ya ya ho ya he
He ya ya ya he ya ho

Di hutan, di gunung, dan di pesisir

He ya ya ya he ya ho

Manusia yang datang dari kota (he)
Tega bodohi mereka (ya ho)
Lihatlah tatapannya yang kosong (he)
Tak mengerti apa yang terjadi

He ya ya ya he ya ho

Tak tajam lagi tombak panah dan parang

He ya ya ya ho ya he
He ya ya ya he ya ho

Tak ampuh lagi mantra dari sang pawang

He ya ya ya he ya ho

Di mana lagi cari hewan buruan (he)
Yang pergi karena senapan (ya ho)
Di mana mencari ranting pohon (he)
Kalau sang pohon tak ada lagi
Ya ...

Pada siapa mereka tanyakan hewannya
Ya, pada siapa tanyakan pohonnya
Saudaraku di pedalaman menanti
Sebuah jawaban yang tersimpan di hati
Lewatmu pem-be-li

He ya ya ya he ya ho
He ya ya ya ho ya he
He ya ya ya he ya ho
He ya ya ya ho ya he
He ya ya ya he ya ho

Balada orang-orang pedalaman

He ya ya ya ho ya he
He ya ya ya he ya ho

Di hutan, di gunung, dan di pesisir

He ya ya ya ho ya he

Manusia yang datang dari kota (he)
Tega bodohi mereka (ya ho)
Lihatlah tatapannya yang kosong (he)
Tak mengerti apa yang terjadi

Balada orang-orang pedalaman
Yang menari dan bernyanyi
Dihalau bising ribuan deru gergaji

O-o-o-o-o ...

He ya ya ya he ya ho
He ya ya ya ho ya he
He ya ya ya he ya ho
He ya ya ya ho ya he
He ya ya ya he ya ho

He ya ya ya he ya ho
He ya ya ya ho ya he
He ya ya ya he ya ho

He ya ya ya ho ya he
He ya ya ya he ya ho

Overall Meaning

The song Balada Orang-Orang Pedalaman by Iwan Fals tells the story of the indigenous people of Indonesia who live in the rural areas of the country, deep in the forests, mountains, and coastal regions. The song focuses on their way of life, which is being threatened by the arrival of people from the city who are destroying their natural habitat, hunting their wildlife, and cutting down their trees. The city dwellers are depicted as heartless and unfeeling towards the plight of these people and are responsible for their displacement and misery.

The song highlights the stark differences between the two groups of people and the injustices that the indigenous people face due to the incursion of the more advanced city folk. The lyrics speak about the loss of the people's expertise in hunting and fishing, which has been replaced with people using guns and other modern technology to kill the animals. The song also laments the disappearance of trees and natural habitats that these people used to rely on to survive. It is a heartfelt plea for help and a call to people to protect the rights of these vulnerable communities.

Overall, Balada Orang-Orang Pedalaman is a beautiful song with poignant lyrics that reflect the struggle of the Indonesian people. It underscores the importance of preserving the natural environment and respecting the way of life of the indigenous people.

Line by Line Meaning

Balada orang-orang pedalaman
This is a ballad about people who live in the jungle, mountains, and coasts.

Manusia yang datang dari kota (he)
People who come from the city (he)

Tega bodohi mereka (ya ho)
They cruelly deceive them (ya ho)

Lihatlah tatapannya yang kosong (he)
Look at their blank expressions (he)

Tak mengerti apa yang terjadi
They don't understand what's going on.

Tak tajam lagi tombak panah dan parang
Spears, arrows, and machetes are no longer sharp.

Tak ampuh lagi mantra dari sang pawang
Spells from the shaman are no longer effective.

Di mana lagi cari hewan buruan (he)
Where else can they find prey (he)

Yang pergi karena senapan (ya ho)
That has left because of guns (ya ho)

Di mana mencari ranting pohon (he)
Where can they find tree branches (he)

Kalau sang pohon tak ada lagi
If the tree is no longer there