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.

Jangan Bicara
Iwan Fals Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Jangan bicara soal idealisme
Mari bicara berapa banyak uang
Di kantong kita
Atau berapa dahsyatnya ancaman
Yang membuat kita terpaksa
Onani

Jangan bicara soal nasionalisme

Mari bicara tentang kita yang lupa
Warna bendera sendiri
Atau tentang kita yang buta
Bisul tumbuh subur di ujung hidung
Yang memang tak mancung

Jangan perdebatkan soal keadilan
Sebab keadilan bukan untuk diperdebatkan
Jangan cerita soal kemakmuran
Sebab kemakmuran
Hanya untuk anjing Si Tuan Polan

Lihat di sana
Si Urip meratap di teras marmer
Direktur murtad

Lihat di sana
Si Icih sedih dii ranjang empuk
Waktu majikannya menindih

Lihat di sana
Parade penganggur yang tampak murung
Di tepi kubur

Lihat di sana antrean pencuri
Yang timbul sebab nasinya dicuri

Jangan bicara soal runtuhnya moral
Mari bicara tentang harga diri yang tak ada arti

Atau tentang tanggung jawab
Yang kini dianggap sepi

Overall Meaning

The song "Jangan Bicara" by Iwan Fals speaks to the limits of idealism and the importance of facing reality. The first stanza speaks to the need to prioritize financial stability and self-preservation over idealistic pursuits, as highlighted by the explicit mention of masturbation as a form of coping with danger. The second stanza discusses the dangers of blind nationalism, urging listeners to focus on personal awareness and the dangers of indifference. The third stanza encourages abandoning debates about abstract virtues like justice and prosperity in favor of focusing on tangible issues affecting individuals like economic inequality and exploitation by those in power.

The final stanza of the song brings the themes of the previous stanzas together, urging listeners to prioritize personal responsibility and dignity over empty ideals. The specific examples given throughout the song - including the suffering of a neglected servant and the exploitation of those struggling in poverty - underscore the message that idealism can be a dangerous distraction from addressing real-world problems.

Line by Line Meaning

Jangan bicara soal idealisme
Let's not talk about idealism

Mari bicara berapa banyak uang di kantong kita
Let's talk instead about how much money we have in our pockets

Atau berapa dahsyatnya ancaman yang membuat kita terpaksa onani
Or how severe the threats are that force us to resort to masturbation

Jangan bicara soal nasionalisme
Let's not talk about nationalism

Mari bicara tentang kita yang lupa warna bendera sendiri
Let's talk about how we forget our own flag colors

Atau tentang kita yang buta bisul tumbuh subur di ujung hidung yang memang tak mancung
Or how we are blind to the boils that grow at the tip of our noses that are crooked from birth

Jangan perdebatkan soal keadilan
Don't argue about justice

Sebab keadilan bukan untuk diperdebatkan
Because justice should not be debated

Jangan cerita soal kemakmuran
Don't tell stories about prosperity

Sebab kemakmuran hanya untuk anjing Si Tuan Polan
Because prosperity is only for Mr. Polan's dogs

Lihat di sana Si Urip meratap di teras marmer Direktur murtad
Look over there, Urip is weeping on the marble terrace, cursed by the director

Lihat di sana Si Icih sedih di ranjang empuk Waktu majikannya menindih
Look over there, Icih is sad on the soft bed when her employer crushes her

Lihat di sana parade penganggur yang tampak murung Di tepi kubur
Look over there, unemployed people look gloomy by the cemetery

Lihat di sana antrean pencuri yang timbul sebab nasinya dicuri
Look over there, a queue of thieves who steal because their rice was stolen

Jangan bicara soal runtuhnya moral
Let's not talk about the collapse of morality

Mari bicara tentang harga diri yang tak ada arti
Let's talk instead about how our self-worth has no meaning

Atau tentang tanggung jawab yang kini dianggap sepi
Or how we now consider responsibility to be empty

Writer(s): Iwan Fals

Contributed by Grace W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.