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.

Yang_Terlupakan
Iwan Fals Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

denting piano
kala -jemari menari
nada merambat pelan
di kesunyian malam
saat datang rintik hujan
bersama setiap bayang
yang pernah terlupakan

hati kecil berbisik
untuk kembali padanya
s'ribu kata menggoda
s'ribu sesal di depan mata
seperti menjelma
saat aku tertawa
kala memberimu dosa

ooo...maafkanlah
ooo...maafkanlah

reff: rasa sesal di dasar hati
diam tak mau pergi
haruskah aku lari dari
kenyataan ini
pernah kumencoba tuk sembunyi

namun senyummu
tetap mengikuti

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Iwan Fals's song "Yang Terlupakan" touch upon themes of regret and nostalgia as the singer reflects on a past love that has been forgotten by others. Through the metaphor of a piano, the singer describes how memories of this person slowly resurface in the silence of the night, accompanied by the patter of raindrops. They express their inner conflict as their heart yearns to return to this person while their mind reminds them of the mistakes they made that caused the relationship to fall apart.

The chorus further emphasizes the weight of regret that the singer feels, describing it as a feeling that remains at the bottom of their heart and refuses to leave. The second half of the song delves deeper into this regret as the singer recounts the thousand words they wish they could take back, and the way their own laughter turned into sin when it was directed towards the one they loved. Ultimately, despite the regret and sadness that fills the singer, they cannot help but be haunted by the memory of their past love, exemplified by the way their smile remains etched in their mind.

Line by Line Meaning

denting piano
The sound of a piano being played

kala-jemari menari
As fingers dance along the keys

nada merambat pelan
Softly, the notes flow

di kesunyian malam
In the stillness of the night

saat datang rintik hujan
As the rain begins to fall

bersama setiap bayang
Accompanied by every shadow

yang pernah terlupakan
Of the memories that have been forgotten

hati kecil berbisik
My small heart whispers

untuk kembali padanya
To go back to those times

s'ribu kata menggoda
A thousand words are tempting me

s'ribu sesal di depan mata
A thousand regrets right in front of me