South Border is the Philippines’ premier Pop and R&B band formed in the 90s… Read Full Bio ↴South Border is the Philippines’ premier Pop and R&B band formed in the 90s and gained even recognition in the music scene in the 2000s.

Having undergone several permutations in its long career, South Border has nevertheless retained its unique sound and musical sensibility and has even moved up along the current global trends in music. Hence, retaining the top spot in their particular musical genre. Much credit goes to musical director and lead creative genius Jay Durias, the staunchest unifying force that has kept the band and its music alive and thriving.

The band, whose name is a tribute to their roots in Davao down south, first came into national prominence in 1996 when they launched their first self-titled album. It included a Jimmy Antiporda song entitled “May Pag-Ibig Pa Kaya’ which they interpreted in the Metro Manila Pop Music Festival earlier that year. Another song, “Kahit Kailan” was awarded 1996 Song of the Year by various radio stations, thus giving them their first big hit.

The following year, the album reached gold, then platinum. South Border was all set for their first major concert at the Araneta Coliseum. As expected, thousands of their new found fans trooped to fill the massive dome to the brim. Before the end of 1997, the exceptional talents of South Border was recognized by their peers in the industry when they bagged the most number of trophies at the 10th AwitAwards including Best Performance by a New Duo or Group, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Produced Record of the Year for their hit song, “Kahit Kailan”. By the end of 1997, their debut album has gone triple platinum and South Border was a certified star band.

Not long after that, in the midst of a flourishing career, South Border found itself in the eye of a storm which called for a conspicuous change in their lineup. Luke Mejares replaced Brix Ferraris on lead vocals. But despite discouraging forecasts, South Border got back on their feet in no time. In a rush of creative adrenaline, the band doubled their efforts to finish their second album called Bump! It featured “Sa ‘Yo” a haunting ballad that spoke of a heart’s yearning for a loved one and “Reborn,” South Border’s first attempt at recording an instrumental piece reminiscent of their early jazz influences. In 1999, South Border once again caught the critical eye and bagged a total of 12 Katha Music awards including Record of the Year, Best Pop Song, and Best R&B Song—all for “Sa ‘Yo”. The following year, the band released its first live recording which was well-received by their fans and drew rave reviews from critics. At the turn of the new millennium, the band once again made waves with the success of “Habang Atin ang Gabi” the theme song from La Vida Rosa a Rossana Roces-Diether Ocampo film. The lyrics were written by scriptwriter Armando Lao and the music was composed by Jay Durias, who considers this song to be one of his best compositions and arrangements to date.

The same song became the carrier single for their fourth album, The Way We Do released in 2001. In November of the same year, South Border staged their biggest major show at the 30,000-seater PSC Track and Field Oval. But in the final quarter of 2002, another surprise jolted South Border’s avid followers: the announcement that Luke was leaving the band to go solo. The search for his replacement was going to be another grueling task.

Having gone through another major change in their lead vocals lineup, the band scored a major win when they got not one but two astonishing vocal talents in Vince Alaras and Duncan Ramos. 26-year old Vince, was a member of La Salle’s Kundirana and was then known as “the boy who sounded like Brian McKnight". The younger Duncan on the other hand was a child prodigy — a singing and dancing wonder boy who often accompanied Gary Valenciano in his shows and tours allover the country.

The two new talents who danced as well as they sang, provided a fresh and youthful take on South Border which has since then came up with the current hits we all hear on the radio and even on television today. The biggest of which is perhaps “Rainbow” which first hit the airwaves in 2003 for the promotion of megastar Sharon Cuneta’s Metro Manila Film Festival entry, Crying Ladies. South Border’s music even dominated television with their song “Ikaw Nga” —the love theme from the phenomenal hit TV series Mulawin. In 2004, the band released their first album under their own independent label. Episode III was a gigantic commercial success that included hits “The Show” and “Brown Hand Smash” — two songs that gave the group an edgier, danceable R&B sound.

Once Again
South Border Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You've always been there for me
And I never cared enough
You've always loved me perfectly
And I never shared some
And you never said a thing
You gave it all just for me

I treated you so selfishly

And you were still by my side
Instead you gave so selflessly
And I didn't dare to try
To show you unconditional love
How can I be so insensitive

[Chorus:]
(I'm coming to you)
Once again I come to you
This time I'll never make it slip away
(I'll never slip away)
Hold my hand and together we
Will wait for the day
When we will be as one

You know I played a thousand times
And you never did the same
You made me see when I was blind
You wiped those tears away
You showed me your true love
And now I'm thinking how can I repay

I know that there were times
When you almost gave up
And I couldn't blame you
If you did just that
But still you chose to stay
And suffer all the pain
You held on, gave me hope
Believed that I could change

[Chorus:]

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in South Border's song Once Again speak to the theme of a love unrecognized and a relationship that, for one of the partners, was taken for granted until much later in the relationship. The singer in the song reflects on the fact that their partner was always present for them, unwaveringly supportive and loving, even when they themselves were unable to extend the same level of care and attention to their significant other.

The song's speaker expresses regret for not having been more attentive, sensitive or understanding in the past. They acknowledge that while they played around and made mistakes, their partner showed true commitment and unwavering love. In the chorus, the singer reaches out to their partner with the intention of making things better, realizing that there can be no more excuses, no more taking their love for granted.

The lyrics in Once Again are a powerful reminder of the importance of recognizing true love and caring when one experiences it, and a call to action for us to appreciate those whom we hold dear in our lives before it is too late.

Line by Line Meaning

You've always been there for me
You have been a constant presence in my life.

And I never cared enough
I didn't take your presence in my life seriously.

You've always loved me perfectly
Your love for me has always been flawless.

And I never shared some
Despite your love for me, I never reciprocated fully.

And you never said a thing
You quietly endured and never complained.

You gave it all just for me
You devoted yourself entirely to me, without reservation.

I treated you so selfishly
I was self-absorbed and didn't consider your feelings.

And you were still by my side
Despite my actions, you remained loyal to me.

Instead you gave so selflessly
In response to my selfishness, you chose to give even more.

And I didn't dare to try
I didn't have the courage to change my ways and show you the love you deserved.

To show you unconditional love
I failed to demonstrate pure, unadulterated love for you.

How can I be so insensitive
I was callous and lacked empathy towards you.

(I'm coming to you)
I am acknowledging my mistakes and seeking forgiveness from you.

Once again I come to you
This is not the first time that I have sought your forgiveness.

This time I'll never make it slip away
I won't let this chance for reconciliation slip through my fingers.

(I'll never slip away)
I am committed to making things right with you and will not falter in my efforts.

Hold my hand and together we
Let's work together and support each other in this journey.

Will wait for the day
We know that this process will take time.

When we will be as one
Ultimately, our goal is to become united in love and trust once again.

You know I played a thousand times
I made many mistakes in our relationship.

And you never did the same
Despite my shortcomings, you were always the better person.

You made me see when I was blind
You helped me see things in a new perspective.

You wiped those tears away
You comforted me in times of sorrow.

You showed me your true love
Through your actions, you demonstrated the depth of your love for me.

And now I'm thinking how can I repay
I am considering the ways in which I can make up for my past behavior.

I know that there were times
I am aware that there were moments where you felt like giving up on me.

When you almost gave up
Your dedication to our relationship was tested.

And I couldn't blame you
My actions were the root cause of your doubts.

If you did just that
If you had walked away from this relationship completely.

But still you chose to stay
Despite the challenges, you remained committed to our relationship.

And suffer all the pain
You bore the emotional pain that my behavior caused you.

You held on, gave me hope
You didn't give up on our relationship, and gave me the courage to do better.

Believed that I could change
You held out hope that I would grow from my experiences and become a better partner.

Chorus
The chorus represents the singer's plea for forgiveness and their desire to reconcile with their partner.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EARL KLUGH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Ano Nymous

5y↑5

You've always been there for me
And I never cared enough
You've always loved me perfectly
And I never shared some
And you never said a thing
You gave it all just for me
I treated you so selfishly
And you were still by my side
Instead you gave so selflessly
And I didn't dare to try
To show you unconditional love
How can I be so insensitive
Once again I come to you
This time I'll never make it slip away
(I'll never slip away)
Hold my hand and together we
Will wait for the day
When we will be as one
You know I played a thousand times
And you never did the same
You made me see when I was blind
You wiped those tears away
You showed me your true love
And now I'm thinking how can I repay
I know that there were times
When you almost gave up
And I couldn't blame you
If you did just that
But still you chose to stay
And suffer all the pain
You held on, gave me hope
Believed that I could change
Once again I come to you
This time I'll never make it slip away
(I'll never slip away)
Hold my hand and together we
Will wait for the day
When we will be as one

All comments from YouTube:

Ana Villanueva

Beautiful song❤❤❤

Ano Nymous

5y↑5

J Zrgz

6y↑1

a song of forgetting, forgiving and second chances for two people who fell apart. thats what i did and im proud of it. this song just fits my love story

mae jessa

4y↑28

Wattpadd HE'S INTO HER brought me here ❤❤❤

dave danganan

4y↑3

20yrs na itong kantang ito pero di pa din nakakasawa. Luke Mijares pa ang vocalist nila noon.. lagi ko pa ito inaabangan sa 96.3 Wrock at sa WlS 97.1 CAMPUS Radio