Acaraki, lyrics and translations

The first full length album by Indonesian experimental duo Senyawa (/səˈɲawa/; suh-NYAH-wah) released in 2014.

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Senyawa is made up of two people, Rully Shabara, experimental vocalist, and Wukir Suryadi, instrument inventor. Expect from their music vocal experimentation, handmade instruments, and a generally fucked up atmosphere. Probably their most famous work is when they featured alongside Colin Stetson in the soundtrack of RDR2, which I haven't played. They also seem to be known for their live shows in particular, check out their performance at Borobudur for a random example.

The main point of this page is to provide translations, or try to at least. I did my best. There's also commentary for the tracks which I have anything to say about. My sources for the lyrics are people who submitted them to "Musixmatch" so if you have any doubts, take it up with them.

Notes about Indonesian: gender, number, definiteness, and verb tense, are not necessarily expressed:

• "Dia" means "they (singular)"
• "Apel" can be "an apple", "apples" or "the apple"
• "Dia makan apel" can mean "they eat apples" or "she will eat an apple", etc.

Acaraki is a Javanese title for someone proficient in making "jamu", traditional medicine.

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Pada Siang Hari

"Pada" (at) "siang" (daytime, noon) hari ("day, 24 hour period") "In the Day"

Lelaki baya mendayung sampan Sebelum gelap tiba mengadang Pada pukat dan kailnya ia serahkan nasib tanpa bertanya Wanita renta terpapar surya Sepanjang siang di hijau ladang Pada daun teh dalam keranjang Ia serahkan nasib tanpa bertanya	An old man rows his boat Before the dark arrives and hinders To his net and line He surrenders his fate without question An elderly woman exposed to the sun All day long in the green fields To the tea leaves in her basket She surrenders her fate without question
Pria muda menjulang tinggi Di atas gedung yang separuh jadi Pada palu baja dan batu bata Ia serahkan nasib tanpa bertanya Gadis kecil berlumur debu Di sela angkuta dan jalan raya Pada serak suara dan tamborinnya Ia serahkan nasib tanpa bertanya	A man stands tall Atop a half-finished building To hammers and bricks He surrenders his fate without question A little girl covered in dust Between the buses and the road To her coarse voice and tambourine She surrenders her fate without question
Manusia berkeringat Dari gunung hingga laut Dari kampung hingga kota Tanpa peduli bertanya Untuk apa?	Humans sweat From the hills to the sea From the country to the city Without caring to ask What for?

I think this sets the tone well. This probably has the most straightforward lyrics of any of their songs, though.

The instrument featured throughout this album is the Bambu Wukir, a big bamboo tube zither thing. I am at a complete loss as to how it can make like three different sounds at once, seemingly all from being plucked. Go find a video, it's awesome.

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Pasca

"Post", prefix meaning "after".

Matahari terkubur senja di ujung hari Awan meriak, mengiringi mati Sinar pergi tanpa suara Sisakan kecup di ujung mata	Dusk buries the sun at the end of the day Clouds ripple, accompanying death Light goes without a sound Leave a kiss at the corner of the eye
Abu mereda, debu dan pasir menyingkir Ucap selamat tinggal pada hujan dan petir Bencana usai di sini saja Sisakan cita-cita di ujung doa kita	Ash clears, dust and sand gone Say goodbye to rain and lightning Disaster ends only here Leave ambitions at the end of our prayers
Bersama, bersama, bersama	Together, together, together
Matahari merekah cerah di awal hari Daun berserak, mengiringi pagi Masih ada usai bencana Sisakan cinta di ujung mata	Dawn breaks bright at the start of the day Leaves scattered, accompanying the morning Still there after the disaster Leave love at the corner of the eye

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Sisa

"Remains"

Reruntuhan Sisa-sisa Hanya itu	Ruins Remains Only that
Pilu hati ini Merana diri ini Akan bumiku yang tak lagi baru Akan bumiku yang dulu baru	The sorrow in this heart The suffering in this being To my earth which is no longer new To my earth which was once new
Rindu hati ini Rindu hati, rindu Akan lautku yang tak lagi biru Akan lautku yang dulu biru	The longing in this heart Longing of the heart To my sea which is no longer blue To my sea which was once blue
Usai sudah Tak ada sisa Hanya hitamnya Malam	Done already No remains Only the black of Night

This one introduces the use of the Bambu Wukir as a bowed string instrument. I enjoy the latter half with the repetition + accelerando. Big on repetition + accelerando.

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Senyawa

"se-" ("one", "same") + "nyawa" ("life"); "Compound"

I can't find the lyrics for this one anywhere, sorry. From what I can discern, I believe he says "Senyawa berpadu jiwa", "Senyawa unites (its) souls" or "A compound, unity of souls".

Anyways, the Bambu Wukir sounds fucking sick here, especially when it kicks in again after the middle part where it alternates between the "drum" sound and the harsh scratching.

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Kereta Tak Berhenti Lama

"Kereta" (train) "tak" (not) "berhenti" (stop) "lama" (long), "The Train Does Not Stop for Long"

Naik kereta api, tut tut tut	Riding the train, toot toot toot
Siapa hendak turut?	Who would like to come along?

One of my favorites. This one is actually based on a children's song, Naik Kereta Api, about, well, riding the train.

It starts out with a familiar tune, the Westminster Quarters. Famously used by the Large Clock of England, among other things, it is used in Indonesian train stations to signal departures and arrivals. Live anywhere near a station and you'd be hearing this constantly.

The final note is repeated again and again. String-drums escalate, the brakes hiss, and then it settles into a stable tempo. Like a train! Just departed, accelerating into and then reaching its top speed, ready for the journey ahead.

I don't know how to describe the mood of the song. A relatively tame melody accompanied by several things that are just slightly off. The intense "drums", the single line ever repeating, the dissonant high pitched chords, the sometimes ethereal vocals. Uncertainty, like getting on a train, leaving home behind, unsure of how your destination will treat you.

And then, train scatting! I don't know, I like it. Especially when it then suddenly shifts into aggressive hissing, responding to the string-drum hits. And immediately following that is a sudden entrancing variation on the opening line.

Pneumatic brakes steadily bring us to a stop, and the melody sounds, signalling our arrival. Though, you don't hear the last note...

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Jaranan

Javanese, "jaran" (horse) + "-an" (-like), "Hobby-horse" or "Horse-like thing".

Jaranan is a Javanese thing where essentially performers dance with hobby-horses accompanied by gamelan. The dancers are often in a trance and, sometimes, they eat glass!

Jaranan, jaranan Jarane jaran teji	Jaranan, Jaranan The horse is a strong horse
Sing nunggang Ndoro Bei Sing ngiring para mantri	Lord Bei is riding The retainers are escorting

"Teji" is literally a word for "strong horse". The song is saying it's a "strong-horse horse". I don't know how else to translate it.

So this one is, in fact, also a take on a children's song, and I like it a lot. It's relatively normal until the part that would be something like "cek cek nong"; which is onomatopoeia for the instruments that would be playing at a Jaranan performance. Non-lexical vocals are common in the music accompanying Javanese folk dances, and this is that mixed with like murderous rage, while the Bambu Wukir matches Shabara perfectly.

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Di Pudarnya Senja

"Di" ("at") + "pudar" ("gloomy", "pale") + "-nya" ("the", roughly) + "senja" ("twilight; dusk"), "In the Pallor of Twilight"

Translator's notes: "they" here refers to a singular person

Bersembunyi di temaram senja Merapal sajak penentram duka Betapa rapuh ia karena dosa Betapa butuh ia diselamatkan doa	Hiding in the gloom of twilight Incanting poems which soothe sorrows How frail they are from their sins How they need to be saved by prayer
Gelap menyergap di pudarnya senja Bagai bahaya yang tak bersuara Betapa panjang malam menghantui Betapa butuh ia menghimpun nyali	Darkness ambushes in the pallor of twilight Like a threat which makes no sound How long does the night haunt How they must gather their courage
Tetaplah gagah, wahai putri yang bersembunyi Gelap hanyalah teman yang kau takuti Kala mentari bangkit kembali esok pagi Sambutlah kicauan burung dan embun yang membasahi	Remain courageous, O daughter/princess in hiding Darkness is but a friend whom you fear When the sun rises once again tomorrow morning Welcome the chirping of the birds and the wet dew

Another one of my favorites, short but sweet. The way this song, and in particular the Bambu Wukir, sounds here is again really hard to describe for me. There's somehow a mix between warmth and dread, perfectly complimenting these lyrics.

The outro starting at 1:35, is really fun. I find myself randomly singing it; the rhythm and rhyme work together so beautifully well. Kala menTARI bangkit kemBALI esok PAGI

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Kabar

"News"

Berenanglah menuju pulau seberang Kabarkan berita, bersiaplah Ombak besar akan tiba Di kala purnama mencapai puncaknya Di kala burung-burung tinggalkan sarangnya	Swim towards the island across Tell them the news, be prepared Gigantic waves will arrive In the time the full moon reaches its peak In the time the birds leave their nests
Bersiaplah, bersiaplah, bersiaplah, bersiaplah!	Be prepared, be prepared, be prepared, be prepared!
Badai, petir akan menghantam Di kala dingin di tebal malam Di kala anjing menggonggong kelam	Storm and thunder will strike In the cold of the thick of night When the dogs bark into the dark
Bersiaplah, bersiaplah, bersiaplah, bersiaplah!	Be prepared, be prepared, be prepared, be prepared!

Alright. I fucking love this one.

Opens with the most foreboding slow, echoey, plucked solo on the Bambu, with one persistent low chord periodically reasserting itself. It finishes, and the last notes fade into silence.

Goddamn. Shabara begins SCREAMING warnings of a colossal wave, accompanied by frenzied playing continually alternating with dead silence.

He stops for a moment, as you get to listen to the Bambu better, before piercing screams, demanding you listen, tell you to prepare yourself, over and over and over. Steadily it all slows down, the Bambu going into another solo reminiscent of the first.

Now, I'll be frank: this middle bit I do not care for that much. I think the bassline is kinda boring. I do like how he says "menghanTAM" though.

Anyways, the Bambu immediately starts back up at full speed, and does not slow down. Yet again the listeners are told to BERSIAP, as the shouting and the strumming reach unprecedented heights and speeds and everything COLLAPSES INTO UNCEASING SCREAMS AND

Great song!

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Pahlawan

"Hero"

Translator's notes: "they" is singular

Ia terus bernyanyi Setiap malam tanpa henti Lirih meratapi Mengenang masa memanja hati	They keep singing Every night without pause Softly lamenting Reminiscing those times of pampering their heart
Gading gajah tertinggal abadi Nama mulia tak habis dipuji Nada terngiang tak kenal mati	Elephant ivory left eternally Noble name praised ceaselessly Hummed melody knows not of death
Pahlawan tak mati di sini	Heroes do not die here

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Gerhana

"Eclipse"

Pada detik rindu menetas menjadi buih sesal Saat itulah goresan puisiku mematah terpenggal-penggal Pada detik kenangan menyergap dari wangimu di tepi ruang Saat itulah malamku menjelma hampa getir yang menggumpal-gumpal	The second that longing hatches into boiling regret That was when the carvings of my poetry broke into pieces The second memories sprung from your fragrance at the corner of the room That was when my night reincarnated empty, bitterness clotting
Jika lebih seksama kudengar acak gemerisik sekitar Ada yang seakan kerap hendak mereka hantar Semacam sajak, serupa samar pesan Bak rahasia yang tergambar lewat gerhana bulan	If I listened closer to the rustling There is something as if often they want to send A sort of poem, just like the vagueness of a message Like the secret portrayed through the lunar eclipse
Pada waktu bibir beranak kutuk Kau, malaikatku menumbuh tanduk Ketika itulah lutut cinta pun takluk bertekuk	When the lips bore curses You, my angel, grew horns That was when the knees of love yielded, kneeling
Cerca aku karena tak cakap baca pesan Karena terbuta dari beribu-ribu sajak Karena tergagap dekap cinta yang menyesakkan Karena tertimbun tebal sesal yang kian berkerak	Scorn for I could not read the message Blinded from thousands of verses Dumbstruck by the embrace of suffocating love Buried thickly by encrusting regret
Rupanya itu rahasia yang mereka hendak sampaikan Bak yang tergambar lewat gerhana bulan	As it happens, that was the secret they wanted to convey Like that which was portrayed through the lunar eclipse

This one was a real motherfucker to translate. Some languages tend to be very loose with word categories, so with literary registers I often have no idea if a word is being a noun or adjective or adverb. I think I just need to read more.

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Tadulako

Kaili, "leader" or "hero"; it's apparently a concept that's not easy to translate.

The menacing closer. Has to do with the mythology of the Kaili people of Central Sulawesi. Rully Shabara himself was born in the city of Palu.

The words being repeated are "tomalanggai" and "tomanuru". From what I can understand, Tomalanggai was a chief who is said to have ruled the Kaili before the time of kingdoms, while Tomanuru is a being who came down from the heavens in the form of a woman and married him.

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