9th Aug … Red Dot is turning 58 this year, 2023.
Counting down .... more days to go …
And have you hang your flag 🇸🇬 ?
“Coming together is a beginning,
staying together is progress,
and working together is success.”
聚在一起是开始，在一起是进步，一起工作是成功。 Jù zài yīqǐ shì kāishǐ, zài yīqǐ shì jìnbù, yīqǐ gōngzuò shì chénggōng.
Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings for things such as the language of one's homeland, and ethnic, cultural, political, or historical aspects.
As this tiny red 🟣 dot increases her population to 6 million, the percentage number of flags being display by residents are getting less.
Are they getting tired ?
Or singing the old national day theme song will increase your patriotism ?
Songs such as …
B'day●National Day Parade Theme Song
58 ● 2023 Shine Your Light ( listen here )
🎤 Lyrics:
See it on our faces, hear it in our voices
Everybody hold tight (Ready, Set, Go!)
Picked up the pieces, all our memories filled up with our pride' (Deep inside we know)
[A little island upstream
A million voices, one dream...]
Keep, keep, keep, keep, keeping our head up...
(Chorus) We've come so far and now it's time to
Go! Shine your light upon the world, la...
Go! Shine your light upon the world
(Shine your light, make it bright, everybody sing!)
Oh...
Packing our beliefs we're, dancing in the streets we're
onward as one (Ready to go)
Bring out the aces, Taking us places 'we-never could've gone' (Now we're running the show)
[Our little island of dreams
A million voices, one team...]
(Chorus) We've come so far and now it's time to
Go! Shine your light upon the world
Go! Shine your light upon the world
(Shine your light, make it bright, everybody sing!)
Oh...
Light a spark or a candle, not a thing we can't handle
You can dream it, you can live it, you can have it all
Watch it turn into flames, passion burning the same
You know we gonna shut it down when the duty calls
Picture me this, all we wanna do is chasing the bliss
Upon the stars we making wish
Moving along from the days that we miss
Let the sun dry your tears, let the light put out your fears
Lion City this a family for a few hundred years
Shine your light so bright for the world to see
(One light, one love, one destiny)
You can live you can dream what you wanna be
(Moving on, one voice, one melody)
Shine your light so bright for the world to see
(Through the rain, our hearts remain the same)
Burn bright through the night, yeah you got to believe
(One life, one love, one voice, one destiny)
Go! Shine your light upon the world (shine out for everyone)
Go! Shine your light upon the world (shine... out)
Go! Shine your light upon the world
Go! Shine your light upon the world
(Shine your light, make it bright, everybody sing!)
Oh...
Go...
○ (Karaoke version with lyrics , check here)
57 ● 2022 Stronger Together (listen here )
56 ● 2021 The Road Ahead (listen here)
○ 2021 NDP 2021 Theme Song - 'The Road Ahead COVER in 4 Official Languages' by artistes at Wusic 1903. [ Credits: Original Composers: Linying/Evan ] 👍 [Singers: Faisal, Izzy Chen 陈睿歆 Chen Ruixin, Noratikah a.k.a. Atikah, Thiva ] 👍(Keyboard and Music Arrangement: Austin Yifenbeefin's) 👍
Lyrics:
Faisal:
One man on an island
One drop in the sea
All it takes to set a wave in motion
Is a single word, an action
A hope that we can be
The change that we’ve been longing to see
For our home, our land, our family
It’s all within our reach
See this island, every grain of sand
Hear this anthem, it’s the voices of our friends
Come whatever on the road ahead
We did it before, and we’ll do it again
Izzy:
等候时间漫长渡过
(Deng hou shi jian man chang du guo)
(When the moments turn to hours)
盼夜终后的曙光
(Pan ye zhong hou de shu guang)
(And the day's last light is gone)
前路迷茫失落仍怀抱希望
(Qian lu mi mang shi luo reng huai bao xi wang)
(Look around us always and remember)
经历巨大挫折考验
(Jing li ju da cuo zhe kao yan)
(There were times we were uncertain)
挺胸直往路前方
(Ting xiong zhi wang lu qian fang)
(But we just kept walking on)
深度黑暗终点后就是光
(Shen du hei an zhong dian hou jiu shi guang)
(It's always darkest just before the dawn)
See this island, every grain of sand
Hear this anthem, it’s the voices of our friends
Come whatever on the road ahead
We did it before, and we’ll do it again
Atikah:
Rumah, tempat asal kita
(Home, our place of origin)
Di mana taman menuju keterangan
(Where the garden leads to the light)
Walau jalan menakutkan, kutahu kita akan baik saja
(Though the road ahead is daunting, I know we're gonna be alright)/(Although the road is scary, I know we will be fine)
Thiva:
இத்தீவை பாருங்கள், ஒவ்வொரு மண் துகள்கள்
(Eth-theevai paarungal, ovoru man thugilgal)
(See this island, every grain of sand)
இக் கீதத்தைக் கேளுங்கள், அவை நம் தோழர்களின் குரல்
(Ik geethath-thai kelungal, avai nam tholargalin kural)
(Hear this anthem, It's the voices of our friends)
நம் பாதையில் எது வந்தாலும்
(Nam paathaiyil ethu vanthalum)
(Come whatever on the road ahead)
இதை முன்பு செய்துள்ளோம், மீண்டும் செய்வோம்
(Ethai munbu sethulom, meendum seivom)
(We did it before, and we'll do it again)
See this island, every grain of sand
Hear this anthem, it’s the voices of our friends
Come whatever on the road ahead
We did it before, and we’ll do it again
55 ● 2020 Everything I Am (listen here)
54 ● 2019 Our Singapore (listen here)
53 ● 2018 We Are Singapore (listen here)
52 ● 2017 Because It's Singapore (listen here)
51 ● 2016 Tomorrow's Here Today (listen here)
50 ● 2015 Our Singapore (Performed by JJ Lin, listen here )
♡ Golden Jubilee Celebration 50SG "These Are The Days" , watch here .
OUR SINGAPORE (lyrics)
VERSE 1
It isn’t easy building something out of nothing
Especially when the road ahead’s a rocky one
But if we gather all our courage and conviction
And hold our dream up high
The challenge will be won
CHORUS
So now we look around us and we see
A nation built with love by you and me
A land to treasure right down to the core
Our home, our heart, our Singapore
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Our home, our heart, our Singapore
VERSE 2
Through many years gone by, we’ve moved ahead together
We’ve built a brave new world where we could shine and grow
And now we only have to look towards tomorrow
To carry on the dream as far as it will go
CHORUS
So now we look around us and we see
A nation built with love by you and me
A land to treasure right down to the core
Our home, our heart, our Singapore
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Our home, our heart, our Singapore
BRIDGE
And amazing as it seems
It all started with a dream
And our dreaming isn’t done
‘Cause the best is yet to come
CHORUS
So now we look around us and we see
A nation built with love by you and me
A land to treasure right down to the core
Our home, our heart, our Singapore
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Our home
Our heart
Our dream
Our Singapore
○ 2015 Our Singapore by Dick Lee , watch here
49 ● 2014 We Will Get There & One People, One Nation, One Singapore (watch here)
○ 2014 What Do You See (watch here)
○ 2014 Home ( watch here ) NDP 2014 revisits one of the all-time favourite NDP theme song -- Home, which was composed by Dick Lee and first sung by home-grown singer Kit Chan at the 1998 parade. Enjoy this new rendition, featuring local singers with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Featuring
A Do¹,
Alemay Fernandez²,
Ann Hussein³,
Christopher Toh (AWOL)⁴,
Claressa Monteiro⁵,
Dawn Yip⁶,
Dick Lee⁷,
Hady Mirza⁸,
Hong Shao Xuan⁹,
Jacintha Abisheganaden¹⁰,
Jeremy Monteiro¹¹,
Jimmy Ye¹²,
JJ Lin¹³,
John Molina¹⁴,
Joi Chua¹⁵,
Kaira Gong¹⁶,
Kelvin Tan Wei Lian¹⁷,
Kit Chan¹⁸,
Lee Wei Song¹⁹,
Maggie Teng²⁰,
Max Surin²¹,
Moses Vadham²²,
Olivia Ong²³,
Rahimah Rahim²⁴,
Ramli Sarip²⁵,
Rani Singam²⁶,
Shabir²⁷,
Sheikh Haikel²⁸,
Stefanie Sun²⁹,
Tanya Chua³⁰,
Taufik Batisah³¹,
Vernon Cornelius³²,
Vocaluptuous³³,
Wu Jia Ming³⁴,
with Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO)³⁵.
¹ A-do Do (Age: 51). Du Chengyi (simplified Chinese: 杜成义; traditional Chinese: 杜成義; hanyu pinyin: Dù Chéngyì), known professionally as A-do (阿杜), is a Singaporean singer . The ex-construction foreman was spotted by Singaporean producer Billy Koh in his company's talent search and was signed to Ocean Butterflies Music. He released his debut album in 2002.
⁷Dick Lee (Age: 67) Birthplace: Singapore. Richard "Dick" Lee Peng Boon (born 24 August 1956) is a Singaporean singer-songwriter, playwright and film director.
⁸ Hady Mirza (Age: 43). (Malay: حدي ميرزا; born 28 January 1980) is a Singaporean singer. He is also the winner of the second season of the reality TV show Singapore Idol. He was crowned the winner on 25 September 2006 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium after garnering 70% of about one million votes cast by television viewers. He was also the winner of the world's first Asian Idol competition held on 16 December 2007 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Asian Idol is a competition between six Idol winners from several different Asian countries, namely Singapore Idol, Malaysian Idol, Indonesian Idol, Indian Idol, Philippine Idol and Vietnam Idol. Hady is most known for his smooth R&B voice and charming personality. He is the second male winner, following Taufik Batisah.
¹⁰ Jacintha Abisheganaden (Age: 66) Birthplace: Singapore. Jacintha Abisheganaden (born 3 October 1957), also known as Jacintha or Ja, is a Singaporean singer and actress. Jacintha studied at the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a degree in arts, majoring in English literature. She is a founding member of performance company TheatreWorks.
¹¹ Jeremy Monteiro, Age: 63 , Birthplace: Singapore. Jeremy Monteiro (born 20 June 1960, Singapore) is a jazz pianist, singer, composer, and music educator. In his native country he was named "Singapore's King of Swing" by the local press. He was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 2002.
¹³ JJ Lin, Age: 42, Birthplace: Singapore.
Wayne Lin Jun Jie (simplified Chinese: 林俊杰; traditional Chinese: 林俊傑; pinyin: Lín Jùnjié; born 27 March 1981) better known by his stage name JJ Lin, is a Singaporean singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Lin launched his musical career by releasing his debut album, Music Voyager (2003). Lin has received three Golden Melody Awards, including one Best New Artist and two Best Mandarin Male Singer.
¹⁵Joi Chua(Age: 45), Birthplace: Singapore. Joi Chua / Joi Cai Chun Jia (Chinese: 蔡淳佳; hanyu pinyin: Cài Chúnjiā, born August 3, 1978) is a Singaporean female pop singer. Her most famous songs are "Waiting For A Sunny Day" (《等一个晴天》listen here), "Watching the Sunrise With Me" (《陪我看日出》watch here ), the Chinese version of "Nada Soso" and "Wind Chimes" (《风铃》watch here in Singapore Chinatown lightup). She is also well known in Mainland China and Taiwan.
¹⁶ Kaira Gong, 42, ( simplified Chinese: 龚诗嘉; traditional Chinese: 龔詩嘉; hanyu pinyin: Gǒng Shījiā, born 25 July 1981) is a Singaporean singer. She sang the theme song for Singapore's National Day Parade in 2006, titled "My Island Home".
²³ Olivia Ong , Age: 38, Birthplace: Singapore. Olivia Ong (Chinese: 王俪婷; born 02 October, 1985) is a Singaporean singer and actress. The majority of her works are in Mandarin, but she has also recorded songs in English, Cantonese and Japanese. In her early days, her entertainment career focused on singing jazz covers, but she has since moved on to Mandarin pop.
²⁴ Rahimah Rahim, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahimah_Rahim_(singer,_born_1955).
²⁷ Shabir Tabare Alam, Age: 38, Birthplace: Singapore. Shabir is a national award winning singer-songwriter, record producer, music composer and performer from Singapore whose works are predominantly in Tamil. He is the winner of the inaugural singing competition Vasantham Star 2005. The talent quest was hosted by MediaCorp Vasantham TV Channel. Shabir's Yaayum song from the film Sagaa became a sleeper hit in India and all around the world. In 2012 he wrote and composed "Singai Naadu"( listen here), the National Day Parade 2012 Tamil song that won praise from the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong.. Shabir was awarded the Singapore Youth Award, the highest national honour given to young achievers by the Singapore government. He was the first artist of Tamil/Indian descent to win the award.
²⁹ Stefanie Sun, Age: 45, Birthplace: Singapore. Stefanie Sun (simplified Chinese: 孙燕姿; traditional Chinese: 孫燕姿; pinyin: Sūn Yànzī, born 23 July 1978) is a Singaporean singer-songwriter. In 2000, she released her debut album, Yan Zi, which won her a Golden Melody Award for Best New Artist. In 2004, she released her eighth studio album, Stefanie, which won her another Golden Melody Award for Best Mandarin Female Singer. Having sold more than 30 million records, she achieved popularity in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia.
³⁰ Tanya Chua, Age: 48, Birthplace: Singapore. Tanya Chua (Chinese: 蔡健雅; pinyin: Cài Jiànyǎ; born 28 January 1975) is a Singaporean singer and songwriter. She debuted her singing career by releasing her debut studio album Bored in 1997. Her albums, Amphibian (2005), Goodbye & Hello (2007), and Sing It Out of Love (2011), each won her a Golden Melody Award for Best Mandarin Female Singer.
³¹ Taufik Batisah, Age: 41. Muhammad Taufik bin Batisah (Jawi: محمد تيوفيك بن بتيسه; born 10 December 1981) is a Singaporean singer and winner of the first season of the reality TV series Singapore Idol.
³³ Vocaluptuous is Singapore's favourite a cappella group, formed in 1997 by Andy Quek, the resident arranger and music director who was also responsible for general national awareness of contemporary a cappella music locally and a series of concerts featuring various Singaporean groups titled Aka A Cappella. The original line-up featured 9 singers.. The group currently consists of Hazrul Nizam, John Lee, Kai Wen Hwang, Genevieve Seah, Chong Wai Lun, and Takuma Tanaka.
Past members: Simone Khoo, Gerald Tan, Sam Kan, Timothy Huang, Sarah-Kei Lauw, Tan Lay Hoon, Tan Chin Keong, Andy Quek (founder). In recent years, it has also distinguished itself with a repertoire of original songs that prominently feature the Singaporean culture and lifestyle, even fusing traditional local folk songs [2011] .This was a result of John Lee, resident composer and arranger [2008], and his siblings' strong desire to establish a unique local flavour that Singaporeans all over the world will be able to relate to, a goal that was largely championed by John's elder brother, Dick Lee, who has also written songs for Vocaluptuous.
48 ● 2013 One Singapore (watch here)
47 ● 2012 Love at First Light (watch here)
○ 2012 My People My Home ( came out in the late 1990s) ( watch here)
46 ● 2011 In A Heartbeat (watch here)
○ 2011 In A Heartbeat (full version click here )
45 ● 2010 Song for Singapore ( watch here)
44 ● 2009 What Do You See (watch here)
43 ● 2008 Shine For Singapore (watch here)
○ NDP 2008 Theme Song Chinese Version: 晴空万里by Joi Chua (click here)
42 ● 2007 Will You (watch here)
○ 2007 There’s No Place I'd Rather Be (watch here)
41 ● 2006 My Island Home (watch here)
○ NDP 2006 Theme Song Chinese Version: 幸福的图形 by Kaira Gong (watch here)
40 ● 2005 Reach Out for The Skies (watch here)
○ NDP 2005 Theme Song Chinese Version: 勇敢向前飞 by Rui En (watch here)
39 ● 2004 Home (watch here)
38 ● 2003 One United People (watch here)
• In 2003, a significant split took place when the 38th National Day theme song of that year was not the Sing Singapore theme song. Stefanie Sun's "One United People" was used as the NDP theme song to better suit the theme of "A Cohesive Society" while Sean Wang's "A Place in My Heart" was chosen to lead the Sing Singapore 2003 Festival.
○ NDP 2003 Theme Song Chinese Version: 全心全意 by Stefanie Sun (watch here)
○ 2003 A Place in My Heart (listen here)
37 ● 2002 We Will Get There (watch here)
○ NDP 2002 Theme Song Chinese Version , 一起走到 by Stefanie Sun ( listen here)
36 ● 2001 Where I Belong (watch here)
○ NDP 2001 Theme Song Chinese Version by Tanya Chua 蔡健雅 屬於 (listen here)
35 ● 2000 Shine On Me (watch here)
○ NDP 2000 Theme Song Duet Version: Shine On Me by Jai Wahab and Mavis Hee (listen here)
○ NDP 2000 Theme Song 'Shine On Me' Chinese Version 星月照耀着我 (listen here)
34 ● 1999 Moments Of Magic by Trio Tanya Chua, Fann Wong and Elsa (watch here)
○ NDP 1999 Theme Song 'Moments Of Magic' Chinese Version 分享这一刻 Fēnxiǎng zhè yīkè (listen here) by Elsa Lin Yuting, 林玉婷 Línyùtíng
○ 1999 Together (watch here)
○ NDP 1999 Theme Song Chinese Version: 心连心 Xīn lián xīn by Evelyn Tan and Dreamz FM (listen here)
33 ● 1998 City For The World (watch here)
○ 1998 Home (watch here)
○ 1998 'Home' in Chinese Version by Kit Chan 陈洁仪 - '家' Jiā (listen here)
32 ● 1997 Future In My Dreams
31 ● 1996
30 ● 1995
29 ● 1994
28 ● 1993
27 ● 1992
26 ● 1991
25 ● 1990 One People, One Nation, One Singapore (watch here)
Lyrics:
We've built a nation with our hands
The toil of people from a dozen lands
Strangers when we first began, now we're Singaporean
Let's reach out for Singapore, join our hands forevermore
Chorus:
One people, one nation, one Singapore
That's the way that we will be forevermore
Every creed and every race, has its role and has its place
One people, one nation, one Singapore
And when the time comes for the test
Our vigilance will never rest
We'll be united, hand in hand
We'll show the world just where we stand
And reach out for Singapore, join our hands forevermore
Chorus:
One people, one nation, one Singapore
That's the way that we will be forevermore
Every creed and every race, has its role and has its place
One people, one nation, one Singapore
Chorus:
One people, one nation, one Singapore
That's the way that we will be forevermore
Every creed and every race, has its role and has its place
One people, one nation, one Singapore
One people, one nation, one Singapore!
24 ● 1989
23 ● 1988
22 ● 1987 We Are Singapore (watch here)
Lyrics:
There was a time when people said
that Singapore won't make it, but we did
There was a time when troubles seemed too much
for us to take, but we did
We built a nation, strong and free
Reaching out together
For peace and harmony
Chorus 1:
This is my country, this is my flag
This is my future, this is my life
This is my family, these are my friends
We are Singapore, Singaporeans
Singapore our homeland, it's here that we belong
All of us united, one people marching on
We've come so far together, our common destiny
Singapore forever, a nation strong and free
(Repeat Chorus 1):
This is my country, this is my flag
This is my future, this is my life
This is my family, these are my friends
We are Singapore, Singaporeans
(Recite the Pledge):
We the citizens of Singapore
Pledge ourselves as one united people
Regardless of race, language or religion
To build a democratic society
Based on justice and equality
So as to achieve happiness
Prosperity and progress for our nation
(Sing the Pledge):
We, the citizens of Singapore
Pledge ourselves, as one united people
Regardless of race, language or religion
To build a democratic society
Based on justice and equality
So as to achieve , happiness
Prosperity , and progress for our nation.
Chorus 2:
We are Singapore, we are Singapore
We will stand together, hear the lion roar
We are Singapore, we are Singapore
We're a nation strong and free forevermore
(Repeat Chorus 2):
We are Singapore, we are Singapore
We will stand together, hear the lion roar
We are Singapore, we are Singapore
We're a nation strong and free forevermore
(Repeat Chorus 1):
This is my country, this is my flag
This is my future, this is my life
This is my family, these are my friends
We are Singapore, Singaporeans
We are Singapore, Singaporeans !
21 ● 1986 Count On Me, Singapore (watch here)
○ This is the original version of 'Count on Me Singapore' as it first appeared on television in 1986. (revisit here)
Lyrics :
We have a vision for tomorrow
Just believe, just believe
We have a goal for Singapore
We can achieve, we can achieve
You and me, we'll do our part
Stand together, heart to heart
We'll going to show the world what Singapore can be
We can achieve, we can achieve
There is something down the road that we can strive for
We are told no dream's too bold that we can't try for
There's a spirit in the air
It's a feeling we all share
We're going to build a better life for you and me
We can achieve, we can achieve
Count on me, Singapore
Count on me to give my best and more
You and me, we'll do our part
Stand together, heart to heart
We'll going to show the world what Singapore can be
We can achieve, we can achieve
Count on me, Singapore
Count on me to give my best and more
You and me, we'll do our part
Stand together, heart to heart
We'll going to show the world what Singapore can be
We can achieve, we can achieve
Count on me, Singapore
Count on me, Singapore
Count on me to give my best and more
Count on me, Singapore
Count on me, Singapore
Count on me, Singapore
Count on me to give my best and more
Count on me, Singapore
Count on me, Singapore (We can achieve, together Singapore)
Count on me, Singapore (We can achieve, together Singapore)
Count on me to give my best and more (We can achieve, Singapore, my best and more)
Together Singapore, Singapore
Together Singapore, Singapore
Together Singapore, Singapore!
20 ● 1985 Stand Up For Singapore (watch here) 25 years of nation building
Lyrics:
Stand up for Singapore, do the best you can
Reach out for your fellow man
You've got to make a stand
Recognise you can play your part
Let it come right from your heart
Be prepared to give a little more
Stand up, stand up for Singapore
Stand up for Singapore, do it with a smile
If you stand up for Singapore
You'll find it all worthwhile
Believe in yourself, you've got something to share
So show us all you really care
Be prepared to give a little more
Stand up, stand up for Singapore
Singapore our home and nation
Together with determination
Join in like we've never done before
Stand up, stand up for Singapore!
Singapore our home and nation
Together with determination
Join in like we've never done before
Stand up, stand up for Singapore
Singapore our home and nation
Together with determination
Join in like we've never done before
Stand up ! , stand up for Singapore !
□ Each year since 1985, the National Day Parade Executive Committee has designated one such song as a National Day Parade theme song.
19 ● 1984
18 ● 1983
17 ● 1982
16 ● 1981
15 ● 1980
14 ● 1979
13 ● 1978
12 ● 1977
11 ● 1976
10 ● 1975
09 ● 1974
08 ● 1973
07 ● 1972
06 ● 1971
05 ● 1970
04 ● 1969 Five Stars Arising (watch here)
Lyrics:
There's a new moon arising, out of the stormy sea
Youthful and bright and bearing hope, and tranquil as can be
Reach out for the moon above, savour freedom, truth and love
There's a new moon arising, out of the stormy sea
There are five stars arising, out of the stormy sea
Each is a lamp to guide our way; a lamp for all to see
Reach out for the stars above, savour freedom, truth and love
There are five stars arising, out of the stormy sea
There's a new flag arising, out of the stormy sea
Crimson as the blood of all mankind, yet white and pure and free
Reach out for the flag above, savour freedom, truth and love
There's a new flag arising, happy and proud are we
There's a new flag arising, out of the stormy sea
Crimson as the blood of all mankind, yet white and pure and free
Reach out for the flag above, savour freedom, truth and love
There's a new flag arising, happy and proud are we .
○ Five Stars Arising (lyrics version watch here )
03 ● 1968
02 ● 1967 Singapore Town (watch here)
Lyrics:
You could take a little trip around Singapore town
In Singapore city bus
To see Collyer Quay and Raffles Place
The Esplanade and all of us
Chorus:
Because in Singapore, Singapore
Their hearts are big and wide you'll find
Because in Singapore, Singapore
You'll find happiness for everyone
Let's go down to the riverside, it's an unforgettable sight
To see the sunrise on a faraway isle, turning darkness into light
( Repeat Chorus )
The buildings are climbing all the way to the sky
And there's a hundred other people who are striving
For people like you and I
( Repeat Chorus )
01 ● 1966
Born ● 1965 August 9 Majulah Singapura , with English translation inserted (watch here)
● 1964
Happy Singing National Old Time Favorites
● (In 1960s) Di Tanjong Katong¹ (Malay Song) (watch here)
○ Di Tanjong Katong - 1023 a cappella cover - Lyric Video with English subtitles - Singapore ( listen here)
Lyrics:
Chorus:
Di Tanjong Katong, airnya biru
Di situ tempatnya dara jelita
Duduk sekampung, lagikan rindu
Kononlah pula nun jauh di mata
Pulau Pandan jauh ke tengah
Gunung Daik bercabang tiga
Hancur badan di kandung tanah
Budi yang baik di kenang jua
( Repeat Chorus )
Kalau ada jarum patah
Jangan simpan di dalam peti
Kalau ada silap sepatah
Jangan disimpan di dalam hati
(English translation of 'Di Tanjong Katong' song) :
Chorus:
In Tanjong Katong, the water is blue
That's where the beautiful virgin is
Sit together, miss again
It is said that it is far in the eye
Pandan Island is far to the center
Mount Daik has three branches
Crush the body in the soil
Good manners are always remembered
(Repeat Chorus)
If there is a broken needle
Do not store in a crate
If there is a mistake
Don't keep it in your heart
[¹ The mysterious peaks we sing of in “Di Tanjong Katong”
The tune “Di Tanjong Katong”, a National song, is one we are most familiar with in Singapore. The lyrics of the song contain this rather peculiar verse:
Pulau Pandan jauh ke tengah,
Gunung Daik bercabang tiga;
Hancur badan dikandung tanah,
Budi yang baik dikenang jua.
While the lines of the verse, which seem to have little to do with Tanjong Katong and with Singapore, are borrowed from an age-old Malay pantun or poem, they seem to want to invoke an unexplained longing for the places that are named.
Singapore’s obsession with its recent past has allowed an amnesia for the time when Singapore’s place was in the Malay world to set in; a time when singing of three peaks of Daik (the line “Gunung Daik bercabang tiga” translates into “Mount Daik has three peaks”) might not have sounded odd at all. Mount Daik has three peaks: 1. Mount Daik, 2. Mount Pejant, 3. Mount Cry Cindai. Mount Daik has a height of 1,165 meters (3.822 feet) above sea level with the peak having a climbing difficulty of 5.9-5.11 North American Grade Standard. The distinctive summit of Daik is a most and recognisable of features on Pulau Lingga, an island that is thought of by some as the Malay world’s motherland¹. Lingga is spoken of as a heartland of the Malay culture and language and it is on Lingga, where Malay is spoken in one of its purest forms.
Pulau Lingga took its place in the old Johor empire of the 16th to 19th centuries as an outpost the sultans could find a retreat in being located at the southern reaches of the widely spread sultanate. Positioned along an ancient maritime trade route to Palembang and Jambi, principal centres in the days of Srivijaya, and there are suggestions that it may have already come to prominence well before it served as a Johor outpost. Paul Michel Munoz, in his 2006 book “Early Kingdoms of the Indonesian Archipelago and Malay Peninsula”, opines that the island kingdom identified by Marco Polo as “Malaiur” in accounts of his return voyage to Europe could quite possibly have been Lingga – based on estimates provided of distances travelled [Malaiur is a name that was also associated with a Malay kingdom centred around Jambi in Sumatra, which was at one time also part of the Srivijaya empire].
Pulau Lingga also took its place as the seat of Johor’s royal court on two occasions; in 1618, when the capital was moved there as the Acehnese threatened – only for the capital to be sacked by the Portuguese in 1625. Old Johor’s last sultan, also moved to Lingga in 1787, in an attempt to isolate his court from the Bugis (the increasing influence exerted by the Bugis meant that they were effectively running the sultanate from its capital in the Riau). The turning point for Lingga came with the Johor Sultanate’s breakup, a point at which the Dutch and the British were extending their influence. Singapore, in which old Johor could trace its roots to once again prospered when the British East India Company set up its trading post while Lingga was left to the remnants of a sultanate that had lost its clout.
Lingga (Lingen) in relation to Singapore (Pulo Panjang) in an 18th century Hydrographic Chart seen in the National Archives of Singapore’s online site. ( https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/maps_building_plans/record-details/755f2349-a18d-11e6-9af5-0050568939ad ).
The advances of the modern world has not made it much easier to get to Lingga and the group of islands around it that takes its name. The islands, now also part of the Lingga Regency within the Riau Islands province, are served by ferry services from Batam or Bintan. Even with the fast ferry, it involves a four-hour journey. This I had the chance to find out for myself when I made the same journey to attend the four-day Festival Gunung Daik, at the kind invitation of the Lingga Regency. With invitations extended to groups outside of Indonesia for the first time, the festival, which was held from 19 to 22 November, attracted an invasion of several hundreds.
On the road to Dabo on Pulau Singkep.
Dabo, on the more populated island of Pulau Singkep, was best equipped to absorb this influx. A 45-minute road journey from Singkep’s northern maritime gateway at Jago, Dabo wears the look of an town which has left its best days behind. It was indeed the case. The town grew out of the riches the extraction of Singkep’s sizeable deposits of tin had provided, until some two decades ago when the last of the mines closed. The extraction of a deposit, found in the darkened interiors of the narrow and windowless structures that now dot Dabo’s urban landscape, seems to be a new but less lucrative gold. The dark spaces mimic the caves in which swiftlets nest and the nests, which the birds make with deposits of their saliva and nesting material, are much valued by the Chinese for their purported medicinal properties.
A disused mining pool that scars Pulau Singkep’s landscape.
The sleepy town’s main draw, at least for the Singaporeans I was with, was an old coffeeshop named Bintang Timur. Time seems to have stood completely still in this Chinese owned coffee shop and the Eastern Star is very much reminiscent of the kopitiams of the Singapore of decades past. If not for the lack of time, it would quite easy for me to waste a morning away over a cup or two of the kopitiam’s strong aromatic brew, made just as it was in the coffeeshops of old Singapore.
Time stands still at the Kedai Kopi Bintang Timur.
The town has culinary offerings that may also delight the Singaporean. Fried kway teow, seemingly prepared exclusively by Chinese men with well weathered faces from roadside pushcarts, is a local favourite. So is laske (or laksa), prepared and served in a manner that will explain the many ways a dish of laksa is served across the region. In Dabo, its base is a noodle made from coils of sago starch. The dish is served fried or as we are used to in Singapore, with a delicious spicy gravy , cooked in coconut milk, poured over.
A char kway teow seller in Dabo. Char is the Hokkien word for frying. Kway teow is the Hokkien word for flat white noodles.
In the evenings, a more substantial meal can be obtained from the town’s ikan bakar or grilled fish stalls, which are probably the town’s real treat. In addition to having fresh catch from the sea grilled over a fire, there also is the opportunity to savour it served in the more sweet than sour version of asam pedas gravy popular in these parts.
A popular ikan bakar stall. Ikan is the Malay word for fish. Bakar is the word for burn / BBQ/ grill .
The guidebooks point to Dabo’s religious buildings as its tourist sights. The town’s mosque is impressive, as is a large Chinese temple. The temple, the Klenteng Cetiya Dharma Ratna, and a large building in the vicinity in which the local Chinese association is housed, suggests that there is a substantial immigrant Chinese community in Dabo. Some in the community apparently have ties with Singapore. As with much of the Nanyang, the community’s forefathers arrived as part of the diaspora of southern Chinese to the region in the 19th century. In Dabo’s case the tin mines provided work. Today the Chinese run many of the local businesses. Beside being involved in the birds’ nest trade, there also are a number of food and beverage outlets and sundry shops owned by the Chinese. Chinese vendors can also be found in the town’s pair of markets. The markets, one for the sale of fish and the other for vegetables are both worth a look at.
Klenteng Cetiya Dharma Ratna.
A vegetable seller at Dabo’s Vegetable Market.
Chinese labourers working at the Singkep Tin Company eating a meal (photo: Tropenmuseum, part of the National Museum of World Cultures via Wikipedia Commons). Many Chinese came over to Singkep to work in the tin mines.
The townsfolk’s favourite spots lie further afield. These include a waterfall, several beaches, a hot spring bath, and an oddity of an attraction in the form of an awkwardly positioned cannon. The artillery piece, the meriam tegak, is found at the edge of a beach southeast of Dabo. Buried with only its upwardly aligned muzzle exposed, the locals offer several explanations for the odd alignment. One thing that the differing accounts agree on is that the contributing factor for the cannon’s position is the wrath of a woman!
Meriam Tegak. Meriam is the Malay word for cannon.
The cannon is close to Dabo’s favourite beach, Pantai Batu Berdaun. A popular spot for swimming and a picnic, the beach is named after a rock on which a tree is perched – the “leafy rock” or “batu berdaun“. A house with a curious collection of animals in its compound near the rock was however the centre of attention. It turned out that the house was some kind of animal shelter. The animals, all of which were abandoned, had been taken in and cared for by the house’s kind owner.
Pantai Batu Berdaun.
An animal shelter near Pantai Batu Berdaun.
The waterfall and the hot spring bath will take a little more effort in getting to. The 3km long unmetalled road to the spring bath provides more than a bumpy ride. The path it takes is interesting as it is line with the large waterlogged scars that the extraction of tin has left on the landscape. The baths, which are especially popular with the local folk, seemed much less appealing in the tropical heat as compared to the cool waters found in the pools at the waterfall at Batu Ampar.
Batu Ampar Waterfalls.
The hot spring baths.
The less populated Pulau Lingga with its three projections does have a lot more mystery about it. Lingga, which lies on the Equator just north of Singkep, actually derives its name from the tallest and largest of the three high points. The projection, also named Daik, was thought in the old days to resemble a linggam – Sanskrit for phallus.
A view towards Lingga and its three pronged peak of Mount Daik from Jago on Pulau Singkep.
Penarik near Daik.
Among Lingga’s main attractions is the Resun Falls – the largest waterfall in the Province of the Riau Islands. There are also several sites that will provide some understanding of Lingga’s colourful past. One, the Museum Linggam Cahaya, has an interesting collection of artefacts. Some show the external links the island had, and a sense of the position it held. Pottery on display, recovered from the depths, include pieces that are thought to date to Song dynasty China. The museum’s most noticeable and popular exhibit is however from a more modern event and is a skeleton of a curious and yet to be identified creature from the deep, named locally as a “Gajah Mina” or Sea Elephant. The bones are from one that was found on the shores of Lingga and one of two similar carcasses that washed up in the Riau Islands in the aftermath of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
Museum Linggam Cahaya.
The island’s historical sites provide links to the Lingga of the last days of the Johor Empire and to the Lingga of the post Johor days when it was the seat of the Riau-Lingga sultanate. One is the ruins of Istana Damnah, a 19th century palace built in Daik during the reign of Sultan Sulaiman Badrul Alam II (1857-1883), which lies close to the museum. An adjacent site contains a 2002 interpretation of the palace and its main hall, the Balairung Seri. Left abandoned after the Dutch took positive control of Lingga in 1911 and with Riau-Lingga’s last sultan, Abdul Rahman II, having fled to Singapore, the original wooden palace was left to fall into ruin.
Ruins of Istana Damnah.
Another view of the site of Istana Damnah.
The replica Istana Damnah as seen from the replica Balairung Seri.
The site of the Lubuk Papan baths is also nearby. A bathing spot used by those in the palace, the baths were located at a bend in the Tanda River. Today, concrete sides and gazebos placed around it have altered the charm the baths would have had. A natural stretch does exist upstream and this may provide some sense of the attraction as a bathing spot that the entire bend may have had.
Finding peace upstream from the Lubuk Papan baths.
A former fort at Benteng Bukit Cening, and the graves of several of Lingga’s rulers, pre and post break-up are some of Daik’s other royal sites. Old Johor’s last sultan, Mahmud Shah III, is buried at Daik’s Masjid Jami’ Sultan Lingga. The remains of his son, the half-brother of Hussein of Singapore and Johor and the Riau-Lingga’s sultanate’s first ruler, Abdul Rahman I, can be found on Bukit Cengkeh.
The concretised Lubuk Papan baths at Daik.
Getting there:
There are fast ferry services (daily I believe) from either Tanjung Punggur on Batam or Tanjung Pinang on Bintan to Jago in the north of Pulau Singkep and it typically involves a 4 hour journey. Jago in the north of Singkep is a 45 minute drive to its main town, Dabo. There also are ferry services between Jago and Tanjung Buton on Pulau Lingga. Getting around seems quite challenging and recommendations range from hiring ojeks (motorcycle taxis) or renting motorcycles. It would be best to inquire locally.
Jago, one of the maritime entry points into Pulau Singkep.
Note:
1 One who feels strongly about this is Ahmad Dahlan, Batam’s mayor from 2006 to 2016 and a student of Malay history. In his 2014 book “Sejarah Melayu”, he speaks of the move Sultan Mahmud Shah III’s court to Daik in 1787, even if it was in an effort to isolate himself, as a return to the the mother’s lap.
Chan Mali Chan
lyrics : (watch here)
Di mana dia anak kambing saya?
Anak kambing saya yang makan daun talas
Di mana dia buah hati saya?
Buah hati saya bagai telur dikupas
Chan mali chan, chan mali chan,
Chan mali chan, ketipung payung (2X)
Di mana dia anak kambing tuan?
Anak kambing tuan di atas jambatan
Yang mana dia bunga pujaan?
Si bunga tanjung dihujung dahan
Chan mali chan, chan mali chan
Chan mali chan ketipung payung (2X)
Kalau nak tahu anak kambing saya
Anak kambing saya di dalam bilik
Kalau nak tahu intan payung saya
Intan payung saya yang kecil lah molek
Di mana dia anak kambing tuan?
Anak kambing tuan yang bulunya kuning
Yang mana dia buah hati tuan?
Buah hati tuan yang putih lah kuning
(English translation):
Where is my lamb?
My kid eats taro leaves
Where is he my darling?
My heart is like a peeled egg
Chan mali chan, chan mali chan,
Chan mali chan, umbrella flour (2X)
Where is your goat kid?
Your kid on the bridge
Which one is his favorite flower?
The cape flower at the end of the branch
Chan mali chan, chan mali chan
Chan mali chan ketipung umbrella (2X)
If you want to know my goat
My kid is in the room
If you want to know my umbrella diamond
My small umbrella diamond is petite
Where is your goat kid?
Your lamb with yellow fur
Which one is the child of your heart?
The fruit of your heart that is white is yellow
Singapura Tercinta lyrics:
Kini tiba masa
Hari yang bersejarah
Bersatu kita menuju hala
Laluan yang sama
Mencapai kegemilangan
Lambang negara yang kaya
Kemakmuran
Kedamaian
Warna kita sama
Bulan bintang putih merah
Berpadu adil bahagia
Majukanlah negara
Mengharungi kepayahan
Lambang citra bangsa
Yang penuh pedoman
Hargai kejayaan
Chorus:
Sambutlah sahutlah
Majukan negara di persada dunia
Sambutlah seru semua
Majulah Singapura yang tercinta
Sanjungi kedaulatan
Junjungi kepimpinan
Maruah negara tidak akan dipertaruhkan
Kamilah warganegara
Berikrar untuk membina Singapura
Bersemangat waja
( Repeat Chorus )
Kita telah pelajari
Bukan mudah bangkit bersama
Gagah gigih dan berani
Kini kita telah berjaya
( Repeat Chorus x 2 )
Pertiwiku
Singapura tercinta
( English translation)
Now is the time
A historic day
United we are heading in the right direction
Same route
Achieve glory
A symbol of a rich country
Prosperity
Peace
Our colors are the same
Red white star moon
Be fair and happy
Advance the country
Going through hardships
Symbol of the nation's image
Full of guidance
Appreciate success
Chorus:
Say hello
Advance the country on the world stage
Welcome everyone
Go ahead beloved Singapore
Praise the sovereign
Respect leadership
The honor of the country will not be at stake
We are citizens
Pledge to build Singapore
Enthusiastic
(Repeat Chorus)
We have learned
It is not easy to rise together
Brave and courageous
Now we have succeeded
(Repeat Chorus x 2)
My country
Dear Singapore
● 1963 I was Born (Listen here 'Anak' /'Child' English version by Freddie Aguilar)
○ 'Child' in English version with Chinese translation ( watch here )
○ Pretty Russian Girl, Anna Rabtsun, Sings duet "ANAK" with David DiMuzio on rooftop ( check here ) and Anna can raps too, listen here .
○ Freddie Aguilar — Anak in original Tagalog [Official Lyric Video with Chords] (watch here)
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