NYEBE


Released last December 12, 2022, who could forget the hauntingly beautiful single Nyebe? This song hits something in the hearts of people in many different ways. With Philippines as a tropical country, one would wonder where did the title or inspiration of this song came from? John Paulo Nase a.k.a PABLO being the one who wrote the song, how did he come up with the theme of the song? He was born and raised in the Philippines, and they never had enough money to go on vacations abroad. So, how did he think about snow when writing the song? Well, who knows? PABLO being PABLO, his mind works differently than most songwriters. 

Nyebe is a criminally underrated song, but as the year 2024 approaches it end, A'tin was pleased when the movies for the Metro Manila Film Festival came out. SB19 will play a big role in this year's MMFF because  not one, but two of their songs were used as official sound tracks. This is one of their biggest dreams, especially PABLO. It wasn't surprising that MAPA, one of their most famous songs made it to the movie festival, but to have Nyebe as Green Bones' OST made many A'tin happy. When MAPA expressed the love we have for our parents and the people who guided and cared for us, Nyebe saved our hearts from drowning. It gave us the peace and solace we so badly needed. So when A'tin said the song finally got the spotlight it deserves, they weren't wrong.

Why don't we dive into the painfully beautiful lyrics of Nyebe?

Bakit ba 'di ko namalayang dumadampi na sa 'king mukha
Lamig na mabigat pa sa dala
Kahit papalapit na ang inaabangan nila
Na noo'y pinatibok ang puso kong ngayo'y nagyelo na 

This part can be interpreted in several ways, and one of them is the feeling of losing interest with the things that used to excite us. This happens when we feel exhausted and drained. It may be because of life, family, romance, but every person who went through so much reaches a point when they no longer care. It's like living life just for the sake of living. That you're waiting for the end because that's the only thing you can do. Wait. You can't end it because you know you'd hurt the people you love, so you're just waiting and going on about life, and it's the worst part. When you no longer care or perhaps, you still care. You're just too exhausted to show it.

'Di ko na alam ang aking gagawin pa
Ako'y kuntento na basta alam kong tayo'y humihinga pa
Sa dami ng pinagdaanan ay hindi ko na
Alam kung paano pa ba ako magiging masaya

Even the strongest soldier breaks down at some point. We're just humans, after all. No matter how much we try to be strong for the people we love, we will always hit our breaking point. In every strength, there is a weakness, and we all have weaknesses. Some can handle it, but many of us can't. Like I said, those who can't end it, simply live life as they wait for the sweet release from this earthly plain. They smile for the sake of smiling. They may still be walking, talking, and breathing, but they've died long ago. 

Tayo ma'y magkalayo
Panalangin ko'y kayo
Takot ay maglalaho
Ito'ng aking pangako
Ako'y nandito

This may be a sweet vow to the people we love, but it also speak of how some of us are hanging by a thread. The fact that some of us are only here because of the people they love is nothing short of tragic. It is the definition of being a living dead. Emotionally dead with no more happiness left inside. It's sad, but it's true. Many of us are living this way without others knowing. It's the sad reality that this world refused to face. We are too oblivious about our surroundings that we constantly fail to notice the suffering of others.

Alam ko na hindi ito posible
Pero bakit bumubuhos ang nyebe
Nanlalamig ang bisig hinahanap ang 'yong tinig
Mahagkan ka sana'y 'di imposible

This may sound hopeless romantic, but this can also be interpreted as someone crying out for salvation from the people who claim to love and care for him. In countries that have winter, it means isolation or limitation from normal or regular movements such as going out and being with people. It forces them to stay at home and feel the cold, sometimes alone, just like the stormy days when we remain indoors. It gives us time to think and look back to the things we've done or long for people we no longer see. This specific part of the song is a person's cry for help. When life hit us hard with trials and tribulations, we feel isolated and caged that we think we have to fight our battles alone. Sometimes, even when our loved ones are trying to reach out to us, we can't hear them. The pain, sadness, and sorrow are too loud that it can drown out everything else.

Oh nyebe nyebe nyebe (malamig ma'y 'di na bale)
Nyebe nyebe nyebe (basta't nand'yan ka parati)
Nanlalamig ang bisig may kaba pa sa 'king dibdib
Marinig lang ang 'yong tinig matutunaw din lahat ng nyebe

This part is someone's battle cry. This is us talking to ourselves that no matter what, we will weather the storm for the people we love. It's a promise that no matter how bruised and bloodied we may get, we will fight our way back to the people we care about. We've all been through this, many may still be fighting their battles to get back to those that matter to them. It is us telling ourselves that just like winter, it will end sooner or later. Spring will finally come and the sun will shine on us again.

Ginugol oras sa lahat ng bagay na hinahangad
'Di namalayang oras ay lumilipad whoa
At kung ako'y nakalilipad ay babaliin siyang pakpak nang sa gano'n oras ay huminto
Ngayo'y nandito

Sometimes we are forced to forget about ourselves to achieve great things because the world expects so much from us. We became too focused on becoming someone that matters, so much so that we forget, it's not the most important thing in this world. This is the point of our lives when we tend to forget the people we love. We do it for them, after all. But is that what they want from us? For some, maybe, but many of the people around us, especially those who truly love us only wants to see us happy and contented. They wish to see us truly smile, not the smile we wear because we were required to. We often realize this late. When we already missed so much that the only thing we can do is to wish we could back in time. If we realize we're missing out before we lose it all, we try to hold on to the happiness we get just a little bit longer, wishing we could freeze that moment and remain that way forever.

How does Nyebe relate to the movie Green Bones?

 With the movie trailer, Green Bones seems to be about a person's life and the decisions we make. How we face  and react to tragedies and it affects in our lives. In Chinese culture, a green bone could be a sign that the person who died was good. In the world of criminal psychology, the debate about nature vs nurture had been a long standing argument to identify how someone could do evil things to others. Can a person be born evil or is it life that truly create monsters out of all of us?

With Nyebe as a song about life and a person's struggle, it perfectly encapsulated the message of "Do not judge the book by its cover." We don't know each other's story and what pushes us to do the things we did in our lives. Someone may look happy outside, but we have no idea of the pain and suffering they carry in their hearts. Just as Nyebe tells us that there's hope for all of us, Green Bones' message may very well be about giving people the chance to find the light. A little kindness and understanding could a long way and its free. The world is already cruel enough without us, people, fighting and judging one another.

Just as PABLO said, we live in a world full of perspectives. Until we see all the nooks and crannies, we should always choose to be kind. 


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