Ruby Ibarra - Who I Am

Lyrics/Vocals: R. Ibarra Instrumental: Cormega - The Saga (Remix) Intro of the song contains samples from Francis Magalona - Mga Kababayan Ko and Apo Hiking Society - American Junk DOWNLOAD MP3: http://www.zshare.net/audio/812980690... In honor of celebrating Filipino American History month, this is a song about Filipino/Filipino-American history and politics. This is a song I wrote for UC Davis' 2010 Pilipino Culture Night. Many thanks to Cherie Buenaflor for asking me to write this! Lyrics: Kailangan na tayoy gumising, ating damdamin isipin at itong hangin linisin, puede na natin baguhin bakit ba ganyan? naka posa ang ating kamay mga preso ng secreto at mali sa saysay so not myself as i should be - less a self, more selfishly the press say i should sell myself to shelves but theres discrepancy: identity thats meant to be and colonized mind in me lying in our eyes till we find ourself as enemy taught to use papaya soap like whiteness is the antidote caught in colonized approach cant fight this, like im at the throat question it? you start to choke, unless you lessen half your soul pressin close this flattened nose, its told its best if I'm 'Cano best if i erase the brown, color of the country's ground color of the roots found beneath the lands of Mindanao people power sequel cuz this be the peoples hour so we need to see it now or we cant seek whats really ours colonized mind, blind folded, so im hynotized compromised pride, bind hands, never reach the skies modified eyes, cry truth, fail to recognize the disguised lies write views planted in our minds callin me a dogeater prayin on some chicken bones nation known for sex tours, order brides mailed to homes all of that is nonsense, they've never felt the misery theyve never seen my province or know my country's history the blistered feet, pollution, greed, Spain and U.S. Colony planted all this fallacy, corruption in mentality Marcos with regime and so no privacy for families people power used to heed the goverment monopoly the poverty that never sees improvement from economy kayumangi, no equality, cuz white is what you oughta be the native tongue i try to speak is silenced by the mastery of English that I'm forced keep to take the FOB outside of me like Bulosan said, Americas in the heart but my blood is Philippines that keeps it pumpin in the dark So people wake up so we can learn about the issues Those we never learned in school, and missed in news Those we never find in books, so its a missed tool Never learned to hold up a fist, our minds the pistol defined by a line in my mind called the hyphen So over time, I'm, tryna find the right height when tryna reach the sky but I fight from being boxed in Wanna bridge the gap but my color is the toxin cultures counteract, keep me back as a caution of history and facts from my path so I'm tossed in stuck between America and Philippines, though so i know that Im both, so I struggle with this rope If I'm Filipino now with a flat nose makes me Filipino then, but with my eyes closed Rest in Peace to idol, Francis Magalona-- the talent who introduced me to rap music.