little brown man

Little brown man 
This is the song that I quoted in the dedication part
of my dissertation about labor migration...
I first heard this from Joey Ayala
and it has haunted me since then.
I have her sidekick/pretty friend/fellow musician
Tapati to thank for for  this lyrics and chords :)


Intro: D-C-Bm-C-D-Am-G-D-C-Bm-E-G-D-A

I

D             C                                 Bm       C
glad to know you’re feeling better
D                Am                                       G
happy to hear you’ve found your mind
D            C                                    Bm  E
it’s no joke to be living in america
                     G                              D  A
she ain’t friendly to our kind

II

D                       C                                Bm     C
you’ll always be a second-class citizen
D                   Am                      G
even if you pay your taxes right on time
D                              C                           Bm     E
you struggled so hard to get that green card
                 G
working under the table
               Em                                      A   D
calling home when you’re able to

Refrain

G                      C                                       A        D
little brown man in the land of the giants
G                      C                                         A      D
little brown woman on the white prairie
G                            D                                        C    
hold on to your dollars don’t go on no shopping spree
                     G              Em                 A  
you got to save it all for the family

III = I
everything’s disposable in the first world
nothing’s indispensable - you can throw it all away
good food in the garbage good people in the welfare line
it happens all the time

IV = II

peaches and apples and grapes don’t make it all that easy
bacon and eggs everyday can get to be a drag
these fancy slums get cold when the winter comes
chills you right to the bone
and you wish you were home

Refrain x 2

D               G   /F#      Em    /D  C A      
you got to save your soul
                   D-C-Bm-C-D
for the family

give thyself time for some 'high'

did you know CORITHA???

that's my intro-question for my friends upon knowing that coritha is still very much alive and that she will perform as part of the LEGENDS SERIES of conspiracy cafe (07/22/10. 10pm). answers varied from 'what's that?' to 'what is she famous for?" (all those other types in between). as for me, she's one those few beautiful pinay voices that have molded my 'musical being' when i was a very little girl. hearing her 'sierra madre' still gives me that ever-familiar feeling of sadness and longing for some place to call 'home'.

here are some of the 'internet-generation's little known facts' that might answer all (or some) of my friends' questions about coritha (thank you http://www.coritha.com/) : did you know ---

1. that coritha is the Philippines' foremost singer-songwriter-performer, recording artist and pioneering OPM advocate? known as the PEOPLE'S SINGER, coritha's songs have stood the test of time and have touched, inspired and entertained audience in countless ways.

2. that as the world sang and partied to Al Gore's Live Earth 24-hour musical extravaganza (to combat global warming), several patriotic-earth-loving Pinoys made sure the Filipinos would not be left behind? led by her, the Filipinos' presence was felt via a music video entitled "One Earth".

3.that the song "Lolo Jose" was first submitted as an entry in a Metro Pop (that famous songwriting contest) but never made it? however, in 1982, it won two Cecil awards: 1) "Best Folk-Pop Song", 2) "Best Folk-Pop Vocal Performance."

4. that she wrote and sung her super-dooper-mega-over hit song "Sierra Madre" as her tribute to the Sierra Madre Mountains, the largest and longest mountain range in the Philippines?

5. that she was the first (musical) artist in the history of pop-pinoy music to experiment with Philippine native instruments in her music? rondalla instruments such as the Banduria, Octavina and Laud were used in the songs "Awit Kay Leandro," "Bilanggo" and one of her biggest hit songs "Oras Na".

6. that she was the first singer-performer and recording artist to work alongside blind musicians with their talents as banduria players for her live performances and recordings during the early part of her career?

7. that despite the low turn-out (of audience) of her show with the rock 70s band last night, she was ever dynamic and ever strong in her rendition of parokya ni edgar's harana, a playful mix of pinoy pop-rock bongga ka day, jeprox and beep-beep (rock 70s rocked the night with horse with no name, and smooth) and the soulful interpretation of her timeless songs- kaibigan, sierra madre, lolo jose and oras na. i was seated just few inches away from the pinay pop-rock legend and i never regretted a single moment of it.

PS. special thanks to dear friend roy llenos for footing the bill and being my as-usual 'fairy god-driver'. my!!! was i one lucky fan!

[coritha's b&w pic above is from
http://www.singerpictures.com/coritha-pictures.html]