"Paraiso" and Smokey Mountain

Here's an old Philippine pop song I like, released in the early '90s. It's called "Paraiso," the (Hispanic-) Filipino word for "paradise" -- a deliberately ironic title, for the song is written in the voice of a child living in a shantytown built around a garbage dump (that "garbage dump" community is called "Smokey Mountain," the quintessential symbol of poverty in Philippines. People at Smokey Mountain make a living scavenging the garbage pile for recyclable items that could be sold or reused).

Images of Smokey Mountain, as captured by this Italian photographer dude. Please visit his site for a photojournalistic rendering of life at Smokey Mountain. If you're a do-gooder and want to contribute to anti-poverty work in Philippines (an almost impossible task?), talk to me; I might be able to direct you to some action groups.

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Oh, I almost forgot...the song:

(Trouble viewing it here? Try this.)
"Paraiso" ("Paradise") by Smokey Mountain
--In my opinion, one of the best Filipino pop songs ever written. Songwriter: Ryan Cayabyab.

I.
Return to a land called Paraiso
A place where a dying river ends
No birds dare fly over Paraiso
No space allows them to endure
The smoke that screens the air
The grass that's never there

And if I could see a single bird, what a joy!
I'd try to write some words and create
A simple song to be heard by the rest of the world.

II.
I live in this land called Paraiso
In a house made of cardboard floors and walls
I learned to be free in Paraiso
Free to claim anything I see
Matching rags for my clothes
Plastic bags for the cold

And if empty cans were all I have, what a joy!
I never fight to take someone else's coins
and live in fear like the rest of the boys.

Chorus:
Paraiso, help me make a stand
Paraiso, take me by the hand
Paraiso, make the world understand
That if I could see a single bird, what a joy!
This tired and hungry land could expect
Some truth and hope and respect
From the rest of the world...

And here's Paraiso as performed by some dude in Japan:
(1 min. 16 secs.)

--Forgive me, but this is an utter bastardization of the song. Fine, I give 'em kudos for the slick and catchy production... but really, come on! (They could've at least gotten a guy who could sing! Ugh. But on the bright side, he's cute. =))

(Trouble viewing it here? Try this.)