Kuda Hitam

There was a period from the late 70s till early 80s where I listened to Malay radio a lot. The song, Kuda Hitam "Black Horse" is one of the songs that I had liked since I was a child. This evergreen Indonesian song has lyrics that stay true to the traditional, Malay-styled nature of imparting advice - non-confrontational, courteous and analogous. Sounds simple but isten to the song carefully.

The Malay language is simple yet intensely clever. They say that to know the language is to know the culture. How apt.

I especially like this version sung by the legendary songbird, Hetty Koes Endang.

Kuda Hitam
Kuda hitam aduh... kuda hitam
Tak dihitung namun berbahaya
Lari tenang aduh... pelan-pelan
Tau-tau bisa nyampai keluan

Gadis manis aduh... kulit hitam
Hidung mancung agak... berbahaya
Tenang-tenang aduh... menghanyutkan
Tau-tau bisa bikin kejutan

(chorus)
Kalaulah naik kuda hitam
Lari kencang nafas pun panjang
Kalaulah punya pacar hitam
Walau hari panas senyum senang

Jangan marah aduh abang-abang
Hati-hati hidup di dunia
Jangan pandang aneh pandang ringan
Aku nyanyi bukan sembarangan