Haring ibon refers to the Philippine eagle (agila), the national bird of the Philippines. Conservationists estimate there are only 400 pairs of Philippine eagles left in the wild.
TAGALOG LYRICS
Nais kong lumipad tulad ng agila
At lumutang-lutang sa hangin
Magkaroon ng pugad sa puso ng kagubatan
Ngunit ito’y panaginip lang
At maaaring ‘di matupad
‘Pagkat ang kagubatan ay unti-unting nawawala
Mga puno nito’y nangingibang-bayan
At ‘pag walang puno wala na ring mapupugaran
Kapag ang agila’y walang pugad
Wala na s’yang dahilang lumipad
O, haring ibon
Hari kong tunay
Nais kong tumulong
Na ang kaharian mo’y
Muling mabuhay!
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
I want to fly like an eagle
And float on the wind
To have a nest in the heart of the forest
But this is only a dream
And may not come true
Because the forest is slowly disappearing
Its trees are going to other countries
And without trees, there’s nowhere to nest
When an eagle has no nest
It has o reason to fly
Oh, bird king
My true king
I want to help
I want your kingdom
To come alive again!
