Lubi-Lubi is a Waray folk song. Athough Waray is a language spoken only in the Visayas region, this song is taught in elementary schools elsewhere in the Philippines because the last lines serve as a useful mnemonic for the months of the year.
Enero, Pebrero… (January, February…)
SONG LYRICS
Lubi-lubi lubi, lubi lingkuranay
Ayaw gad pagsak-i, kay hibubo-ay.
Ayaw gad pagsak-i,
Lubi-lubi
Kon maruruyag ka kumaon hin silot
Didto la nga didto la
Kan Nanay nga didto la.
Kan Tatay nga didto la, pakigsabot.
Agidaw-gidaw an bukaw
Naglupad-lupad ha igbaw
Agidaw-gidaw an gitgit
Naglupad-lupad ha langit
Agidaw-gidaw an bukaw
Naglupad-lupad ha igbaw
Agidaw-gidaw an gitgit
Linmupad ha langit
Enero, Pebrero, Marso, Abril, Mayo,
Hunyo, Hulyo, Agosto,
Setyembre, Oktubre,
Nobyembre, Desyembre,
Lubi-lubi.
Lubi-Lubi is the plant Solanum nigrum (black nightshade). It is called kamkamatisan or gamagamatisan in Tagalog.
I used to sing this with my great grandma.
Hi Ms.Cheryl, quite fascinating. In Bicol we also have a variation of this song, different lyrics past the mnemonics. Lubi-lubi for us is ficus pseudopalmata, which looks like a miniature coconut palm. We serve the young shoots of said plant in gata and chilies
I don’t think the Lubi-lubi in the song is the Black nightshade. Lubi lubi in the song refers to Lubi or coconut (cocos nucifera). Coconut in Visaya is Lubi. It was just repeated in the song. The song says…”Kon naruyag ka kumaon hin SILOT”. Silot in Visaya (especially Waray) is the young coconut, or in Tagalog, Buko. The Lubi-lubi or the black nightshade does not have a SILOT or young coconut. Another thing, the BUKAW (Visaya of owl), and the GITGIT (another kind of bird which fly very high in the sky), usually perch on high trees, usually seen in coconuts. Therefore, the song does not refer to Lubi-lubi, the Blacknightshade, but to LUBI, the Visaya name of COCONUT (Cocos nucifera). Anyway, it is a Visayan song, and we Visayans (Warays) know that the song refers to the coconut palm.