Magtanim ay Di Biro
Tagalog Nursery Rhyme
Original Lyrics
Magtanim ay di biro,Maghapong nakayuko.Di man lang makaupo,Di man lang makatayo.
Bisig ko'y namamanhid,Baywang ko'y nangangawit.Binti ko'y namimintigSa pagkababad sa tubig.
English Translation
Planting rice is no joke,Bent over the whole day long.You cannot even sit,You cannot even stand.
My arms have gone numb,My waist is stiff and sore.My legs are crampingFrom being soaked in the water.
Translation Notes
Vocabulary
magtanim - to plant biro - joke maghapon - all day long nakayuko - bent over, stooping makaupo - to be able to sit makatayo - to be able to stand bisig - arm baywang - waist binti - leg, lower leg tubig - water
Grammar Notes
Inversion with "ay": Magtanim ay di biro uses ay to link the topic (magtanim, planting) to the comment (di biro, no joke). This inverted order is common in Tagalog songs and formal speech. Di is a short form of hindi (not).
"Man lang" for emphasis: di man lang makaupo means "cannot even sit." Man lang adds the sense of "not even," stressing how little rest the work allows.
Ability prefix "maka-": makaupo (able to sit) and makatayo (able to stand) use the maka- prefix to express capability, so their negatives say the worker is unable to do these things.
Body-state verbs: namamanhid (going numb), nangangawit (getting sore or tired), and namimintig (cramping) all describe the body reacting to strain, formed with a nasal prefix and reduplication that mark an ongoing condition.
Line-by-Line Translation
Magtanim ay di biro - "Planting rice is no joke"
- magtanim = to plant
- di biro = not a joke
Maghapong nakayuko - "Bent over the whole day long"
- maghapon = all day
- nakayuko = bent over
Di man lang makaupo, di man lang makatayo - "You cannot even sit, you cannot even stand"
- makaupo = able to sit
- makatayo = able to stand
Bisig ko'y namamanhid - "My arms have gone numb"
- bisig = arm
- namamanhid = becoming numb
Sa pagkababad sa tubig - "From being soaked in the water"
- pagkababad = being soaked
- tubig = water
History and Meaning
"Magtanim ay Di Biro," which translates to "Planting Rice Is No Joke," is a Filipino folk song that puts the labor of rice farming into a child's mouth. Line by line it lists what the work does to the body: bent over all day, unable to sit or stand, arms numb, waist aching, legs cramping in the flooded paddy. Filipino schoolchildren learn it in music class, and it has long been sung by farmers themselves.
Origins
The song belongs to the Filipino folk tradition and has no single documented author. It grew out of the country's rice-farming life, where planting is done by hand, stooped over in ankle-deep water for hours. Generations have passed it down, and it became a fixture in Philippine school songbooks. Longer versions add further verses, but the two stanzas here are the part almost everyone knows.
Meaning & Interpretation
Unlike many nursery songs, this one does not soften its subject. It teaches respect for farm work by naming the aches plainly: the numb arms, the sore waist, the cramping legs. For a child, it connects the rice on the plate to the effort behind it. For adults, it has often carried a quiet note of solidarity with the farmers who feed the country. The tune is gentle even as the words describe hard labor, which is part of why it stays with people.
Why do Filipino children learn Magtanim ay Di Biro?
Rice is the staple food of the Philippines, and this song ties everyday meals to the people who grow them. Teachers use it to build gratitude and to introduce children to rural life and to the vocabulary of the body and of work.
What does the song say about farm work?
It says planting rice is exhausting. The singer is bent over all day, cannot pause to sit or stand, and ends with numb arms, a sore waist, and cramping legs from standing in water. The message is that food comes from real, tiring effort.
Free Printable Coloring Page
Print this Magtanim ay Di Biro coloring sheet for free and let little ones bring it to life with crayons or pencils.
Lyrics from nurseryrhymes.info