Indonesian Handbag
Indonesian Handbag
by Jan Cornall
Please help me, will you help me
I don't know what to do
Please help me, will you save me
From falling in love with you
It would be no problem
If the singular were in use
But in your case it's the plural
That is causing me my mind to lose!
Please help me, will you help me
I don't know what to do
It's not just one Indonesian
But the whole bang lot of you
Every hand I shake every smile I see
Every laugh I share everyone I greet
I stagger, I swoon, I crumple, I fall
Into a jelly heap
Please help me, will you help me
Can you tell me what to do?
I fall in love on every corner
Every day anew
You're so sexy and delicious
Passionate, outrageous
Intelligent, good-looking and good cooks too
And I want the world to share in my discovery
At the same time I want to keep you all just for me
My friends think I've gone crazy
My friends think I've gone mad
'Cos I'm always getting on a plane
For Indonesia land
Please help me, will you help me
I don't know what to do
I know I'm not the first or last
To fall headlong over heels for you
And they can call me what they like
I don't care
Indo Groupy, Indohag, Indonesian Handbag!
But my government's suspicious
Wants to keep us estranged
They know you're so irresistible
We'd all soon be engaged
My government is scared
Of a terrorist attack
But the only terror that I have
Is of never coming back!
Please help me, will you help me
I don't know what to do
I've fallen, seriously fallen
For the whole bang lot of you!
So when you see me standing on the street
With tears in my eyes
I'm not sad, I'm just happy
My dreams to realize
To finally meet a people
So generous and kind
Who stimulate my body and excite my mind
(I had asked god to send me one new lover
And now I have 200 million new friends to discover!)
And there's only one question, now I have to ask
Dear Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, God, Buddha
Am I dreaming?
If so, please make this dream last!
And be careful what you wish for
You just might get it!
-- Indonesia, 2005
Published in Indozine 1: Indonesian Handbag, Indosongs &
Indopoems 04/05, Jan Cornall:August 2005. Permission for
publication in The Jakarta Post granted by author.