And so he died without his son...

NOFX songs are not the soundtracks of my life, yet I am a fan of their originality making music and and their deep lyrics. "My Orphan Year" sang by Fat Mike really breaks my heart, I cried last night only by listening to the song.

My father had dementia
He lied in bed for months
Once in a while he'd call me
And ask me to fly down
I told him that I'd love to
But I had things to do
And so he died without his son
I heard about it drunk after a show

My mother battled cancer
For over seven years
I nursed her and I held her
When time was running out
The night before she left me
I drank scotch all night
And thanked her for everything she'd done
Raising me alone wasn't much fun

Dad I can forgive you,
But I'll never forget,
Months I wouldn't see you and when I did
You'd be out with your friends all night
Alone and only nine
I watched the outer limits
And scared out of my mind
I wonder if you felt the same
The days before you died
I wonder if you even knew
Why I wouldn't come around
I bet if you had been there,
There wouldn't be this song

2006 goodbye parents
For once I am sincere
2006 my orphan year

-Fat Mike as Cokie the Clown singing the song in acoustic version-

Here I try to put an Indonesian translated version of the lyric. Just for my pleasure, actually. Not for showing off.


Ayahku kena dementia.
Ia terbaring di tempat tidur berbulan-bulan.
Kadang ia meneleponku
Dan memintaku untuk pulang.
Kubilang sebenarnya aku ingin,
tapi aku harus bekerja
Maka ia meninggal tanpa ditemani anak lelakinya...
Aku mendengar berita itu sambil mabuk setelah manggung.


Ibuku berjuang melawan kanker
Selama lebih dari tujuh tahun
Kurawat dan kupeluk ia
Di saat-saat terakhirnya
Pada malam sebelum ia meninggalkanku
Aku minum scotch semalaman
Dan berterimakasih padanya untuk semua yang telah ia lakukan.
Sendirian membesarkanku pastilah tidak terlalu menyenangkan.


Ayah aku dapat memaafkanmu
Tapi aku takkan pernah lupa
Berbulan-bulan aku tidak bersamamu, dan ketika aku mendatangimu
Kau malah akan keluar dengan teman-temanmu semalam suntuk.
Aku masih sembilan tahun dan sendirian
menonton The Outer Limits
Dan ketakutan setengah mati.
Aku bertanya-tanya apakah kau rasakan yang sama
Pada hari-hari sebelum kau meninggal
Aku bertanya-tanya apakah kau bahkan tahu
Mengapa aku menolak datang.
Kuyakin jika kau selalu ada untukku saat aku kecil
Lagu ini takkan tercipta.


Tahun 2006, selamat tinggal ayah ibu.
Untuk sekali ini aku bersungguh-sungguh
Tahun 2006, tahun ketika aku yatim piatu.

...maka ia meninggal tanpa ditemani anak lelakinya...

Everytime I listen to the song, I feel pity for my best friends who has lost their parents. Now that I grow old, I started to have friends who does not have father or mother. I always pity them deep down in my heart, and I cannot wonder how would it be to my family if I lost my parents in my early stage of life.

I have friends who are the most cheerful people in the world, but they have lost their father or mother in their childhood and I know they have some wound inside their hearts which cannot be shared with merely me. I hug them in my head every time I listen to the song.