“I Have Fallen in Love with the Same Woman Thrice”

The year was 1973.  Ninoy wrote an ode for Cory from within his prison cell in Fort Bonifacio as a political detainee during the Marcos Regime.  The original poem is composed of 19 stanzas symbolic of the years of their marriage.  It’s a tribute to his wife sacrifices for him and their family as he served his country and fought for freedom.  Its theme was both emotional and political.

In 1987,  singer/songwriter Jose Mari Chan was commissioned to set the poem into music.  The piece adopted the first line of the poem for its title “I Have Fallen in Love (with Same The Woman Three Times)” and was included in Chan’s top-selling album “Constant Change” which has since achieved a Diamond Record status (10 times platinum in terms of sales). The song didn’t get as much airplay on the radio then as much as the big hits from the album (i.e. “Beautiful Girl”, “Please Be Careful With My Heart”).  But the paean now serves as one of the theme upon the former president’s demise.

On the day of Cory’s passing, the Joe Mari Chan was interviewed by Arnold Clavio & Vikki Morales for GMA News detailing about how the song came to be.  When requested by the news anchors to sing parts of the song, Chan obliged but turned emotional midway.  Below is a clip of that 9-minute interview:

A remake by Christian Bautista is due to be released soon and will be included in his new album containing 19 Jose Mari Chan classics. Below is the full lyrics of the song and a YouTube clip as Bautista sang it live for the first time in yesterday’s tribute for Cory in ABS-CBN’s Sunday noontime show, ASAP.

I Have Fallen in Love (with the Same Woman Three Times)
words by Benigno Aquino, Jr.
music by Jose Mari Chan

 I have fallen in love
With the same woman three times
In a day spanning 19 years
Of tearful joys and joyful tears

I loved her first when she was young
Enchanting and vibrant, eternally new
She was brilliant, fragrant
And cool as the morning dew

 I fell in love with her the second time
When first she bore her child and mine
Always by my side, the source of my strength
Helping to turn the tide

But there were candles to burn
The world was my concern
While our home was her domain
And the people were mine
While the children were hers to maintain

So it was in those eighteen years and a day
‘Til I was detained; forced in prison to stay

 Suddenly she’s our sole support
Source of comfort
Our wellspring of hope
On her shoulders felt the burden of life

 I fell in love again
With the same woman the third time
Looming from the battle
Her courage will never fade

 Amidst the hardships she has remained
Undaunted and unafraid.
She is calm and composed
She is God’s lovely maid

– – – – – – – – – –

Full text of the original poem is posted here.