1891 Pingitan

If He Can

by Kartini

What's stopping me?

~

What's stopping me? ~

Pingitan (seclusion) starts when a Raden Ajeng, noble unmarried woman, has started menstruating and continues until a nobleman asks for her hand in marriage. Once she is married, she then becomes Raden Ayu.

VERSE 1:

THE GOLDEN PARASOLS 

MAY LOOK LIKE A DREAM

BUT NO MATTER HOW LOVELY  

THIS HOUSE MAY SEEM

THE TOWERING GATE STILL LOCKS ME IN

AND THIS IS THE LONELIEST I’VE EVER BEEN

    

CHORUS: 

WHY WAS IT ALL TAKEN FROM ME?

WHY WAS MY ENDING ALREADY WRITTEN FOR ME?

WHO GETS TO SAY WHAT I’LL BE?

WHO GETS TO SAY WHAT I’LL BE?

IF HE CAN, 

WHAT'S STOPPING ME?

VERSE 2:

NO MATTER HOW CROWDED

THIS HOUSE MAY SEEM

IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE 

WHEN WERE JUST STRANGERS 

THE TOWERING GATE STILL LOCKS ME IN 

THEY CALL IT HOME BUT IT FEELS LIKE PRISON 

CHORUS: 

WHY WAS IT ALL TAKEN AWAY FROM ME?

WHY WAS MY ENDING ALREADY WRITTEN FOR ME?

WHO GETS TO SAY WHAT I’LL BE?

WHO GETS TO SAY WHAT I’LL BE?

IF HE CAN, 

WHAT'S STOPPING ME?

BRIDGE:

WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR ME TO PROVE TO YOU? 

THAT I DESERVE A LIFE THAT I CHOOSE   

AT THE END OF THIS DAY

I’LL STILL HAVE MYSELF 

AND I PRAY THAT IT WILL BE ENOUGH 

CHORUS: 

I WON’T LET THEM TAKE AWAY FROM ME

WON’T HAVE MY ENDING REWRITTEN FOR ME

I’LL GET TO SAY WHAT WILL I BE

I’LL GET TO SAY WHAT WILL I BE

IF HE CAN, 

WHAT'S STOPPING ME?

  • Kartini is weeping in bed as she sings this song. This is the moment that she first realizes she wants to rebel back at the tradition. If he can do it then why can't I? She doesn't understand why men and women are given different opportunities for something that cannot be changed.

    She talks about her house and how it is perceivingly a place people would love to call home. But at the end of the day, a home is not a home without the feeling of comfort and warmth. Instead of feeling safe, she feels trapped. The house felt big, and she felt so small and lonely.

    Why was this fate forced upon her? Why does she not have a say in her own future? She questions this.

  • This track was co-produced by Chucky Kim. He taught me a lot about layering and adding elements that I didn't realize would make such a huge difference.

    The synths that you hear in the chorus are layers of many different tape orchestra plug-ins from Spitfire. Chucky taught me about manipulating the MIDI and giving it arpeggiation, adding reverb, reversing the clip and pitching it up and down. These different elements combined gave each layer a different intention. Blended altogether, it sounded like a choir.

    I wanted the audience to feel a sense of hopefulness and rebellion in the chorus. At the last chorus, we also hear backing vocals and adlibs which to me is like the angels echoing Kartini's message and prayer. She is protected and guided by the spirits that want her to succeed.

    • I would play around more with tempo, maybe speed up the song in the chorus and giving it more strings to dramatize the passion and rebellion.

    • I'd like to have a real live choir in the background, alongside the live orchestra.