When you’re Away

All Upsilonians, tried and true know this song.  The history, the play, a production in the Golden Era of theater in the University of the Philippines (UP).  The storyline of a city boy meeting a local "Benguet Babe" and falling for her.  The play was a hit in UP campuses and was bespectacled with talent from Upsilonians, Sigma Deltans and UP theater luminaries.  The days were then known as the “Cavalcades”.  When the stage was the battlefield. Live music, scripts and pure artistry, not of those that are done on a laptop by some kid in his room and uploaded as an “indie” art film.  

The Cavalcades were live and loud.  Eras contribute to the growth of society in general.  We learn from mistakes.  We make new ones.  We continue to grow.  In the fraternity, the Cavalcade era of the ‘50’s and ‘60’s (that had a revival in the ‘70’s) left a mark in our great fellowship – our fraternity love song.

Unbeknownst to many and even to younger bros, Sigma Deltans and barbarians, it is our love song serenaded to our “ever ones”.   With a long stemmed pink rose, this song would be the equivalent to a proposal by a brod wooing the heart of his “ever one”.

Sadly, the same song is more known for being sung by Upsilonians at funerals of our departed brothers.  In the FNR, after the eulogies that come with tears, the sun has set, the flowers set and bequeathed to the late Regular fellow’s kin, we sing in unison in a much lower tones and tempo about “reliving a million and one yesterdays”.

My experience with this song was mostly of the latter circumstance that I cited.  I only serenaded this great song once for a girl I wanted to be with.  Once.

A couple of times the fraternity love song had “impromptu” renditions by bros campaigning in campus politics.  That would not be nice to be included in this writing.   In reunions of my generation, the ‘80’s, I recall certain times when I actually shed a tear when we sang this song together in fellowship, after another case of beer for the all of us.  Loyalty Day celebrations in LB, the Liamzon Residence reunions, batch fellowships and the like would sometimes trigger a tear to fall.  

The surge of emotion I get in these times is how it must be like when Italian operas are performed in Italian mafia gatherings.  Gangsters would break down when a song would strike a chord in memory of their fallen.  Though we are upright and self respecting men, I baffle at why even Mafioso cry for their dead with “just” a song.

We all know that this song will one day be sung in our honor by a bunch of men in Barong Tagalogs, sporting canes and a funny looking red cap even when others have “ceased and gone”.   The song also summarizes the time, the short time we spent together with our brother that “no joy can replace”.  As we sing, the tears bleed down our cheeks, slowly as memories race through our minds and our heart bleeds for sunset has come for our brother.

We should appreciate this song our “days must not lose their magic glow”.  We should sing this beautiful sonata as we live for the partners we have or had, for the brothers we love and not mainly, for our paying our last respects.

Let us try sing "When you’re Away' my Fellow Upsilonians as we live our lives together, “in every rise and set of day”.

To bros like Vic Navasero '55, Roger Crudo '63, Arbie Bisenio '85, Ging Maquiling/Jay Soriano '87, we will meet in the sun and "I shall tell you much", again.