I have been listening to this tune since I was a little kid – and years pass by, the impact is still very much the same, each time I listen to it. Sentuhan itu melangkau lebih dari sekadar irama dan  melodinya yang ceria berayun-ayun. There is something more than merely musical about this song. It implicitly defines my own sense of belonging. Sounding so 'Dusun', this song always helps me re-finding my root – wherever I step my two feet. Alamak, macam jiwanglah pula!

I love everything about 'Jambatan Tamparuli' – its simplicity, honesty and ‘humbleness’. Ini bukan sekadar cerita kasut tinggi yang jatuh di Jambatan Tamparuli. It’s about life in a bigger perspective: to be ready for the unexpected and to appreciate every little thing we are blessed with (walau hanya sepasang stokin dan kasut tinggi!). Most importantly, it reminds us that every time we lose ‘a thing’ (literally or metaphorically); life should never stop. We must continue moving on, and making up for the lost one (e.g. kalau kasut tinggi jatuh di jambatan, bah.. cari yang baru di kedai sebagai ganti!).

Jambatan Tamparuli

(written and originally sung by Justin Lusah)

PS: The Malay Translation is contextually close, but might not be culturally precise. Not that my Kadazan is bad or unreliable. But, regardless of how good your linguistic skill is – you won’t be able to translate the cultural expression from one language to another (e.g. the use of word 'silaka' in Kadazandusun does not carry the literal meaning of 'celaka' as in Malay). Transilasi lirik ini juga dibuat supaya keratan 'note' pada lirik BM turut sesuai dengan julat melodi lagu tersebut.