There once was a musical troupe
Dulu ada sekelompok musisi
A pickin' singin' folk group
Sebuah grup rakyat yang suka nyanyi dan main alat musik
They sang the mountain ballads
Mereka menyanyikan balada gunung
And the folk songs of our land
Dan lagu-lagu rakyat dari tanah kita

They were long on musical ability
Mereka punya bakat musik yang luar biasa
Folks thought they would go far
Orang-orang berpikir mereka akan sukses besar
But political incompatibility led to their downfall
Tapi ketidakcocokan politik membawa mereka ke kehancuran

Well, the one on the right was on the left
Nah, yang di kanan ternyata di kiri
And the one in the middle was on the right
Dan yang di tengah ternyata di kanan
And the one on the left was in the middle
Sedangkan yang di kiri ada di tengah
And the guy in the rear was a Methodist
Dan yang di belakang ternyata seorang Metodis

This musical aggregation toured the entire nation
Grup musik ini berkeliling ke seluruh negeri
Singing the traditional ballads
Menyanyikan balada tradisional
And the folk songs of our land
Dan lagu-lagu rakyat dari tanah kita
They performed with great virtuosity
Mereka tampil dengan sangat mahir
And soon they were the rage
Dan segera mereka jadi terkenal
But political animosity prevailed upon the stage
Tapi permusuhan politik menguasai panggung

Well, the one on the right was on the left
Nah, yang di kanan ternyata di kiri
And the one in the middle was on the right
Dan yang di tengah ternyata di kanan
And the one on the left was in the middle
Sedangkan yang di kiri ada di tengah
And the guy in the rear burned his driver's license
Dan yang di belakang membakar SIM-nya

Well the curtain had ascended
Nah, tirai sudah dibuka
A hush fell on the crowd
Suasana hening menyelimuti kerumunan
As thousands there were gathered to hear
Karena ribuan orang berkumpul untuk mendengarkan
The folk songs of our land
Lagu-lagu rakyat dari tanah kita
But they took their politics seriously
Tapi mereka menganggap politik sangat serius
And that night at the concert hall
Dan malam itu di aula konser
As the audience watched deliriously
Saat penonton menyaksikan dengan antusias
They had a free-for-all
Mereka terlibat keributan

Well, the one on the right was on the bottom
Nah, yang di kanan terjatuh ke bawah
And the one in the middle was on the top
Dan yang di tengah ada di atas
And the one on the left got a broken arm
Sedangkan yang di kiri mengalami patah lengan
And the guy in the rear, said, "Oh dear"
Dan yang di belakang berkata, "Oh tidak!"

Now this should be a lesson if you plan to start a folk group
Sekarang ini harus jadi pelajaran jika kamu berencana bikin grup rakyat
Don't go mixin' politics with the folk songs of our land
Jangan campur adukkan politik dengan lagu-lagu rakyat kita
Just work on harmony and diction
Fokuslah pada harmoni dan pengucapan
Play your banjo well
Mainkan banjo-mu dengan baik
And if you have political convictions keep them to yourself
Dan jika kamu punya keyakinan politik, simpan saja untuk dirimu

Now, the one on the left works in a bank
Sekarang, yang di kiri kerja di bank
And the one in the middle drives a truck
Dan yang di tengah nyetir truk
The one on the right's an all-night deejay
Yang di kanan jadi DJ semalaman
And the guy in the rear got drafted
Dan yang di belakang kena wajib militer