The melody of the song was first brought to Malay World by Sultan Abdullah Muhammad Shah II of Perak, who was exiled to the island of Mahé, in what is now Seychelles by the mid of 1870s for abetting the murder of the British Resident James W. W. Birch.
Waktu potong padi di tengah sawah Sambil bernyanyi riuh rendah Bersenang hati sambil bersuka Tolonglah kami bersama sama The moon is shining, moon shine reflects on the river Floating crocodile thought to be dead Don't believe man's word Dare to pledge but afraid of dying
Whilst harvesting paddy in the field Singing gaily Heart at ease while having fun Help us together Several lyrics set to the tune exist, with their meanings being very similar.
Felix Mendelssohn & His Hawaiian Serenaders used the tune of Terang Bulan in their song Mamula Moon, on their 1947 album Paradise Isle.
Terang boelan de maan schijnt over Java En aan het strang zit Nunja heel alleen Ze denkt nog altijd aan haar Tuan Blanda die met zijn schip zolang van haar verdween
However, there's still something that can bring her joy That is her child with eyes so navy blue The sun shone for a while in her life When the child said: 'I will stay forever with you' Tunku Abdul Rahman, the Chief Minister and Minister for Home Affairs of the Federation of Malaya, selected Perak's state anthem as the Federation's national hymn, on account of its "traditional flavour".