The oldest recording of this song I have is from the Ngerel Belau Radio Tapes with Wataru Elbelau singing. The song was titled "Di Ua Blok Bad" and it starts on what is considered to be the second verse, therefore, Wataru never sings the title word "Ribang."
Each of the next three sings the first verse (with Ribang), but none of them exactly follows the lyrics as they are written in the songbooks.
The lyrics:
Ribang a kmal meringel le
tirkel bladek a dekasoes
E ng kora mo medidelangel a rengud
E mengurs a ngurd er a bedenged
El ua blo kbad e kbirrusii
a mlad el obekuk e ng merrengek
Chelecha kulebedebek er a
bok mad me a chad eng diul di soak
Le renguk el kmal deuaoch me a
lengelakl a soal e ng mo obengkel
A renguk mei mei, a renguk choi mei
A renguk mei mei e lak chobong
E bo bechikak me dik uaisei
Me di kmad er a klengit el reng
Kodall a diak a imiu rengii
Me a kmad el mong me kau a mei
Ak mad el mong me kau a mei
Me keleng dirrek el mo ungil besul
Me chodi ba mad e ochedengei
e ke mo el mo meruul er a blid er a
Ke mo el mo meruul er a blid er a
telkib er a mesechesechel ngedeloch
English Translation:
Ribang is very serious because of
Those ancestors we will join
And our hearts will kind of gently weep
As our bodies are aroused
Like when I lie down to sleep and I dream of him
The one who passed, my older brother and younger sister
Today I pondered that
I would die together with the person that I love
Because my heart is very wavering and
What it wanted passed me by and that was to be with him
My heart comes, comes, my heart yes it comes
My heart comes, comes and you couldn’t go
And go leave me be and I’ll do the same
And I just die from this sorrow
Death, it doesn’t pass by
And I die and leave as you come
I die and leave and you come
And perhaps also to a better place
And if you just might die, friend
And you go to go fix our house
You go to fix our house at
a little hiding place in the after-life