The Relationship between Tune and Text
Fourth, a select few songs have two parts; rather than the strophic form (which means the melody stays consistent for each verse) that is typical of most songs, there are two distinct melodies, known as the induak (mother) and anak pantun (child). While there is an ideal progression of order through these multi-part songs, my recordings suggest that order is not always followed. Fifth, in some songs, including many that have two parts, the verse length is flexible and can vary from one performance to the next.
For example, I have examples of the “same” song having pantun ranging from twelve to twenty-four lines in length.
According to Martis, who I worked with on saluang matters for X months during fieldwork in 2003-2004, there is a connection between a song's title and the theme of the pantun. For example, the batang in songs from regions near the ocean describe the ocean or that songs with "going to the forest" have texts about sadness in, or perhaps even while one works in, the forest. That no-one else has ever articulated that connection does not mean it does not exist: I might not have asked about it, or they don't think think about it.