Stories of jail are harrowing. In novels, short stories and songs, the jailhouse is a place that must be avoided. In the 1970s, Sjamsudin, the vocalist of the band D'Lloyd, recorded a song that was a huge hit before it was banned by the New Order government. But in 1999, the song was re-adapted and released again, with the following lyrics:

Life in jail is like a bird's
Wake up in the morning, eat rice and maize
Sleep on tiles, confused though