Lyrics

Title: Miṭṭi Da Palwaan – مٹّی دا پلوان – A Hero Made Of Clay
Language: Punjabi

مٹّی دا پلوان توں بندیا
miṭṭi da palwaan toon bandiya
You’re a hero made of clay, O human

مٹّی دا پلوان
miṭṭi da palwaan
A hero made of clay

مٹّی دا پلوان توں بندیا
miṭṭi da palwaan toon bandiya
You’re a hero made of clay, O human

مٹّی دا پلوان
miṭṭi da palwaan
A hero made of clay

بس مٹّی دا پلوان توں بندیا
bas miṭṭi da palwaan toon bandiya
Just a hero made of clay, O human

مٹّی دا پلوان
miṭṭi da palwaan
A hero made of clay

جھوٹی تیری شان او بندیا
jhooṭi teri shaan o bandiya
Your pride and grandeur is all meaningless, O human

جھوٹی تیری آن
jhooṭi teri aan
Your rank and fame is all meaningless

جھوٹی تیری شان او بندیا
jhooṭi teri shaan o bandiya
Your pride and grandeur is all meaningless, O human

جھوٹی تیری آن
jooṭhi teri aan
Your rank and fame is all meaningless

ہو اک دن اوہنیں لے جانی اے
ho ik din ohnen lai jaani e
One day, Fate will come

ہو اک دن اوہنیں لے جانی اے
ho ik din ohnen lai jaani e
One day, Fate will come

کڈ کے تیری جان
kaḍ ke teri jaan
And wrest your life away

مٹّی دا پلوان توں بندیا
miṭṭi da palwaan toon bandiya
You’re a hero made of clay, O human

مٹّی دا پلوان
miṭṭi da palwaan
A hero made of clay

بس مٹّی دا پلوان توں بندیا
bas miṭṭi da palwaan toon bandiya
Just a hero made of clay, O human

مٹّی دا پلوان
miṭṭi da palwaan
A hero made of clay

اچّے اچّے ترلے تیرے
ucche ucche turle tere
All your pride and grandeur

ایتھے رہ جانیں نیں
aithe rah jaanen nen
Will get left behind here

محل منارے سارے تیرے
mahl manaare saare tere
All your grand castles and palaces

اک دن ٹہہ جانیں نیں
ik din ṭah jaanen nen
Will fall down one day

رہنا نئیوں نشان و بندیا
rahna naiyon nishaan o bandiya
No trace of them will be left, O human

رہنا نئیوں نشان
rahna naiyon nishaan
No trace will be left

چھڈ دے کرنے مان توں بندیا
chhaḍ de karne maan toon bandiya
Get rid of your false pride, O human

چھڈ دے کرنے مان
chhaḍ de karne maan
Get rid of your false pride

ہو اک دن اوہنیں لے جانی اے
ho ik din ohnen lai jaani e
One day, Fate will come

ہو اک دن اوہنیں لے جانی اے
ho ik din ohnen lai jaani e
One day, Fate will come

کڈ کے تیری جان
kaḍ ke teri jaan
And wrest your life away

مٹّی دا پلوان توں بندیا
miṭṭi da palwaan toon bandiya
You’re a hero made of clay, O human

مٹّی دا پلوان
miṭṭi da palwaan
A hero made of clay

بس مٹّی دا پلوان توں بندیا
bas miṭṭi da palwaan toon bandiya
Just a hero made of clay, O human

مٹّی دا پلوان
miṭṭi da palwaan
A hero made of clay

وے توں مرناں نئیوں
ve toon marna naiyon
Do you think you’re immortal?

کی توں بندے کھاناں ایں
ki toon bande khaanaan en
More powerful than anyone else?

توں تے کج وی نئیں چھڈیا
toon te kuj vi naeen chhaḍiya
Your greed has devoured everything

دس ہن کی چاہناں ایں
das hun ki chaahnaaan en
Now what do you want for?

تیرے باہجوں ڈاہڈے وی پلوان زمانے ویکھے
tere baahjon ḍaahḍe vi palwaan zamaane wekhe
Since you, heroes much more powerful have come into the world

کلّم کلّے خالی ہتّھی لوکاں جاندے ویکھے
kallam kalle khaali hatthi lokaan jaande wekhe
The world has seen people depart from here alone and empty-handed

تیرے باہجوں ڈاہڈے وی پلوان زمانے ویکھے
tere baahjon ḍaahḍe vi palwaan zamaane wekhe
Since you, heroes much more powerful have come into the world

کلّم کلّے خالی ہتّھی لوکاں جاندے ویکھے
kallam kalle khaali hatthi lokaan jaande wekhe
The world has seen people depart from here alone and empty-handed

تیری کل کمائی اکّو چادر کوری چٹّی
teri kul kamaayi ikko chaadar kori chiṭṭi
The full sum of your earnings is one plain white shroud

مٹّی مٹّی ہو جانی اے آخر تیری مٹّی
miṭṭi miṭṭi ho jaani e aakhir teri miṭṭi
In the end, your body will go and merge with the dust

مٹّی مٹّی ہو جانی اے آخر تیری مٹّی
miṭṭi miṭṭi ho jaani e aakhir teri miṭṭi
In the end, your body will go and merge with the dust

ایویں کریں گمان او بندیا
aiwen kare gumaan o bandiya
You are proud for no reason, O human

اپنا آپ پچھان
apna aap pachhaan
Learn to recognize your own reality

ہو اپنا آپ پچھان
ho apna aap pachhaan
Learn to recognize your own reality

ساہنواں دی اے کھیڈ جنّاں چر آندے جاندے رہن
saawaan di e kheḍ jinnaan chir aande jaande rahn
This game of life continues only till the body draws breath

ویلا سر تے آجاوے تے ٹٹّن سجرّے ٹہن
wela sir te aajaawe te ṭuṭṭan sajrre ṭahn
When the time of death is here, even fresh and verdant branches break

ککّھوں ہولا ٹاہن توں بندیا
kakkhon haula ṭaahn toon bandiya
You’re nothing but a feeble twig, O human

ککّھوں ہولا ٹاہن
kakkhon haula ṭaahn
Nothing but a feeble twig

چڑھ پانویں آسمان توں بندیا
chaṛh paanwen aasmaan o bandiya
Even if you reach as high as the sky, O human

چڑھ پانویں آسمان
chaṛh paanwen aasmaan
Even if you reach as high as the sky

ہو اک دن اوہنیں لے جانی اے
ho ik din ohnen lai jaani e
One day, Fate will come

ہو اک دن اوہنیں لے جانی اے
ho ik din ohnen lai jaani e
One day, Fate will come

کڈ کے تیری جان
kaḍ ke teri jaan
And wrest your life away

مٹّی دا پلوان توں بندیا
miṭṭi da palwaan toon bandiya
You’re a hero made of clay, O human

مٹّی دا پلوان
miṭṭi da palwaan
A hero made of clay

بس مٹّی دا پلوان توں بندیا
bas miṭṭi da palwaan toon bandiya
Just a hero made of clay, O human

مٹّی دا پلوان
miṭṭi da palwaan
A hero made of clay

مٹّی دا پلوان توں بندیا
miṭṭi da palwaan toon bandiya
You’re a hero made of clay, O human

مٹّی دا پلوان
miṭṭi da palwaan
A hero made of clay

بس مٹّی دا پلوان توں بندیا
bas miṭṭi da palwaan toon bandiya
Just a hero made of clay, O human

مٹّی دا پلوان
miṭṭi da palwaan
A hero made of clay

Song Info

Mitti Da Palwaan - Jawad Ahmed

Born to two professors of political science, Jawad Ahmed’s musical career is testament to his commitment to infusing his songs with the progressive politics and emancipatory spiritualism he believes in. Mitti da Pehlwan is a song which mocks humanity’s obsessions with its own facile creations, and reminds it of how life is transitory. Mitti da Pehlwan, or dust, is used as a metaphor across the song, referring to the belief that human beings are created from clay as well as the transitory nature of getting blown away as mere dust, as time moves on and we are no more. Jawad’s performance specifically retains the populist flavour of the song and its message. Such songs are the hallmark of folk and rural performances, and use common language and expressions to convey profound spiritual ideas. The listener is both ridiculed and entreated, and the marvel of the lyrics lies in their usage of the same words to deliver profound concepts. The arrangement of this song is also one of the most original ones of the season, bringing together a bossa nova percussive style with flourishes of funk and pop in the melody. It retains the gregarious nature of the performance, and adds a light, almost flippant and dismissive feeling when the gravity of the message delivered is dramatically juxtaposed with the musical stylings of this decidedly versatile, Punjabi song.

Song Credits

Mitti Da Palwaan - Jawad Ahmed

House Band

Aahad Nayani
Babar Ali Khanna
Imran Akhoond
Jaffer Ali Zaidi
Khalid Khan
Sikandar Mufti

Strings Section

Ghulam Abbas
Javed Iqbal
Kaleem Khan
Saleem Khan

Guest Musicians

Jaffer Hussain (Clarinet)
Omran Shafique (Guitar)