LAKEER
Glossary
This record is sung in English, with lines in Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Konkani, Persian, Arabic, Portuguese, Swahili, Luganda, Gujarati and more. Every one of those words is here, in the script it was written in, with its meaning and the songs it appears in.
Most of these lines were written for the album, not by native speakers of every language, and not all of them have been checked by one. If you speak one of these languages and something here is wrong, please say so, and it will be corrected with thanks.
155 words
| Word | Language | Meaning | Sung in |
|---|---|---|---|
| ذَهَب dhahab | Arabic | "gold" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | MAWSIM |
| فلفل filfil | Arabic | "pepper" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | MAWSIM |
| اِنْتَظِر intaẓir | Arabic | "wait!" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | MAWSIM |
| مَوْسِم mawsim | Arabic | season; the root of "monsoon" | MAWSIM |
| مجمع البحرین Majmaʿ al-Baḥrayn | Arabic/Persian | "The Meeting of the Two Seas", the title of Dara Shukoh's book | MAJMA |
| سماع samāʿ | Arabic/Persian | "listening": the Sufi practice of music and poetry as devotion | CHISHTIAN |
| আমি আসছি, মা। ami ashchhi, ma | Bengali | "I'm coming, Ma" | EKATTUR |
| বাংলা চাই bangla chai | Bengali | "we want Bangla" | EKUSHE |
| ভালো থেকো, মা। bhalo theko, ma | Bengali | "stay well, Ma" | EKATTUR |
| ছিয়াত্তরের মন্বন্তর chhiyāttorer monwontor | Bengali | "the famine of seventy-six": the famine of 1770, named by its year in the Bengali calendar (1176) | DIWAN |
| কবর kobor | Bengali | "The Grave", Munier Chowdhury's play | EKUSHE |
| মা ma | Bengali | Ma, mother | EKUSHE , EKATTUR |
| অ আ ক খ ô a kô khô | Bengali | the first letters of the Bengali alphabet | EKUSHE |
| রাষ্ট্রভাষা rashtrobhasha | Bengali | "state language" | EKUSHE |
| সালাম, বরকত, রফিক, জব্বার Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar | Bengali | four of those shot on 21 February 1952: Abdus Salam, Abul Barkat, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed and Abdul Jabbar (Salam died of his wounds in April) | EKUSHE |
| শহীদ মিনার shohid minar | Bengali | "martyrs' monument" | EKUSHE |
| স্যার sar | Bengali (from English) | "sir": what students call their teacher | EKATTUR |
| εὐσέβεια eusebeia | Greek | piety, reverence: the Greek word the Kandahar edict uses for dhamma | DEVANAMPIYA |
| Πιοδασσης Piodassēs | Greek | Piyadasi, Ashoka's name in the Greek of the Kandahar edict | DEVANAMPIYA |
| બેન ben | Gujarati | sister | RIVERS |
| आज रंग है, ऐ माँ रंग है री āj rang hai, ai māñ rang hai rī | Hindavi (Devanagari) | "Today there's colour, mother, there's colour": a qawwali traditionally sung at the close of gatherings | CHISHTIAN |
| छाप तिलक सब छीनी रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके chhāp tilak sab chhīnī re mose nainā milāike | Hindavi (Devanagari) | "Stamp and mark, you took them all, just by meeting my eyes" — the opening of a qawwali traditionally attributed to Amir Khusrau | CHISHTIAN |
| آج رنگ ہے، اے ماں رنگ ہے ری āj rang hai, ai māñ rang hai rī | Hindavi (Nastaliq) | the same line in Urdu script | CHISHTIAN |
| چھاپ تلک سب چھینی رے موسے نیناں ملائکے chhāp tilak sab chhīnī re mose naināñ milāike | Hindavi (Nastaliq) | the same line in Urdu script | CHISHTIAN |
| आवाज़ āvāz | Hindi | voice | DAYTIMER |
| चलो chalo | Hindi | "let's go", "onward" | QUIT , LINE 13 |
| दिल्ली dillī | Hindi | Delhi: the first word of Dilli chalo, "on to Delhi", the call of Bose's Indian National Army | QUIT |
| गीत gīt | Hindi | "song": the lyricist's credit | THE ARRANGER |
| ईश्वर अल्लाह तेरो नाम īśvar allāh tero nām | Hindi | "Ishwar and Allah are your names", from the version of the hymn Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram sung at Gandhi's prayer meetings | QUIT |
| कागज़ नहीं kāgaz nahīṃ | Hindi | "no paper" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | SEVEN RIVERS |
| करो karo | Hindi | "do": the first word of karo ya maro, "do or die", Gandhi's call of 8 August 1942 | QUIT |
| कुछ नहीं kuchh nahīṃ | Hindi | "nothing" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | SEVEN RIVERS |
| माँ बोली māṃ bolī | Hindi | mother tongue | MAA BOLI |
| मुँह से कान तक mũh se kān tak | Hindi | "from mouth to ear" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | SEVEN RIVERS |
| पाँव से pā̃v se | Hindi | "from the feet" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | SEVEN RIVERS |
| क़लम नहीं qalam nahīṃ | Hindi | "no pen" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | SEVEN RIVERS |
| राग rāg | Hindi | raga: a melodic framework in Indian classical music | THE ARRANGER |
| सहायक sahāyak | Hindi | "assistant" | THE ARRANGER |
| संगीत saṅgīt | Hindi | "music": on a film poster, the music director's credit | THE ARRANGER |
| या मरो yā maro | Hindi | "or die" | QUIT |
| पोथी पढ़ि पढ़ि जग मुआ pothī paṛhi paṛhi jag muā | Hindi (Kabir's Sadhukkadi) | "reading books and books, the world died" | MAA BOLI |
| ढाई आखर प्रेम का ḍhāī ākhar prem kā | Hindi (Kabir) | "the two and a half letters of love" | MAA BOLI |
| dukaan dukān | Hindustani | shop | GIRMIT |
| girmitiya girmiṭiyā | Hindustani | a person who signed the girmit: an indentured labourer | GIRMIT |
| kala pani kālā pānī | Hindustani | "black water": the sea, whose crossing was once held to cost a person their caste | GIRMIT |
| लूट lūṭ | Hindustani (Devanagari) | plunder. It entered English as "loot" by the late eighteenth century | DIWAN |
| girmit girmiṭ | Hindustani (from English) | "agreement": the indenture contract | GIRMIT |
| bhurgim bhurgim | Konkani | children | NINETY DAYS |
| Goenkar goenkar | Konkani | a Goan | IN ABSENTIA |
| देव बरें करूं dev borem korum | Konkani (Devanagari) | "thank you" (literally, "may God do you good") | THE ARRANGER |
| गोंय gõy | Konkani (Devanagari) | Goa, in Konkani (in Romi, Goem) | IN ABSENTIA |
| कोंकणी kōṅkaṇī | Konkani (Devanagari) | Konkani, the language of Goa. Konknni is its spelling in Romi, the Roman script used by Goan Catholics | THE ARRANGER |
| तुजें नांव कितें? tujeṃ nāṃv kiteṃ | Konkani (Devanagari) | "What's your name?" | FERNANDES |
| igorz igorz | Konkani (Romi script) | church (from Portuguese igreja) | THE ARRANGER |
| Tujem nanv kitem? tujem nanv kitem | Konkani (Romi) | "What's your name?" | FERNANDES |
| Mãi mãi | Konkani / Portuguese | mother | NINETY DAYS |
| Pai pai | Konkani / Portuguese | father | NINETY DAYS |
| mare clausum mare clausum | Latin | "the closed sea" | CARTAZ |
| Te Deum laudamus te deum laudāmus | Latin | "We praise thee, O God": a hymn of thanksgiving sung for victories | CARTAZ |
| weeraba weeraba | Luganda | goodbye not checked with a Luganda speaker | NINETY DAYS |
| കുരുമുളക് kurumuḷak | Malayalam | "pepper" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | MAWSIM |
| دیوان dīwān | Persian | a register of accounts; also a poet's collected book of poems. The Mughal diwani was the office of revenue collection | DIWAN |
| گنج شکر Ganj-i Shakar | Persian | "treasure of sugar", Baba Farid's title | CHISHTIAN |
| هنوز دلی دور است hanūz Dillī dūr ast | Persian | "Delhi is still a long way off" | CHISHTIAN |
| سرّ اکبر Sirr-i Akbar | Persian | "The Great Secret", Dara's Persian translation of some fifty Upanishads | MAJMA |
| عالمگیر ʿĀlamgīr | Persian | "World-seizer", Aurangzeb's regnal title | MAJMA |
| Cristãos e especiarias cristãos e especiarias | Portuguese | "Christians and spices": the reason da Gama's men gave for coming, as recorded in the voyage journal | CARTAZ |
| português português | Portuguese | Portuguese | IN ABSENTIA |
| भेरीघोष bherīghosa | Prakrit | the sound of the war drum (Rock Edict IV) | DEVANAMPIYA |
| देवानंपिय Devānaṃpiya | Prakrit | Beloved of the Gods, the title Ashoka used in his edicts | DEVANAMPIYA |
| dhamma dhamma | Prakrit | right conduct, duty; Ashoka's moral teaching | DEVANAMPIYA |
| धम्मघोष dhammaghosa | Prakrit | the sound of dhamma, which Ashoka says replaced it | DEVANAMPIYA |
| हेवं आहा hevaṃ āhā | Prakrit | "speaks thus" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | DEVANAMPIYA |
| लाजा lājā | Prakrit | "king": the eastern Prakrit form of rājā Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | DEVANAMPIYA |
| पियदसि Piyadasi | Prakrit | "he who looks on with kindness": the name the edicts give the king Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | DEVANAMPIYA |
| amrit amrit | Punjabi | the Sikh rite of initiation into the Khalsa (amrit sanchar) | SHER-E-PUNJAB |
| Chak chak | Punjabi | a numbered village in a canal colony | ABADKAR |
| Hoye hoye | Punjabi | a shout of celebration, heard in bhangra | SHER-E-PUNJAB |
| mandi manḍī | Punjabi | a market town | ABADKAR |
| tumbi tumbī | Punjabi | a one-string plucked instrument: the high, bright sound of bhangra | DAYTIMER |
| ਚਾਬੀ · چابی chābī | Punjabi (Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi) | key | RADCLIFFE |
| ਘਰ · گھر ghar | Punjabi (Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi) | house; home | RADCLIFFE |
| ਲਕੀਰ · لکیر lakīr | Punjabi (Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi) | a line: on a map, on a palm, and a line of people. The album's title | RADCLIFFE |
| ਪਿੰਡ · پنڈ piṇḍ | Punjabi (Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi) | village | RADCLIFFE |
| ਕਾਫ਼ਲਾ · قافلہ qāfilā | Punjabi (Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi) | a caravan. In 1947, the columns of refugees on foot | RADCLIFFE |
| ਲਕੀਰ · لکیر · लकीर lakīr | Punjabi (Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi) and Hindi | a line | LINE 13 |
| ਬੱਲੇ ਬੱਲੇ balle balle | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | a shout of joy | DAYTIMER |
| ਭੰਗੜਾ bhaṅgṛā | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | bhangra, the harvest dance, and the music that grew from it | DAYTIMER |
| ਛੇ ਵਜੇ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਘਰ chhe vaje toṃ pahilāṃ ghar | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | "home before six" | DAYTIMER |
| ਢੋਲ ḍhol | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | the big double-headed drum | DAYTIMER |
| ਫਰੀਦਾ Farīdā | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | "O Farid": how Farid addresses himself in his verses | CHISHTIAN |
| ਗਿੱਧਾ giddhā | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | giddha, the women's folk dance, with clapping and sung couplets | DAYTIMER |
| ਕੌਰ kaur | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | usually translated "princess": the name given to Sikh women | SHER-E-PUNJAB |
| ਮਾਂ ਬੋਲੀ māṃ bolī | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | mother tongue | MAA BOLI |
| ਮੰਗਲਵਾਰ। ਰਾਤ ਦੇ ਦੋ ਵਜੇ। ਤਿੰਨ ਘੰਟੇ। ਸੌਣਾ ਨਹੀਂ। maṅgalvār. rāt de do vaje. tinn ghaṇṭe. sauṇā nahīṃ. | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | "Tuesday. Two at night. Three hours. Don't sleep." The note left in ABADKAR | RADCLIFFE |
| ਮੁਰੱਬਾ murabbā | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | a "square": a 25-acre allotment on the canal-colony grid | ABADKAR |
| ਨਾ ਕੋ ਹਿੰਦੂ ਨਾ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ nā ko hindū nā musalmān | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | "there is no Hindu, there is no Muslim", words traditionally given as Nanak's first after his experience in the river | MAA BOLI |
| ਪੰਜਾਬ panjāb | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | Punjab, "five waters" | ENFIELD |
| ਸਾਡੀ ਵਾਰੀ sāḍī vārī | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | "our turn": a square's slot in the water roster (warabandi) | ABADKAR |
| ਸੌਂ ਜਾ ਮੇਰੇ ਚੰਨਾ, ਸੌਂ ਜਾ। sauṃ jā mere channā, sauṃ jā | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | "sleep, my moon, sleep": a lullaby (lori) | RECOVERY |
| ਸ਼ਾਬਾਸ਼ shābāsh | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | "well done" | DAYTIMER |
| ਸ਼ੇਰ-ਏ-ਪੰਜਾਬ sher-e-panjāb | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | "Lion of the Punjab", Ranjit Singh's title | SHER-E-PUNJAB |
| ਸਿੰਘ siṅgh | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | "lion": the name given to Sikh men at the founding of the Khalsa | SHER-E-PUNJAB |
| ਦੁਕਾਨ · دکان dukān | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) and Urdu | shop (the Swahili duka in GIRMIT comes from the same word) | RIVERS |
| بلھیا کی جاناں میں کون bulleyā kī jāṇāṃ maiṃ kauṇ | Punjabi (Shahmukhi) | "Bulleh, how would I know who I am?" | MAA BOLI |
| فریدا Farīdā | Punjabi (Shahmukhi) | the same word in Shahmukhi | CHISHTIAN |
| ماں بولی māṃ bolī | Punjabi (Shahmukhi) | mother tongue | MAA BOLI |
| ساڈی واری sāḍī vārī | Punjabi (Shahmukhi) | the same words in Shahmukhi | ABADKAR |
| سوں جا میرے چنّا، سوں جا۔ sauṃ jā mere channā, sauṃ jā | Punjabi (Shahmukhi) | "sleep, my moon, sleep" | RECOVERY |
| شیرِ پنجاب sher-e-panjāb | Punjabi (Shahmukhi) | the same title in Shahmukhi | SHER-E-PUNJAB |
| मेरे तो गिरधर गोपाल, दूसरो न कोई mere to giradhar gopāl, dūsaro na koī | Rajasthani/Braj (Mirabai) | "mine is Giridhar Gopal, the cowherd, and no one else" | MAA BOLI |
| असिक्नी Asiknī | Sanskrit | the river now called the Chenab | SEVEN RIVERS |
| देव deva | Sanskrit | "god", "divine" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | SEVEN RIVERS |
| घन ghana | Sanskrit | "dense": the most elaborate of the Vedic recitation patterns Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | SEVEN RIVERS |
| जटा jaṭā | Sanskrit | "braid": a recitation pattern that repeats word pairs forwards, backwards and forwards again Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | SEVEN RIVERS |
| मातर mātar | Sanskrit | "mother" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | SEVEN RIVERS |
| नव nava | Sanskrit | "new" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | SEVEN RIVERS |
| परुष्णी Paruṣṇī | Sanskrit | the river now called the Ravi | SEVEN RIVERS |
| पितर pitar | Sanskrit | "father" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | SEVEN RIVERS |
| राजन् rājan | Sanskrit | "king" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | SEVEN RIVERS |
| सप्त sapta | Sanskrit | "seven" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | SEVEN RIVERS |
| सिन्धवः sindhavaḥ | Sanskrit | "rivers": plural of sindhu, "river", the word that also names the Indus. With sapta, "seven rivers", the Rigveda's name for its homeland Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | SEVEN RIVERS |
| शुतुद्री Śutudrī | Sanskrit | the river now called the Sutlej | SEVEN RIVERS |
| विपाशा Vipāśā | Sanskrit | the river now called the Beas | SEVEN RIVERS |
| वितस्ता Vitastā | Sanskrit | the river now called the Jhelum | SEVEN RIVERS |
| askari askari | Swahili | soldier, guard | NINETY DAYS |
| duka duka | Swahili | shop (from Arabic dukkān, probably reinforced by Hindustani dukān) | GIRMIT |
| gari gari | Swahili | cart or vehicle, from Hindustani gāṛī | GIRMIT |
| Gari la moshi gari la moshi | Swahili | "the smoke cart": the train | GIRMIT |
| mafuta mingi mafuta mingi | Swahili | "lots of fat": what the seized Asian property was called | NINETY DAYS |
| pesa pesa | Swahili | money, from Hindustani paisa | GIRMIT |
| چپ chup | Urdu | "silent", "hush" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| دریا daryā | Urdu | river | RIVERS |
| دیکھو dekho | Urdu | "look!" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| دو گز زمین do gaz zamīn | Urdu | "two yards of earth", from a couplet attributed to Bahadur Shah Zafar | ENFIELD |
| ایک ek | Urdu | "one" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| ایک نام ek nām | Urdu | "a name" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| انقلاب inqilāb | Urdu | "revolution": the first word of inquilab zindabad, "long live the revolution" | QUIT |
| اینٹ īṇṭ | Urdu | "brick" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| کاغذ kāghaz | Urdu | "paper" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| کون kaun | Urdu | "who?" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| کس نے لکھا kis ne likhā | Urdu | "who wrote it?" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| کوئی تخت نہیں۔ کوئی تاج نہیں۔ کوئی نام نہیں koī takht nahīṃ. koī tāj nahīṃ. koī nām nahīṃ | Urdu | "no throne. no crown. no name." Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| لے گئے le gaʾe | Urdu | "they took it away" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| نہیں nahīṃ | Urdu | "no", "not" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| پاکستان pākistān | Urdu | Pakistan: Pakistan zindabad, "long live Pakistan" | QUIT |
| پانی صاف pānī sāf | Urdu | "water, clean" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| پڑھو paṛho | Urdu | "read!" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| راجا کہاں ہے rājā kahāṃ hai | Urdu | "where is the king?" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| سب sab | Urdu | "all of it" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| شہر کچھ نہیں کہتا shahr kuchh nahīṃ kahtā | Urdu | "the city says nothing" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| سلسلہ silsila | Urdu | a chain: the line of teachers and students in a Sufi order | CHISHTIAN |
| زبان نہیں معلوم zabān nahīṃ maʿlūm | Urdu | "the language is not known" Added from the Suno lyric; unchecked. | UNREAD |
| زندہ باد zindā bād | Urdu | "long live" | QUIT |
| ہائے hāye | Urdu/Punjabi | an exclamation of pain or grief, "oh!" | MAA BOLI |