Singh Song!
What it's about
Singh Song! by Daljit Nagra is spoken by a young Sikh man who runs a corner shop for his father. He keeps sneaking upstairs to be with his new wife, while customers complain about the shop. At night, the couple sit together in the empty shop and look at the moon.
Nagra, whose parents came to Britain from Punjab in India, published it in 2007. He writes about British Asian life, often with humour.
Key terms
Form and structure
As the title suggests, the poem is like a song, with short lines, rhymes and a repeated chorus in which the customers complain. Its playful rhythm is like Bhangra, Punjabi dance music.
The speaker uses a mix of English and Punjabi accents and grammar, sometimes called : ‘I run just one ov my daddy's shops’. This gives him a lively, real voice and celebrates his mixed culture.
The poem ends with a quiet dialogue between the couple, slower than the busy song before it.
Key terms
Language
He is meant to work ‘from 9 o'clock to 9 o'clock’, a long, dull day set by his father. Instead he shuts the shop to see his wife, and the customers' chorus asks ‘Hey Singh, ver yoo bin?’
His wife breaks the stereotype of a traditional Indian bride: ‘she hav a red crew cut’ and wears a tartan sari, mixing cultures. She is rebellious and fun.
When she asks what the moon is worth, he answers ‘is priceless baby’: their love matters more than money or the shop.
Key terms
Themes and comparisons
romantic love; marriage; family duty against personal happiness; culture and identity.
- Winter Swans: a modern couple, with a moment of closeness at the end.
- The Farmer's Bride: a marriage seen through the husband's voice, but an unhappy one.
- Love's Philosophy: a man who wants to be with the woman he loves.
Exam tip
This poem is in copyright, so it won't be printed unless it's the named poem. Learn a few short quotations.