Transcript Singh Song! - the Redhill Academy

The narrator’s name is Sikh and the
name Singh is a common Sikh name
A pun on ‘sing song’
Singh Song!
People say Indians speak in a ‘sing-song’
manner and rhythm when they speak
English – the song of Singh
Read the poem
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/sing
h-song-by-daljit-nagra/11723.html
Stanza One
A focus on the Indian working class
in Britain
A young Asian man
who runs one of his
dad’s businesses
I run just one ov my daddy’s shops
from 9 o’clock to 9 o’clock
and he vunt me not to hav a break
but ven nobody in, i do di lock —
Alternate rhyme to
illustrate the song-like
qualities
The poem has been written
phonetically to show Singh’s accent
It is a stereotype that Asians
run corner shops in Britain
Stanza Two
Half rhyme to illustrate the ‘songlike’ quality of Singh’s accent
cos up di stairs is my newly bride
vee share in chapatti
vee share in di chutney
after vee hav made luv
like vee rowing through Putney —
Singh is expected to run the shop for 12
hours but when nobody is around he
sneaks upstairs to ‘make luv’ to his wife –
the poet is discussing the culture in a
humorous manner
Typical Indian foods are
discussed
Stanza Three
The customers
complain about
the state of the
shop
ven i return vid my pinnie untied
di shoppers always point and cry:
hey Singh, ver yoo bin?
yor lemons are limes
yor bananas are plantain
dis dirty little floor need a little bit of mop
in di worst Indian shop
on di whole Indian road —
Structurally, italics are used by the
poet to show someone else’s
comments
Stanza Four
This also suggests that
Singh’s wife does not work –
in Indian culture the women
at one stage were expected
to stay at home
The ‘high heels’ suggest that Singh’s
wife has adopted the female dress
sense in Britain and is immersed in
the culture
above my head high heels tap di ground
as my vife on di net is playing wid di mouse
ven she netting two cat on her Sikh lover site
she book dem for di meat at di cheese ov her price —
This is what Singh imagines she is
doing
Notice that the wife is also on ‘her Sikh
lover site’ – what might this suggest to
you?
Stanza Five
Singh’s wife swears at his mum in
Punjabi
my bride
she effing at my mum
in all di colours of Punjabi
den stumble like a drunk
making fun at my daddy
She also makes fun of his dad – by
stumbling around which suggests his
dad is a drunk
Stanza Six
The repetition of ‘my bride’ shows us
that Singh is possibly newly wed
because he focuses on her instead of
the shop
my bride
tiny eyes ov a gun
and di tummy ov a teddy
A metaphor is
used to describe
his wife’s eyes –
the comparison to
a gun suggests her
looks might be
deadly
Stanza Seven
Singh’s wife’s haircut and
clothes suggests she has
embraced Western culture
my bride
she hav a red crew cut
and she wear a Tartan sari
a donkey jacket and some pumps
on di squeak ov di girls who are buy my
penny sweeties —
Stanza Eight
Again the
shoppers are
complaining about
the way Singh runs
the shop – the
repetition of this
stanza structure
suggests Singh’s
day is
monotonous
Humour ‘tickle’ is an innuendo for
having sex with his wife
Ven i return from di tickle ov my bride
di shoppers always point and cry:
hey Singh, ver yoo bin?
di milk is out ov date
and di bread is alvays stale
di tings yoo hav on offer yoo hav never got in stock
in di worst Indian shop
on di whole Indian road —
Stanza Nine
Singh includes the
reader in the
poem as though
you are one of
the customers
This stanza suggests there is
something more romantic about
Singh. The couple sit together and
stare beyond the criticising
community
Late in di midnight hour
The fact they stare past
ven yoo shoppers are wrap up quiet
the signs and the
ven di precinct is concrete-cool
chocolate bars suggest
vee cum down whispering stairs
they don’t really care
and sit on my silver stool,
about them
from behind di chocolate bars
vee stare past di half-price window signs
at di beaches ov di UK in di brightey moon —
They stare at the moon and the
beaches
Stanza Ten
The wife speaks…the
question is deliberately
about money!
from di stool each night she say,
How much do yoo charge for dat moon
baby?
Stanza Eleven
A little bit of romance…Singh
is showing that he thinks his
wife is priceless = very
romantic! The poet is
deliberately showing us that
there is more to life than
money
from di stool each night I say,
Is half di cost ov yoo baby,
Stanza Twelve
from di stool each night she say,
How much does dat come to baby?
Stanza Thirteen
from di stool each night i say,
Is priceless baby —
Singh does not care about running his shop:
true love and passion cannot be sold
What is the poet trying to say?
• That love is more important than anything
• That Indian’s rebel against their parents like
everyone else does
• He is showing us the cultural combination of
second generation British Indians
• He rejects the stereotypical work ethics and
materialism of older generations
• Shows a character rejecting his father
• Imitates an accent to give us an authentic sense
of character