Jawad Ahmad - Mitti Da Pehlwaan Coke Studio Season 7, Episode 5
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.
Mitti Da Pehlwaan Lyrics:
Mitti Da Pehlwaan Video:
Mitti Da Pehlwaan Lyrics:
Mitti Da Pehlwaan Audio:
- 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
Mitti Da Pehlwaan Video:
- Song: Mitti Da Palwaan
- Singer: Jawad Ahmed
- Produced by: Strings
- House Band
- Aahad Nayani
- Babar Ali Khanna
- Imran Akhoond
- Jaffer Ali Zaidi
- Khalid Khan
- Sikandar Mufti
- String Section
- Ghulam Abbas
- Javed Iqbal
- Kaleem Khan
- Saleem Khan
- Guest Musicians
- Jaffer Hussain (Clarinet)
- Omran Shafique (Guitar)
