Pagg

When the [Pagg: the turban, representing a man's honor and social standing] is knocked off the head

It's like a fire charring a ripened crop to ashes

When a young boy falls into the trap of addiction

O people, these sorrows are far too great

Wore out my feet running for miles in recruitment races

But behind closed doors, the scams are unfolding

Only the wealthy managed to get the jobs

That truth strikes the heart like a direct blow

The parents are left wandering in old-age homes

As the son surrendered to his wife's whims

Once you have abandoned your own mother and father

O man, what worth is left in your [Sardari: the state of being a leader/chief, denoting nobility and grace]?

You must reap exactly what you have sown

When the fruit of your lifetime finally ripens

You'll have to look back at your past deeds

When your own turn eventually comes

It isn't visible to the naked eye

Yet it roams around writing the span of a man's life

Brother, this virus just won't settle down

It has drained the color from everyone’s face

When the [Pagg: the turban, representing a man's honor and social standing] is knocked off the head

It's like a fire charring a ripened crop to ashes

When a young boy falls into the trap of addiction

O people, these sorrows are far too great

Wore out my feet running for miles in recruitment races

But behind closed doors, the scams are unfolding

Only the wealthy managed to get the jobs

That truth strikes the heart like a direct blow

Using bitter language with a strained voice

The arrow never left the bow to hit its mark

Applying a [Bindi: decorative dot on the forehead] and eating [Kesar Paan: saffron-infused betel leaf]

These are the things a grown daughter uses to mask her pain

The ways of the world are cruelly powerful

Doctors have started treating human life as cheap

Even death is sold at a price in the cremation grounds

They count the money before lighting the funeral pyre

My brother went to the protest during the harvest season

The regime turned him into a martyr

Tired of the mounting debt limits during the [Haari: the spring harvest season, typically wheat]

Father finally drew his last breath

Mother hasn't been able to leave her bed since that day

We had to get her medicine on credit

The sister asks our mother through her tears

"O mother, is God really making things right?"

Don't let the shadows of the south take over

Lest our ancient [Virsa: heritage/cultural legacy] disappears

[NseeB: self-reference to the artist/rapper] O son of the mother tongue

When will we finally gain some wisdom?

It is absolutely necessary for the children

That parents teach them their history once again

Lest the sacrifice of [Bhagat: Bhagat Singh], [Sarabha: Kartar Singh Sarabha], and [Udham Singh: iconic Punjabi freedom fighters]

Goes to waste and is forgotten

The bicycle has been replaced by a car

And the humble hut by a massive mansion

But fraud is being committed in the name of religion

[Jaggi Jagowalia: self-reference to the lyricist] says this

O people, when fame is acquired so cheaply

That is when people indulge in empty hedonism

Look at the character of man today

He falls at the feet of thieves

Here, only the King’s son becomes a King

Every single promise turns out to be a hollow stall

What more can I say beyond this?

The great elite dynasties continue to loot us

When the [Pagg: the turban, representing a man's honor and social standing] is knocked off the head

It's like a fire charring a ripened crop to ashes

When a young boy falls into the trap of addiction

O people, these sorrows are far too great

Wore out my feet running for miles in recruitment races

But behind closed doors, the scams are unfolding

Only the wealthy managed to get the jobs

That truth strikes the heart like a direct blow