Ab Tu Bhaag Milkha Bhaag: Title Song Lyrics Translation [Rock Version]

After a long time, I hear a madly motivational song, and once again from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Every time you listen to the song, it gives you a high, and both SEL's music and Prasoon Joshi's lyrics are equally creditable for this wonder. Siddharth Mahadevan sounds a lot like Shankar in many places, and in his singing style too. He might not be as polished as his father, but his enthusiasm in the song sounds very real, and that was a necessity here.

Prasoon Joshi has written some really good lyrics (and I believe a bit tough, since I've already seen most lyric and translation writers making mistakes in this one), and they're a joy to listen to. Here are the lyrics with translation to the rock version. The Music for the album is on Sony Music.

are santee maar rahaa sansaar
Ab tu aane de lalkaar
teri to baahein patwaar
kadam hain tere hahakaar

The world is hitting (you) with a stick
Now let there be shouts (to challenge you, don't be afraid)
Your arms are strong like oars
Your feet are an outcry..

[The meaning of Santee seems to have created some confusions. When a thin branch is taken out of a tree and used as a stick to punish, it's called Santee.]

Teri nas-nass lohaa taar
tu hai aag
bas tu bhaag Milkha
Oh bas tu bhaag Milkha, bhaag Milkha,
bhaag bhaag bhaag bhaag bhaag Milkha

every vein of yours is an iron wire
You are a fire..
You just run Milkha
Now just run, run Milkha, run..

O.. sariyaa, O.. kashtee..
O sariyaa O saria
O mod de aag ka dariyaa
O kashti O kashtee
O doob jaane mein hi hai hastee..

O iron bar, O boat..
O iron bar
bend the river of fire
O boat
there’s glory only in sinking..

[Here Sariyaa, Iron bar, is used to create an effect, it's not used anywhere in a sentence but in the next, you talk about bending something, so iron bar is in your mind and you think of bending that too.]

O jungle O jungle, aaj sheheron se hai tera dangal
O Milkha, bhaag Milkha, bhaag bhaag bhaag bhaag bhaag Milkha

O Jungle, today you need to wrestle against cities..
O Milkha, run Milkha, just run, run..

[He's being called a Jungle because Milkha is more of a simple villager compared to people who used latest available technologies to compete in the Olympics, which he didn't have access to.]

tu jaag.. ab tu jaag Milkha
tu hai aag.. tu hai aag Milkha

Wake up, now wake up Milkha
You are a fire, you're a fire Milkha

Teraa to bistar hai maidaan
Odhnaa dharti teri shaan
tere sirhaane hai chattaan
Pehen le..
Pehen le Poora aasmaan
tu Pagdi baandh Milkha
tu aag Milkha..

The ground is your bed,
And wearing the earth is your pride
the mountains are your pillows..
Wear the whole sky..
tie your turban Milkha
You are a fire, Milkha..

[The turban is indirectly compared to the entire sky here, the turban as such is considered to be a symbol of Prestige, and hence the comparison.]

khol tu Rath ke Pahiye khol
banaa de chakra sudarshan bol
jang ke feete kas ke baandh
khulee hai aaj sher ki maand
goli daag Milkha...

Open the wheels of your chariot,
make the Sudarshan chakra and speak (out loud, give a cry)
tie the laces for the fight tightly
The lion's cave is open today,
Shoot Milkha!

[The wheels of chariot and Sudarshan are from the Mahabharata, Karna was killed when he removed the wheel of his chariot. Here, Milkha is asked to open the wheels of chariot, that is, without fear, and make Sudarshan Chakra out of it, which was actually the weapon of Lord Vishnu, who was helping the winning side in the Mahabharata as Krishna. For ref., Karna was on the losing side of the battle, though he's considered to be near-perfect fighter.]

daant se kaat le bijlee taar
chabaa le taambe ki jhankaar
Phoonk de khud ko jwaala jwaalaa
bin khud jale na hoye Ujaalaa
lapat hai aag Milkha…

cut the electricity wires with your teeth
Chew up the current in the copper [as in, the copper wires]
burn yourself in fire,
light isn't there without burning oneself
This flame is the fire Milkha..

O bas tu bhaag Milkha..