The British poet Daljit Nagra published "Singh Song!" in his award-winning debut collection, Look We Have Coming to Dover! "Singh Song!" is a dramatic monologue told from the perspective of a young British-Indian man, the Singh of the title, who works in his father's corner store. Head over heels in love with his new wife, Singh neglects his duties—much to the frustration of his customers, who deem the store the "worst Indian shop" in the neighborhood. With affectionate humor, the poem shows how young love makes Singh giddy, silly, and more than a little irresponsible. Beneath the humor, the poem also examines the ways in which young immigrants or the children of immigrants may clash with the cultural expectations of their parents' generation.

• Read the full text of “Singh Song!”

• “Singh Song!” Summary

• “Singh Song!” Themes

  • 

    Love and Romance

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-58
  • 

    Immigration, Assimilation, and Generational Clashes

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-58

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Singh Song!”

  • Lines 1-4

    I run just ...
    ... di lock -

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 5-9

    cos up di ...
    ... through Putney -

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 10-17

    ven I return ...
    ... Indian road -

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 18-21

    above my head ...
    ... her price -

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 22-26

    my bride ...
    ... at my daddy

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 27-29

    my bride ...
    ... ov a teddy

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 30-34

    my bride ...
    ... my sweeties -

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 35-42

    ven I return ...
    ... Indian road -

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 43-47

    late in di ...
    ... my silver stool,

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 48-50

    from behind di ...
    ... brightey moon -

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 51-58

    from di stool ...
    ... priceless baby -

    

    

    

    

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• “Singh Song!” Symbols

  • 

    The Wife's Clothes

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 31-33: “   she hav a red crew cut /    and she wear a Tartan sari /    a donkey jacket and some pumps”

• “Singh Song!” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 4: “do di”
    • Line 6: “chapatti”
    • Line 7: “chutney”
    • Line 13: “lemons,” “limes”
    • Line 15: “dis dirty”
    • Line 18: “head high heel”
    • Line 19: “web,” “wid”
    • Line 20: “Sikh,” “site”
    • Line 23: “my mum”
    • Line 25: “den,” “drunk”
    • Line 26: “daddy”
    • Line 28: “tiny”
    • Line 29: “tummy,” “teddy”
    • Line 31: “crew cut”
    • Line 38: “di,” “date”
    • Line 45: “concrete-cool”
    • Line 46: “cum,” “stairs”
    • Line 47: “sit,” “silver stool”
    • Line 48: “behind,” “bars”
    • Line 49: “past,” “price”
    • Line 50: “beaches,” “brightey”

  • Allusion

    

    

    

    

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    Where allusion appears in the poem:

    • Line 9: “like vee rowing through Putney -”
    • Lines 57-58: “from di stool each night I say, /     / is priceless baby -”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “shops”
    • Line 2: “O'clock,” “O'clock”
    • Line 4: “lock”
    • Line 7: “chutney”
    • Line 8: “luv”
    • Line 9: “Putney”
    • Line 10: “my,” “untied”
    • Line 11: “cry”
    • Line 12: “Singh,” “bin”
    • Line 15: “dis ,” “little,” “little bit,” “of mop”
    • Line 16: “shop”
    • Line 17: “whole,” “road”
    • Line 18: “ground”
    • Line 19: “mouse”
    • Line 20: “site”
    • Line 21: “meat,” “cheese,” “price”
    • Line 22: “my bride”
    • Line 23: “mum”
    • Line 24: “Punjabi”
    • Line 25: “stumble,” “drunk”
    • Line 26: “fun,” “daddy”
    • Line 27: “my bride”
    • Line 28: “tiny eyes”
    • Line 29: “tummy,” “teddy”
    • Line 30: “my bride”
    • Line 32: “Tartan sari”
    • Line 33: “some pumps”
    • Line 35: “my bride”
    • Line 36: “cry”
    • Line 37: “Singh,” “bin”
    • Line 38: “date”
    • Line 39: “stale”
    • Line 40: “offer,” “got,” “stock”
    • Line 41: “shop”
    • Line 42: “whole,” “road”
    • Line 45: “cool”
    • Line 47: “sit,” “silver,” “stool”
    • Line 49: “past,” “half-price,” “signs”
    • Line 52: “yoo,” “moon”

  • Consonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where consonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 4: “do di”
    • Line 6: “chapatti”
    • Line 7: “chutney”
    • Lines 8-9: “luv / like”
    • Line 9: “Putney”
    • Line 10: “pinnie untied”
    • Line 11: “point”
    • Line 13: “lemons,” “limes”
    • Line 14: “bananas,” “plantain”
    • Line 15: “dis dirty little floor,” “little bit,” “mop”
    • Line 16: “shop”
    • Line 18: “head high heel”
    • Line 19: “web,” “wid”
    • Line 20: “netting two cat,” “Sikh,” “site”
    • Line 23: “my mum”
    • Line 25: “den,” “stumble like,” “drunk”
    • Line 26: “making,” “my daddy”
    • Line 28: “tiny”
    • Line 29: “tummy,” “teddy”
    • Line 31: “red crew cut”
    • Line 32: “wear,” “Tartan sari”
    • Line 33: “donkey jacket,” “some pumps”
    • Line 34: “squeak,” “pinching,” “sweeties”
    • Line 35: “return,” “tickle”
    • Line 45: “precinct,” “concrete-cool”
    • Line 46: “cum,” “whispering stairs”
    • Line 47: “sit,” “silver stool”
    • Line 48: “behind,” “bars”
    • Line 49: “stare past,” “price,” “signs”
    • Line 50: “beaches,” “brightey”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “shops / from”
    • Lines 8-9: “luv / like”
    • Lines 10-11: “untied / di”
    • Lines 16-17: “shop / on”
    • Lines 18-19: “ground / as”
    • Lines 19-20: “mouse / ven”
    • Lines 20-21: “site / she”
    • Lines 23-24: “ mum /    in”
    • Lines 25-26: “drunk /    making”
    • Lines 28-29: “gun /    and”
    • Lines 31-32: “cut /    and”
    • Lines 33-34: “pumps /    on”
    • Lines 35-36: “bride / di”
    • Lines 38-39: “date / and”
    • Lines 41-42: “shop / on”
    • Lines 46-47: “stairs / and”
    • Lines 48-49: “ bars / vee”
    • Lines 49-50: “signs / at”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 20-21: “ven she netting two cat on her Sikh lover site / she book dem for di meat at di cheese ov her price -”
    • Lines 27-29: “my bride /    tiny eyes ov a gun /    and di tummy ov a teddy”
    • Line 46: “whispering stairs”

  • Pun

    

    

    

    

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    Where pun appears in the poem:

    • Lines 8-9: “after vee hav made luv / like vee rowing through Putney -”
    • Line 19: “web,” “mouse”
    • Line 20: “netting,” “Sikh lover site”
    • Line 21: “di meat”

  • Refrain

    

    

    

    

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    Where refrain appears in the poem:

    • Line 12: “hey Singh, ver yoo bin?”
    • Lines 16-17: “in di worst Indian shop / on di whole Indian road -”
    • Line 37: “hey Singh, ver yoo bin?”
    • Lines 41-42: “in di worst Indian shop / on di whole Indian road -”

  • Repetition

    

    

    

    

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    Where repetition appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “9 O'clock,” “9 O'clock”
    • Line 6: “vee share in”
    • Line 7: “vee share in”
    • Line 12: “hey Singh, ver yoo bin?”
    • Line 13: “yor,” “are”
    • Line 14: “yor,” “are”
    • Lines 16-17: “in di worst Indian shop / on di whole Indian road -”
    • Line 22: “my bride”
    • Line 27: “my bride”
    • Line 30: “my bride”
    • Line 37: “hey Singh, ver yoo bin?”
    • Lines 41-42: “in di worst Indian shop / on di whole Indian road -”
    • Line 44: “ven”
    • Line 45: “ven”
    • Line 51: “from di stool each night she say,”
    • Line 52: “how much,” “baby”
    • Line 53: “from di stool each night I say,”
    • Line 54: “baby”
    • Line 55: “from di stool each night she say,”
    • Line 56: “how much,” “baby”
    • Line 57: “from di stool each night I say,”
    • Line 58: “baby”

  • Simile

    

    

    

    

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    Where simile appears in the poem:

    • Lines 8-9: “after vee hav made luv / like vee rowing through Putney -”

• “Singh Song!” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Chapatti
  • Chutney
  • Putney
  • Pinnie
  • Plantain
  • Sikh
  • Effing
  • Punjabi
  • Teddy
  • Crew Cut
  • Tartan
  • Sari
  • Donkey Jacket
  • Pumps
  • Sweeties
  • Tickle
  • Precinct
  • (Location in poem: Line 6: “chapatti”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Singh Song!”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Singh Song!” Speaker

• “Singh Song!” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Singh Song!”

• More “Singh Song!” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Nagra Reads the Poem — Hear the poem in the poet's own voice.

    • An Interview with Nagra — Check out an interview with the poet in the British newspaper The Guardian.

    • Look We Have Coming to Dover! — Watch Nagra read from and discuss his prize-winning debut collection.  

    • The Corner Shop — An article about the kind of shop that Singh runs for his dad.  

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Daljit Nagra

    • Look We Have Coming to Dover!

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