Singh Song! (AQA GCSE English Literature)

Each poetry anthology at GCSE contains 15 poems and in your exam question you will be given one poem – printed in full – and asked to compare this printed poem to another. As this is a closed-book exam, you will not have access to the second poem, so you will have to know it from memory. Fifteen poems is a lot to revise. However, understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-grade response:

• The meaning of the poem

• The ideas and messages of the poet 

• How the poet conveys these ideas through their methods

• How these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas of other poets in the anthology

Below is a guide to Daljit Nagra’s poem 'Singh Song!' from AQA's Love and Relationships anthology. It includes:

• Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations

• Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods

• Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes

• What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam

Overview

In order to answer an essay question on any poem, it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:

• The poem in a nutshell

• A ‘translation’ of the poem, section-by-section

• A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Daljit Nagra’s intention and message

'Singh Song!' in a nutshell

'Singh Song!' is a dramatic monologue told from the perspective of a young man named Singh who works in his father's corner shop. The narrator describes how the passionate love between him and his new wife leads to distraction as he neglects his duties and defies family traditions. 

Singh Song! overview

Lines 1 - 3

“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”

Translation

• The narrator explains his father owns many businesses and he works hard for him 

Nagra’s intention

• The poem’s speaker seems dissatisfied working for his father who, it is implied, is a strict and wealthy boss

Line 4 

“but ven nobody in, I do di lock –”

Translation

• The poem’s speaker ends the first stanza with a defiant statement, telling the reader that he breaks the rules and locks the shop

Nagra’s intention

• The poem changes direction with a volta, suggesting that the narrator does not adhere to his family’s expectations 

Lines 5 - 9

“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 –”

Translation

• The narrator explains why he locks the shop; his new wife is upstairs 

• He describes how they eat after they have made love, as if they are rowing a boat through London

Nagra’s Intention

• Here, Nagra begins to comment on the combination of cultures in his life by blending images of rowing in Putney with the food of India

• The romantic ideas in the poem work alongside the comedic effect, using incongruous images to allude to the odd mixture of cultural influence in his life 

Lines 10 - 12

“ven I return vid my pinnie untied

di shoppers always point and cry:

hey Singh, ver yoo bin?!”

Translation

• The narrator jokes that when he goes back to the shop he is not properly dressed

• He takes on the voices of his customers:

  • He seems to be on good terms with them as they know his name, but they need him in the shop 

Nagra’s intention 

• The narrator suggests he is often neglectful of his duties:

  • He takes on the dialogue of customers to acknowledge his disobedience causes problems for the community

  • He gives away his constant disobedience with the adverb “always” to show his defiance

Lines 13 - 17

“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 –”

Translation

• The dialogue of the customers lists their complaints about how he manages the shop

• They exaggerate how badly he runs the business

Nagra’s intention

• Here, Nagra shows his poet persona, the narrator, as good-natured as he is happy to admit he is not a good employee

• However, the hyperbole and long list of complaints show him to be unreliable and letting down his family and community

Lines 18 -21

“above my head high heel tap di ground

as my vife on di web 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 –”

Translation

• The speaker describes the sound of his wife’s footsteps upstairs

• He explains she is on the internet on her dating site

Nagra’s intention

• Nagra shows the narrator distracted again by his wife to express the intense love he feels:

  • The sensory image shows his emotional state: he hears her high-heels upstairs 

  • He imagines her on her dating site, implying he is daydreaming about her

Lines 22 - 26

“my bride

she effing at my mum

in all di colours of Punjabi

den stumble like a drunk

making fun at my daddy” 

Translation

• The speaker describes his bride as he daydreams about her

  • The description implies she, too, is rebellious in nature:

    • She swears at the mother in Punjabi

    • She drinks and mocks the father 

Nagra’s intention

• The poet alludes to generational and cultural differences:

  • While the bride still speaks in their language she behaves in a way which defies traditional family values 

    • The speaker implies he has similar values to his new wife

Lines 27 - 29

“my bride

tiny eyes ov a gun

and di tummy ov a teddy”

Translation

• The speaker is clearly unable to think of much other than his new wife as he continues to discuss her:

  • He describes her eyes as dark, and perhaps, dangerous, like the hole in a gun

  • He describes her stomach in endearing terms, comparing its softness to a teddy

Nagra’s intention

• The poet uses oxymoron to describe the wife:

  • He shows her as comforting to him, while defiant to the family

  • The ambiguous characterisation alludes to the multi-cultural influences of modern Britain which the new wife embodies 

Lines 30 - 34

“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 dat are pinching all my sweeties –”

Translation

• The speaker describes the appearance of his wife:

  • Her short, red hairstyle defies traditional expectations

  • Her clothing suggests the multi-cultural nature of her environment as she combines traditional Indian and Scottish clothing

Nagra’s intention

• The poet again depicts the romantic nature of their relationship by referring to her as “my bride” which suggests his pride and love

• He vividly describes the incongrous nature of her appearance as she embodies various cultures, suggesting she, too, is challenging family expectations

Lines 35 - 37

“ven I return from di tickle ov my bride

di shoppers always point and cry:

hey Singh, ver yoo bin?”

Translation

• The speaker refers back to the moments upstairs which he and his bride share instead of watching the shop

Nagra’s intention

• The speaker is preoccupied with the physical relationship with his new wife, which conveys the poem’s theme of romantic love

Lines 38 - 42

“di milk is out ov date

and di bread is alvays stale,

the tings yoo hav on offer yoo hav never got in stock

in di worst Indian shop

on di whole Indian road –”

Translation

• The speaker again takes on the dialogue of the customers to list the many ways he neglects the duties in the shop

  • He does not change old stock or order new stock

Nagra’s intention

• The speaker is happy to emphasise the many times he and his wife share private moments away from his job:

  • Perhaps Nagra does this to convey the passion of their relationship as they face societal pressures

Lines 43 - 47

“late in di midnight hour

ven yoo shoppers are wrap up quiet

ven di precinct is concrete-cool

vee cum down whispering stairs

and sit on my silver stool,”

Translation

• The speaker shifts tone and relates the late-night visits he and his wife make into the shop

• He describes the dark, silent, cool nights as they sneak into the shop 

Nagra’s intention

• The poet uses sensory image  to connote to the exciting and sensual nature of the experience, showing the significance of physical unity and the comforting nature of romantic love

Lines 48 - 50

“from behind di chocolate bars

vee stare past di half-price window signs

at di beaches ov di UK in di brightey moon –”

Translation

• The speaker describes how he and his wife stare out of the windows at the moonlit night

Nagra’s intention

• The description of having to look past the cheap shop signs to see the moonlit beach  adds a comedic element to the poem

• Nagra’s poem explores combined cultures: 

  • He refers to British culture while using a phonetic Punjabi accent and mixed dialect

• The romantic moment hints at the comfort found in their alliance

Lines 51 - 54

“from di stool each night she say,

how much do yoo charge for dat moon baby?

from di stool each night I say,

is half di cost ov yoo baby,”

Translation

• The poem changes to dialogue between the wife and the narrator, creating a more personal tone

• The wife asks how much the moon costs, mocking the father’s business

Nagra’s intention

• The lines take on the structure of banter:

  • The narrator answers with a witty reply, joking to her that she is more expensive than the moon 

  • The personal conversation excludes the listener which brings a sense of intimacy to the poem

Lines 55 - 58

“from di stool each night she say,

how much does dat come to baby?

from di stool each night I say,

is priceless baby –”

Translation

• The speaker continues the dialogue to end the poem on a sentimental note:

  • The wife continues to joke about his job using language which mimics customer interactions

  • The husband, however, ends the banter with a romantic statement:

    • He describes their relationship as “priceless”, meaning it is so valuable you cannot put a price on his love for her

Nagra’s intention

• The poem’s comedic and witty tone changes at the end:

  • The speaker expresses his love for her and provides a romantic justification for his disinterest in the father’s business

Writer’s Methods

Although this section is organised into three separate sections – form, structure and language – it is always best to move from what the poet is presenting (the techniques they use; the overall form of the poem; what comes at the beginning, middle and end of a poem) to how and why they have made the choices they have. 

Focusing on the poet’s overarching ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. Crucially, in the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme and includes Daljit Nagra’s intentions behind his choices in terms of:

• Form

• Structure

• Language

Form

Daljit Nagra’s dramatic monologue depicts a light-hearted account of a romantic relationship  through the perspective of a young Indian husband so in love he neglects his work and is constantly distracted by his new wife.

Structure

Language

Nagra uses imagery to convey both the intimacy in the marriage and the generational and cultural differences within the family relationship which create challenges within romantic relationships.

Context

Examiners repeatedly state that context should not be considered as additional factual information: in this case, it is not random biographical information about Daljit Nagra or facts unrelated to the ideas in 'Singh Song!'. The best way to understand context is by understanding  the ideas and perspectives explored by Daljit Nagra in 'Singh Song!' which relate to romantic love and family relationships. 

This section has therefore been divided into two relevant themes that Daljit explores:

• Romantic love

• Family relationships 

Romantic love

• Daljit Nagra is a British poet born in 1966

  • His poetry explores modern British life and makes reference to it in 'Singh Song!'

    • He refers to his “pinnie”, “Putney” and the “beaches of the UK”

  • In 'Singh Song!' Nagra shows the close alliance between him and his new wife in a modern Britain, with imagery reflecting their shared culture:

    • They eat “chapattis” as they defy his father

    • They make love as if they are “rowing in Putney”

  • Their romance is passionate, despite the informal setting of a corner shop:

    • They meet late at night “from behind di chocolate bars/vee stare past di half-price window signs”

Family Relationships 

• 'Singh Song!' appears in Nagra’s debut collection Look We Have Coming to Dover!, which explores the experiences of second-generation British-Indians, like Nagra

• Nagra often uses the form of dramatic monologue in his poetry to explore the experiences of his poet personae, particularly in terms of cultural stereotypes:

  • Singh Song!, like much of his collection, is written in phonetic accent  mixing English with Punjabi to express his mixed heritage and identity:

    • His wife is “effing at my mum//in all di colours of Punjabi”

  • The poem explores the generational and cultural divide as the son is disinterested in the traditional values of his father, the shopkeeper

    • His father works him from “from 9 O’clock to 9 O’clock”, alluding to the work ethic of his family

    • Yet, he defies this and avoids work: “but ven nobody in, I do di lock –”

What to compare it to

The essay you are required to write in your exam is a comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems. It is, therefore, essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents ideas about love or relationships, in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that Singh Song! explores the ideas of family relationships and romantic love, the following comparisons are the most appropriate:

• 'Singh Song!' and 'Sonnet 29 - I think of thee!’ 

• 'Singh Song!' and 'Follower' 

• 'Singh Song!' and 'Before You Were Mine'

For each pair of poems, you will find:

• The comparison in a nutshell

• Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem

• Differences between the ideas presented in each poem

• Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences

'Singh Song!' and 'Sonnet 29 - I think of thee!’

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both Daljit Nagra’s 'Singh Song!' and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s 'Sonnet 29 - I think of thee!’ explore passionate romantic love with speakers who are distracted by a desire to be close to their loved one. While Nagra’s poem conveys these ideas through an informal and light-hearted dramatic monologue , Barrett Browning’s monologue is intense and more traditional.   

Similarities:

Differences:

'Singh Song!' and 'Follower'

Comparison in a nutshell:

This is an effective comparative choice to explore family relationships which comment on dependence and restrictive control in family relationships, through the perspectives of younger speakers. Both Daljit Nagra’s poem 'Singh Song!' and Seamus Heaney’s poem 'Follower' explore the challenges of living in the shadow of older family members. However, Nagra’s poem explores the solace found in independence, whereas Heaney’s poem depicts a relentlessly dependent relationship.

Similarities:

 Differences:

'Singh Song!' and 'Before You Were Mine'

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both Daljit Nagra’s poem 'Singh Song!' and Carol Ann Duffy’s poem 'Before You Were Mine' present the perspectives of children acknowledging the changing nature of, and pressures within, family relationships. However, Nagra’s poem considers a father’s role in a young husband’s life, whereas Duffy’s poem considers a mother as an individual.

Similarities:

Similarities:

Differences: