tere shaharo se raaja hame ban hee bhale
vaha chain se toh sote the sitaaron ke tale
tujhako bhee dekh liya shahar bhee tera dekha
jagamagahat kee har ik tah me andhera dekha
aish karate hain tere shahar me daulatavaale
aur phankon ke sitam sahate hain mehanatvaale
tere shahaaro me jaban jhuthee hai, dil khote hain
bildinge unchee hain, insaan bahut chhote hain
tere shaharo se

shor itana hai kee dil kee bhee sada kho jaaye
bhid aisee hai ke khud apna pata kho jaaye
ishkvaalo ko yaha rasme wafa yaad nahee
husn ko husn kee sharmo haya yaad nahee
jism se ruh ka hai bair tere shaharo me
najar aate hain sabhee gair tere shaharo me
tere shaharon se

tune jo dhang nikale hain ve bedhange hain
kapada bunatee hai mil phir bhee badan nange hain
galla chhup jata hai dhanavano ke tahakano me
lakhon mar jaate hain tapate huye maidaano me
bhukhe futapatho pe sote hain tere shaharo me
log insaaf ko rote hain tere shaharo me
tere shaharo se

kahee bhaasha ka jhagada hai toh kahee praant ka hai
kahee naslo ka hai fasaad toh kahee jaat ka hai
aman aur chain ka hai saaya nahee inn raaho me
dadhiya chotiya takaratee hain chauraaho me
tere shaharo me mohabbat ka pata kya dhundhe
aadamee tak nahee milata hai khuda kya dhundhe
tere shaharo se

tumane raket kee madad le ke sitaare dekhe
maut ke munh me hain dukh dard ke maare kitane
daane daane ko tarsate hain bechaare kitane
yahee tahjib hai shaharo kee toh jangal achchhe
jo har ik ghar pe barasate ho woh baadal achchhe
tere shaharo se

From your cities, O King, it's best we flee,
Where peace we found, 'neath stars' canopy.
Your city seen, and you, too, I have known,
In every gleam, a darkness overgrown.

The wealthy feast, your city's gilded cage,
While toil-worn souls endure hunger's rage.
False tongues abound, in hearts a bitter core,
Buildings ascend, as humans shrink and pour.
From your cities, O King, it's best we flee,
Where peace we found, 'neath stars' canopy.

A clamor vast, where heart's own voice is lost,
A crowd so dense, self-identity crossed.
Love's faithful ways, forgotten by the heart,
Beauty's blush, and modesty depart.
The soul and flesh, in conflict here they dwell,
Strangers all, in your cities' wretched spell.
From your cities, O King, it's best we flee,
Where peace we found, 'neath stars' canopy.

The ways you've wrought, are twisted and askew,
Mills weave the cloth, yet bodies are askew.
The harvest hides, in coffers of the rich,
While countless die, in fields' scorching niche.
The hungry sleep, on pavements cold and bare,
Justice weeps, within your cities' lair.
From your cities, O King, it's best we flee,
Where peace we found, 'neath stars' canopy.

Where tongues clash hard, or provinces divide,
Where races clash, and castes relentlessly chide.
No solace found, upon these paths we tread,
Beards and topknots, on crossroads lie in dread.
Love's precious trace, in these realms, how can we find?
If man is lost, how seek the Divine behind?
From your cities, O King, it's best we flee,
Where peace we found, 'neath stars' canopy.

With rockets soaring, you've gazed at distant stars,
While death's embrace, ensnares those life has scarred.
For crumbs they yearn, these souls in dire despair,
If this is 'civilized', then forests are so rare!
The clouds that weep, on every humble home,
Are worth a thousand cities, where we roam.
From your cities, O King, it's best we flee,
Where peace we found, 'neath stars' canopy.