ye powder ye surkiya gira rahi hai bijliya
ye bambai ki naar aur vilayti singar
are duhai hai bahut najar na fekiye
jara shakl to dekhiye
na roop hai na rang hai
hai goriya ke sang haye duhai hai

bhul kahi ghar ka pata ulfat me jao na
prem nagar dil ki gali ek din bhi aao na
galiyo ke romeo tu aise na machal
ye powder ye surkiya gira rahi hai bijliya
ye bambai ki naar aur vilayti singar
are duhai hai

gore gore gaal wali sadke iss chal ke
tum to yehi girne lage dekho sambhal ke
baat jara chikni thi dil gaya fisal
bahut najar na fekiye jara shakl to dekhiye
na roop hai na rang hai
hai goriya ke sang are duhai hai

These powders, these blushes, they cast down lightning,
Bombay's siren song, a foreign adornment.
Oh, spare me the gaze, the hungry glance,
Look closer, truly, a moment's chance.
No form, no hue, no lasting grace,
Just a pale face, a hollow space, alas.

Lost your way, astray in love's maze,
Don't forget the home of your heart's days.
Come, just once, to Love's City, down its lane,
Romeo of the streets, cease your fevered strain.
These powders, these blushes, they cast down lightning,
Bombay's siren song, a foreign adornment.
Oh, spare me.

The fair-skinned cheek, the allure of a dance,
You stumble, falling, give yourself a chance.
A silken word, a slippery heart, it seems,
Look closer, truly, beyond the fleeting dreams.
No form, no hue, no lasting grace,
Just a pale face, a hollow space, alas.