Nadia
Nitin Sawhney feat. Nicki Wells & Ashwin Srinivasan Lyrics
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Nadiya bair bhai
Nadiya bair bhai
Nadiya bair bhai
Nadiya bair bhai
Nadiya bair bhai
Nadiya bair bhai
Nadiya bair bhai
Nadiya bair bhai
Nadiya bair bhai
Nadiya bair bhai
Bair bhai
Bair bhai
Mora saiyyan bulave
Mora saiyyan bulave
Nadiya bair bhai
Nadiya bair bhai
Nadiya bair bhai
Bair bhai
Bair bhai
Sune nahi
Sune nahi
Sune nahi
Sune nahi
The lyrics of "Nadia" by Nitin Sawhney feat. Nicki Wells and Ashwin Srinivasan are a mix of Hindi words and phrases that express the longing and love for someone named Nadia. The song starts with the repetition of "Nadiya bair bhai," which roughly translates to "Oh my sister Nadia," but in the context of the song could be interpreted as a term of endearment or a way of expressing closeness with Nadia. The repetition of these words throughout the song creates a sense of longing and emphasizes the importance of the person named Nadia.
The next words, "Mora saiyyan bulave," which means "My beloved calls me," are sung repeatedly, emphasizing the deep connection between the singer and Nadia. The song continues with the repetition of "Nadiya bair bhai" and "Bair bhai," which could refer to the brother-sister bond between the two or the ultimate closeness between them.
The last line of the song, "Sune nahi," repeated multiple times, means "I cannot hear." It could refer to the singer's inability to hear anything outside of his love for Nadia, or his neglect of other sounds and distractions while thinking about her. Overall, the song expresses a deep and romantic love for someone named Nadia, and emphasizes the intense connection and bond between the singer and her.
Line by Line Meaning
Nadiya bair bhai
Oh river, my sister
Nadiya bair bhai
Oh river, my sister
Nadiya bair bhai
Oh river, my sister
Nadiya bair bhai
Oh river, my sister
Nadiya bair bhai
Oh river, my sister
Nadiya bair bhai
Oh river, my sister
Nadiya bair bhai
Oh river, my sister
Nadiya bair bhai
Oh river, my sister
Nadiya bair bhai
Oh river, my sister
Nadiya bair bhai
Oh river, my sister
Nadiya bair bhai
Oh river, my sister
Bair bhai
My dear sister
Bair bhai
My dear sister
Mora saiyyan bulave
My beloved calls
Mora saiyyan bulave
My beloved calls
Nadiya bair bhai
Oh river, my sister
Nadiya bair bhai
Oh river, my sister
Nadiya bair bhai
Oh river, my sister
Bair bhai
My dear sister
Bair bhai
My dear sister
Sune nahi
He doesn't hear
Sune nahi
He doesn't hear
Sune nahi
He doesn't hear
Sune nahi
He doesn't hear
Contributed by Alexander K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@TLMuse
The nearly unaccompanied vocal introduction here is just breathtakingly beautiful. Magic! And then the remarkable band kicks in. Wow; just, wow. A lyrics site has a transliteration/translation of the "Nadia" lyrics (after the opening chant, translated by another commenter), as follows:
Nadiya bair bhai
(Even the Rivers have turned hostile)
Mora saiyyan bulave
(My lover beckons me)
Sune nahi
(But you wouldn't listen)
@kinjaldasbiswas3278
Beautifully done. It is incredible that a foreign-born person can interpret the emotions so accurately. Thanks for sharing, but I find the transliteration is a bit off for the first (more Sanskritic) part of the song. Here is my attempt at a rough translation and transliteration:
Kasturi tilakam (Kasturi mark)
Lalat pat tale (on the forehead)
Vaksh sthale kaustubham (Kaustubh gem on the breast)
Nasagre luv motikm (Pearls (?) on the nose)
Karatale Venu (Flute in hand)
Kare Kankanam ( Bangles on hands)
Sarvange (Body covered in
Sarvange
Hara chandanam sulalitam sandalwood paste)
Kanthecha muktavali (string of pearls on the neck)
Gopastri paribesthita (Surrounded by the cow-maidens)
Vijayate (Victorious)
Gopal chhoodamani (The great Gopal)
@TLMuse
@Kayu, a web search turns up the following transliteration/translation of the three lines that comprise the lyrics:
Nadiya bair bhai
(Even the Rivers have turned hostile)
Mora saiyyan bulave
(My lover beckons me)
Sune nahi
(But you wouldn't listen)
@vectorfox4782
This is one of the most difficult performances for any vocal artist and she does it so beautifully flawlessly.
@thenikkibedi
FYI. Jeff Beck performed Nitin Sawhney's Nadia with Nitin himself at the Royal Albert Hall in 2001 and then asked Nitin's permission to use the song on his own album. The original is NITIN'S!!! and Jeff Beck's is the cover version.
@soumyadip4092
I'm searching for this info thanks 😊
@slippersforlunch
this is a centuries old thumri, it's his beautiful rendition, it's only our heritage which Nitin has rendered beautifully with modern sounds yet preserving the emotion of the thumri. It's no one's original in my opinion, just his rendition.
@e.j.maynard4363
I was at that show!! Couldn't convince my other American roommates to go (I was studying there for a semester) so I went solo. Very glad I did.
@Roddy1965
Only Jeff Beck could pull it off. LEGEND. RIP.
@frederickball2969
Common knowledge
@johngodwin4586
And Mohini Dey on bass is as always astonishing, no mention of her playing!
@g.g.rebimik6209
Listening to Nicki Wells is like going to Heaven!
@shikhaholkar107
G.G. Rebimik true