A.R. Rahman’s song ‘Jai Ho’ from the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack won an Oscar at the 81st Academy Awards and is one of the most downloaded songs on iTunes at the moment.  The song’s infectious beat makes even the stiffest Southern Baptist want to get up and grind against a wall or co-worker, but what do those Hindu lyrics really mean?

Well the song is very sexual and probably a lot dirtier than you would think based on the beautiful sounding Hindu lyrics. Here is a rough English translation of a couple of lines (full song lyrics at bottom of post):

“Taste it, taste it, this night is honey

Taste it, and keep it”

“Come, come my Life, under the canopy

Come under the blue brocade sky!”

For many years I found the following quoted line from Marvin Gaye’s 1982 hit ‘Sexual Healing’ to be one of the dirtiest lines in a hit song, especially considering the era in which it was released, and before the onset of gangsta rap.  It’s the very last line of ‘Sexual Healing’ that is almost never heard because radio stations fade it out, censor it, or talk over it either intentionally or unintentionally.  If you have the original recording and listen closely to the last line you can hear it.

If you aren’t near a turn table this is what Marvin softly pleas to the women out there to conclude the song:

“Please Don’t Procrastinate - It’s Not Good to Masturbate.”

Rough translations, especially from Hindu to English, should be taken with a grain of salt.  Often when English is translated into other languages the end result is unintentionally funny (or disgusting). It works in reverse much the same way as some words don’t have an equivalent in another language.

Here are a few examples of translations gone wrong:

• Coors put its slogan, “Turn it loose,” into Spanish, where it was read as “Suffer from diarrhoea”.
• Clairol introduced the “Mist Stick”, a curling iron, into German only to find out that “mist” is slang for manure. Not too many people had use for the “manure stick”.
• In Chinese, the Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan “finger-lickin’ good” came out as ” eat your fingers off”.
• When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the US, with the beautiful Caucasian baby on the label. Later they learned that in Africa, companies routinely put pictures on the label of what’s inside, since most people can’t read English.

When I hear of ‘Jai Ho’ I think of it being Chris Brown’s nickname at the state penitentiary when he bends over for the soap in the shower….JAI HO!!!!!

‘Jai Ho’ actually translates to something like either hallelujah or hail.

Lyrics to Both Versions of ‘Jai Ho’

Very Loose English Translation of ‘Jai Ho’ via Ink Spillz

Jai Ho =Something between “Hail”and “Hallelujah”

Come, come my Life, under the canopy

Come under the blue brocade sky!

Iota by iota, I have lost my life, in faith

I’ve passed this night dancing on coals

I blew away the sleep that was in my eyes

I counted the stars till my finger burned

Come, come my Life, under the canopy

Come under the blue brocade sky!

Taste it, taste it, this night is honey

Taste it, and keep it,

It’s a heart; the heart is the final limit

You dark black kohl

It’s some black magic, isn’t it?

Come, come my Life, under the canopy

Come under the blue brocade sky!

For how long, how very long

It’s been on your lips

Say it, now say it

The eye is downcast

Such lit up eyes

Are they two lit-up dimaonds(?) ?

Come, come my Life, under the canopy

Come under the blue brocade sky!

Original Hindu Lyrics of ‘Jai Ho’

Jai Ho! ^n

Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley

Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley

Jai Ho! ^ n

Ratti ratti sachchi maine jaan gawayi hai

Nach Nach koylon pe raat bitaayi hai

Ankhiyon ki neend maine phoonkon se udaa di

Gin gin taarey maine ungli jalayi hai

Eh Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley

Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley

Baila! Baila!
(Dance! Dance!)

Ahora conmigo, tu baila para hoy
(Now with me, you dance for today)

Por nuestro dia de movidas,
(For our day of moves,)

los problemas los que sean
(whatever problems may be)

Salud!
(Cheers!)

Baila! Baila!
(Dance! Dance!)

Jai Ho! ^n

Chakh le, haan chakh le, yeh raat shehed hai

Chakh le, haan rakh le,

Dil hai, dil aakhri hadd hai

Kaala kaala kaajal tera

Koi kaala jaadu hai na?

Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley

Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley

Jai Ho! ^ n

Kab se haan kab se jo lab pe ruki hai

Keh de, keh de, haan keh de

Ab aankh jhuki hai

Aisi aisi roshan aankhein

Roshan dono heerey (?) hain kya?

Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley

Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley

Jai Ho! ^ n

[Rahman image: wenn.com]