Poetry Analysis of Singh Song
Subject
• The poet has written Singh Song to be about the love of a couple who live
in an Indian area of the UK. Shown to feel like outsiders, however
seemingly very happy together.
• The character Singh is a Sikh man who is seemingly rather laid back, “ven
nobody in, I do di lock” and values his relationship more than he does
success or money describing his wife as “priceless”.
• He shows his adoration, affection and love for his “newly bride” and
describing her tummy as a “teddy”, emphasising how he is besotted with
her every feature.
Point of View
• The poem is written from the point of view and ideals of Singh, “I say” is
repeated throughout the poem, showing that it is from his point of view,
which feels more personal and therefore feels like he is communicating
with the reader.
• It is written to allow us to see Singh’s point of view and feels as though he
is trying to almost show off how he loves his wife.
• However there is an exterior unknown voice, shown through italics to give
a sense of interruption and difference – in this we get another opinion, an
idea of others point of view about Singh, which is shown to generally be
negative as he and his shop are described as the “worst”.
Language
• The poem is formed out of English-Indian dialect ( showing Singh’s origins)
and is shown through phonetics – the words are spelt how they sound in
his accent. He uses ‘v’ instead of ‘w’, for example, “vee share”. This shows
his background and history.
• Informal- he uses words that are acquainted with children such as
“daddy”, which shows the simplicity in his character, and almost childlike
nature.
• The use of (considered) British slang is also showing in the poem- showing
the interracial development of his character. For example the affectionate
term “baby”.
Imagery
• He uses humorous imagery to describe emotional moments, seemingly
unable to take it seriously, or how hopelessly romanticised his point of
view is, for example “after vee hav made luv like vee rowing through
Putney” This shows his affection towards his wife and emphasises how he
highly he values love.
• This brings a lightness to the poem, which without would mean the poem
may have had a darker message, for example “di worst Indian shop on di
whole Indian road” would show how appallingly he runs his shop, put in a
lighter manner implying he is happy.
• The way he also describes his wife also shows his affection – he describes
her as “priceless” and “Above his head”, showing how he is honoured to
be married to her and how highly he thinks of her.
• She is however a possible rebellion to the religion, as they glamourized
her – “high heels”- and wears a “Donkey jacket” which is highly unusual.
Form and Structure
• Rhyming couplets creating a musical rhythm, a sing song effect. Therefore
we can also see that the the title itself is a pun using the name Singh,
instead of sing. From this we can infer the characteristics of Singh, that he
has a childlike mentality and therefore uses a immature way of speaking,
with rhythm. It therefore creates a sense of
• The poem also uses phonetics, such as “di” and he writes his W as V. This
shows how his accent is spoken and allows the reader to read directly how
he would speak rather than infer. The writer Daljit Nagra, himself having
Punjabi Indian parents, may have wanted to emphasise how Singh was
different, and try to show this through the difference of pronunciation.
• The poem’s structure does not stay the same throughout, but cycles
through different stanza patterns, and finishes with a series of 2 line
stanzas at the end to show the conversation between he and his wife.
Tone
• Singh Song, the entire way through, is full of affection and tenderness
towards his wife.
• Singh uses words that are considered cute or that describe his wife with
affectionate nicknames or descriptions. Such as describing his wife as
having “di tummy ov a teddy” from this we can infer that she is possibly
rather rounded and that to Singh it is simply another point to a long list of
things he seems to adore about his wife.
• We can also see the respect Singh has for his wife, “tiny eyes ov a gun”,
implying she is focused and keen, constantly ready and waiting.
• All of these quotes are humorous, as is much of the poem. The way he
uses words like “daddy” and talks about “her Sikh lover site” makes the
reader smile and is funny because of the immaturity behind it. Whether its
because it makes the reader almost feel condescending towards his
foolishness or because on the reverse its adorable, it makes the reader
laugh.
Links
• My Last Duchess – views on affection and possessive pronouns.
• The use of the word “my” is common in both poems, however they are
used differently; in My Last Duchess, the phrase is used to show
possession and objectification of the duchess, showing he felt superior to
her. In Singh Song, the phrase is used to show affection, the word “my”
used in a different tone, showing a proudness and honor in having her as
his wife and his equal.
• Checking Out Me History- non-standard spelling.
• Both poems use non-standard spelling as an accent for the voice of the
narrator. They also both bringing other voices as narrator throughout, in
Checking Out Me History it's the authority behind 'dem' and in this poem
it's the voice of Singh’s complaining customers.