Seethale Tharu Dilena (Christmas Song) Lyrics by Bathiya and Santhush (BnS)

In the cold, in the midst of shining stars
eyes meet and the moment slips away
In the quiet, pearl-like dewdrops drift down
and life passes by just as the heart wishes

In the night sky the stars rise and shine
a glow appears, gleaming all around
This light is held in this world, the moon

In the cold, in the midst of shining stars
eyes meet and the moment slips away

RAP
Yeah last Christmas and this Christmas all I want to do is spend it all with my misses, and Santa if there’s one thing you can give just send my baby girl sliding down the chimney

Yeah Santa imma be a really good girl, I’m expecting the gifts and presents that I deserve

Santa make yo list and check it twice, I’ve been a little bit naughty but man I’m still nice
In the cold, in the midst of shining stars
eyes meet and the moment slips away
across this world it spreads
arriving today
a flowing longing is felt, the night ripens, this is how life is held, the moon

In the cold, in the midst of shining stars
eyes meet and the moment slips away

In the cold, in the midst of shining stars
eyes meet and the moment slips away

Across the world the signs of Christmas spread
giving everyone the comfort of peace
with a feeling of love, the heart never fading
understood as the song of two hearts

It’s Christmas

This is a Christmas song from Bathiya and Santhush, the kind of festive number that mixes Sinhala verses with an English rap so it works both on the radio and at a holiday party. It isn’t a story about one person so much as a mood piece about the season, the cold December nights, the stars overhead, and the warm, hopeful feeling that comes with Christmas in Sri Lanka.

The Sinhala verses lean on the imagery of a clear, cold night. The “seethala” (cold) and the stars shining in the midnight sky set the scene, because in Sri Lanka December is the cool season and Christmas falls right in it. The pearl-like dewdrops drifting down (“muthu pini diya”) are a familiar picture in Sinhala song, dew on a still, quiet night standing for calm and a gentle sort of beauty. Over and over the song reaches for the moon (“sada”) as the light that holds this whole scene together, the steady glow that watches over the night while everyone celebrates.

In the middle the song switches gears completely into a playful English rap, a wink to the western side of Christmas. Here it’s all Santa, gift lists, sliding down the chimney, and the old “naughty but nice” joke. It’s lighthearted on purpose, the fun, commercial face of the holiday set against the quieter Sinhala verses.

By the last verse the two sides come together. The signs of Christmas spread across the whole world, and what the season really gives is “samaye suwaya,” the comfort of peace, and a feeling of love that doesn’t fade. The closing image is sweet and simple, the season understood as a song shared between two hearts. What the listener is left with is that warm, settled holiday feeling, cold stars above, peace below, and love that the year’s end is meant to celebrate.