Sumihiri Pane Lyrics by Desmond De Silva

(Pour the sweet drink just right
Even if I die tomorrow, my heart is happy
because I had my fun today…..//)

(Without eating, without drinking, out of greed people chase after riches
But the day we die, we all sleep the same, in a single shroud…..//)

The sweet drink…..//

(No soda, pour the whisky and brandy, little brother
the dark girl and the fair girl both come hanging on your arm…..//)

The sweet drink…..//

(Play the devil with the bottle, freedom in the bar
When you’re broke don’t worry, sell your lovely car…//)

The sweet drink…..//

Drink on Sunday – Eat on Monday
Dance on Saturday – Die on Any day…..

The sweet drink…..//

This is a baila drinking song, the kind that gets a party going. There is no broken heart here and no longing, just a man with a glass in his hand telling everyone to loosen up and enjoy the night while it lasts. “Sumihiri pane” means the sweet drink, and the whole song is a toast to it. Pour it just right, he says, and even if death comes tomorrow, the heart is content because today was spent having a good time.

Underneath the fun there is a small, blunt piece of village wisdom that Sri Lankans will recognize. People starve themselves and go thirsty out of greed, hoarding money and property, but on the day you die none of it follows you. The line about sleeping in a “kopin eke,” a single plain cloth, points to how a body is wrapped for the funeral pyre, rich or poor. Everyone leaves with nothing, so why not live a little now. It is the same idea behind the closing chant, drink on Sunday, eat on Monday, dance on Saturday, die any day, life is short, so make it merry.

The middle verse is pure cheek. He tells his “malli,” his younger mate, to skip the soda and drink the whisky and brandy neat, promising that the good times will draw both the dark girl and the fair girl to hang on his arm. In plain terms, let go, have fun, and the company will follow. When the wallet runs dry, the answer is just as carefree, sell the car and keep the party alive.

The song does not pretend to be deep, and it is better for it. It is a wink at our habit of saving and worrying, an invitation to put the bottle, the music and good friends ahead of money for one night. You finish it smiling, humming the refrain, which is exactly what it set out to do.