Kodi Gaha Yata Mama Upanne Lyrics by HR Jothipala

I was born under the flagpole,
in a famous place in this country.
They call it Colombo,
the whole world circles around it.
In style and in dress, real heroes,
that’s us, the Colombo boys.
In style and in dress, real heroes,
that’s us, the Colombo boys.

We’re always cooking up some clever plan,
all to go looking for tasty treats.
We never give anyone any trouble,
when it comes down to it, we’re completely harmless.

It’s here you first get to see
all the finest, latest fashions.
Young women are forever hanging around,
thinking about none other than us.

This is a cheeky, swaggering little song about the boys of Colombo, sung with a grin rather than a heavy heart. There’s no lost love or sleepless night here. It’s a bunch of city lads bragging, half seriously and half in fun, about who they are and where they come from.

The boast starts with birthplace. “I was born under the flagpole” (kodi gaha yata) is a way of saying he’s a true child of the city center, born right where the action is, in the heart of Colombo. He puffs Colombo up as a famous place that the whole world revolves around, the kind of friendly exaggeration you make about your own hometown. Then comes the chorus the song is really built on: in style and in dress, the Colombo boys are “soorayo,” heroes, champions. It’s the strut of young men who pride themselves on looking sharp and being ahead of everyone else.

The middle verse softens the bragging with a wink. These lads are always scheming, but only ever to track down something nice to eat and enjoy, “rasa than,” tasty things. They want you to know they’re not troublemakers. For all the swagger, they insist they’re “ahinsakai,” totally harmless, the kind of boys who never cause anyone any bother. It’s the classic charm of a city kid talking himself up while promising he means no harm.

The last verse brings it home with two of the things Colombo boys are proudest of: fashion and the attention of girls. The newest, smartest styles show up in the city first, they say, and they’re the ones wearing them. And the young women, of course, are always around, with the boys on their minds. The whole thing is light and playful, a small celebration of city youth, looking good, having fun, and being just a little full of themselves.