Sinhayan Se Lyrics by Nalin Perera

Give life to a ruined country..
hold hands and come together..
give courage to the struggle..
Mother Lanka, rise up again..

Dying upon a fertile land,
a destitute nation bearing defeat,
becoming a single drop of water for the drought,
let us unite and do our duty..

Like lions, united,
let us make Mother Lanka win, giving her courage..

Never mind religion or ethnicity,
the country is one family, come together..
defeat the ruin of the country..
give life back to our dreams.

Like lions, united,
let us make Mother Lanka win, giving her courage..

Before Mother Lanka is defiled,
write a new story,
let us break the barrier once and for all,
shall we unite as one country..

Ho.. ho..

Like lions, united,
let us make Mother Lanka win, giving her courage..

This is a rousing unity anthem from the time of the aragalaya, Sri Lanka’s 2022 people’s struggle, and it was released that same year. Its opening is a straight call to action: give life to a ruined country, hold hands and come together, put courage into the struggle, and, Mother Lanka, rise up once again. It speaks directly to a nation in crisis.

The middle lays out both the despair and the remedy. It pictures a destitute people dying even on fertile land, worn down by defeat, and asks each person to become a single drop of water for the drought, small alone but life-giving together. Its refrain is the title image: sinhayan se, like lions, united, let us make Mother Lanka win. The lion is the island’s own emblem, and here it becomes a call for everyone to find that courage.

Above all the song insists on unity across every line that usually divides. Never mind religion or ethnicity, it says, the country is one family, so come together, defeat the ruin of the nation, and give life back to our dreams. Before Mother Lanka is defiled, it urges, write a new story and break the barrier once and for all, and asks the simple, hopeful question: shall we unite as one country? It is a hymn of courage and togetherness for a land trying to rebuild itself.