Oh Mangi Gayi Lyrics

"Oh Mangi Gayi" is a deeply poetic and emotional Punjabi song that mourns the departure of a beloved girl from her village after her engagement/marriage (ਮੰਗੀ ਗਈ — "she got engaged/taken away"). The song uses rich rural Punjabi imagery to personify nature itself as grieving her absence. It's not just a love song — it's a lament from the entire village and its natural surroundings. Opening/Hook: The song opens with the image of her water pot (ਗਾਗਰ) sitting thirsty, and the hand pumps and wells waiting for her to come fetch water. The village pathways miss her footsteps — the dirt trails have lost their purpose without her walking on them. This establishes that her presence was the lifeblood of the village. Chorus: "The nature of her village gasps for breath — the life of lives, she has been taken away." Her departure has sucked the vitality out of the entire surroundings. Verse 2 (Neem tree): The neem leaves fall and declare they won't return, because her flower-like hands will never pour water on them again. The verse then shifts to protective imagery — crows shouldn't land on children, thorns shouldn't roam on designated spots, insects shouldn't touch the grain — yet even the bread that was eaten couldn't be shared properly. Everything in the village's daily life feels disrupted and incomplete without her nurturing presence. Verse 3 (Koyla/Cuckoo): The cuckoo bird has started a commotion, its melody ruined. Hidden wounds have been struck upon the flowers. The oil lamps have been taken away, and the dry grass along the canals has caught fire — a metaphor for uncontrollable grief spreading. She became shy and bashful at the moment of her "showing" ceremony (ਵੇਖ ਵਖਾਈ — a pre-wedding ritual). Verse 4 (Final): Even the hearth/stove (ਚੁੱਲ੍ਹਾ) has turned its nose up and gone sulky. The chilies lost their potency. The winds have completely stilled, the fire trembles, and the milk streams have frozen. The working-class household's demand/engagement has been fulfilled — she's gone.