Song H066 Coming soon
බිත්තියේ අපේ තාත්තා
Our Dad, on the Wall
Biththiye Ape Thaththa
On opening night at a Colombo gallery, Thaththa, a mason who built houses all his life, stands under his own portrait in a borrowed shirt, pretending not to look at it. When a stranger asks whether it is him, his daughter shouts yes, that's our Thaththa, and the whole room turns and claps.
Lyrics
Chorus
කොළඹ ගැලරියේ බිත්තියේ, අපේ තාත්තා!Kolamba gallery-e biththiye, ape Thaththa!On the wall of the Colombo gallery, our Dad!
ජීවිතේම ගෙවල් හැදුව අත් දෙක, අද ලයිට් එක යටJeewithema gewal haduwa ath deka, ada light eka yataThe two hands that built houses all his life, under the light today
මිනිස්සු හිටගෙන බලනවා, අපේ තාත්තගේ මූණMinissu hitagena balanawa, ape Thaththage moonaPeople stand and look at our Thaththa's face
අපේ තාත්තා, ඒ අත් දෙක, අපේ නමApe Thaththa, e ath deka, ape namaOur Thaththa, those two hands, our name
බිත්තියේ අපේ තාත්තා, බිත්තියේ අපේ තාත්තාBiththiye ape Thaththa, biththiye ape ThaththaOur Dad on the wall, our Dad on the wall
කොළඹ ගැලරියේ, බිත්තියේ අපේ තාත්තා!Kolamba gallery-e, biththiye ape Thaththa!On the wall of the Colombo gallery, our Dad!
Verse 1
ඕපනින් රෑ, ණයට ගත්ත ෂර්ට් එකේ තාත්තාOpening re, nayata gaththa shirt eke ThaththaOpening night, Thaththa in a borrowed shirt
තමන්ගේ ෆොටෝව යට හිටගෙන, බලන්නේ නෑ වගේThamange photo-wa yata hitagena, balanne na wageStanding under his own portrait, pretending not to look
අම්මා නාඳුනන මිනිස්සු අල්ලගෙන, "අනේ එකක් ගන්න"Amma nandunana minissu allagena, "Ane ekak ganna"Amma grabbing strangers: "please, take one"
ෆොටෝව ළඟ හිටගෙන, "මේ මගේ මහත්තයා!"Photo-wa langa hitagena, "Me mage mahaththaya!"Standing beside the portrait: "this is my husband!"
Before the chorus
නාඳුනන කෙනෙක් ඇවිත් තාත්තගෙන් ඇහුවාNandunana kenek awith Thaththagen ahuwaA stranger came up and asked Thaththa
"මේ ඔයාද?" තාත්තා ලැජ්ජාවෙන් හිස වැනුවා"Me oyada?" Thaththa lajjawen hisa wanuwa"Is this you?" Thaththa nodded, embarrassed
මම කෑ ගැහුවා, "ඔව්! ඒ අපේ තාත්තා!"Mama ka gahuwa, "Ow! E ape Thaththa!"I shouted, "Yes! That's our Thaththa!"
ශාලාවම හැරිලා බැලුවා, අත්පුඩි ගැහුවාShalawama harila baluwa, athpudi gahuwaThe whole room turned round and clapped
Chorus
කොළඹ ගැලරියේ බිත්තියේ, අපේ තාත්තා!Kolamba gallery-e biththiye, ape Thaththa!On the wall of the Colombo gallery, our Dad!
ජීවිතේම ගෙවල් හැදුව අත් දෙක, අද ලයිට් එක යටJeewithema gewal haduwa ath deka, ada light eka yataThe two hands that built houses all his life, under the light today
මිනිස්සු හිටගෙන බලනවා, අපේ තාත්තගේ මූණMinissu hitagena balanawa, ape Thaththage moonaPeople stand and look at our Thaththa's face
අපේ තාත්තා, ඒ අත් දෙක, අපේ නමApe Thaththa, e ath deka, ape namaOur Thaththa, those two hands, our name
බිත්තියේ අපේ තාත්තා, බිත්තියේ අපේ තාත්තාBiththiye ape Thaththa, biththiye ape ThaththaOur Dad on the wall, our Dad on the wall
කොළඹ ගැලරියේ, බිත්තියේ අපේ තාත්තා!Kolamba gallery-e, biththiye ape Thaththa!On the wall of the Colombo gallery, our Dad!
Chant
බිත්තියේ!Biththiye!On the wall!
අපේ තාත්තා!Ape Thaththa!Our Dad!
කොළඹ!Kolamba!Colombo!
බලන්න එන්න!Balanna enna!Come and see!
Verse 2
මාසෙකට පස්සේ, ගේට්ටුව ළඟ පාර්සල් එකක්Masekata passe, gettuwa langa parcel ekakA month later, a parcel at the gate
ප්‍රදර්ශනේ පොත, ඒකේ පිටුවක අපේ තාත්තාPradarshane potha, eke pituwaka ape ThaththaThe exhibition book, and on one of its pages, our Thaththa
අම්මා ඒක මේසේ ඇරලා තිබ්බා, තාත්තගේ පිටුවෙන්Amma eka mese arala thibba, Thaththage pituwenAmma left it open on the table, at Thaththa's page
ගමේ හැමෝම ගේට්ටුවෙන් ඇතුළට, "අපේ මේසන් බාස් පොතේ!"Game hamoma gettuwen athulata, "Ape mason baas pothe!"The whole village in through the gate: "our mason baas is in a book!"
Before the chorus
නාඳුනන කෙනෙක් ඇවිත් තාත්තගෙන් ඇහුවාNandunana kenek awith Thaththagen ahuwaA stranger came up and asked Thaththa
"මේ ඔයාද?" තාත්තා ලැජ්ජාවෙන් හිස වැනුවා"Me oyada?" Thaththa lajjawen hisa wanuwa"Is this you?" Thaththa nodded, embarrassed
මම කෑ ගැහුවා, "ඔව්! ඒ අපේ තාත්තා!"Mama ka gahuwa, "Ow! E ape Thaththa!"I shouted, "Yes! That's our Thaththa!"
ශාලාවම හැරිලා බැලුවා, අත්පුඩි ගැහුවාShalawama harila baluwa, athpudi gahuwaThe whole room turned round and clapped
Chorus
කොළඹ ගැලරියේ බිත්තියේ, අපේ තාත්තා!Kolamba gallery-e biththiye, ape Thaththa!On the wall of the Colombo gallery, our Dad!
ජීවිතේම ගෙවල් හැදුව අත් දෙක, අද ලයිට් එක යටJeewithema gewal haduwa ath deka, ada light eka yataThe two hands that built houses all his life, under the light today
මිනිස්සු හිටගෙන බලනවා, අපේ තාත්තගේ මූණMinissu hitagena balanawa, ape Thaththage moonaPeople stand and look at our Thaththa's face
අපේ තාත්තා, ඒ අත් දෙක, අපේ නමApe Thaththa, e ath deka, ape namaOur Thaththa, those two hands, our name
බිත්තියේ අපේ තාත්තා, බිත්තියේ අපේ තාත්තාBiththiye ape Thaththa, biththiye ape ThaththaOur Dad on the wall, our Dad on the wall
කොළඹ ගැලරියේ, බිත්තියේ අපේ තාත්තා!Kolamba gallery-e, biththiye ape Thaththa!On the wall of the Colombo gallery, our Dad!
Bridge
ඒ අත් දෙකෙන් ගම පුරා ගෙවල් හැදුවාE ath deken gama pura gewal haduwaWith those two hands he built houses all over the village
බිත්ති හැදුවා, කවුරුත් බිත්ති බැලුවේ නෑBiththi haduwa, kawuruth biththi baluwe naHe built walls, and nobody ever looked at a wall
අද ඒ අත් දෙක කොළඹ බිත්තියේAda e ath deka Kolamba biththiyeToday those two hands are on a wall in Colombo
ලෝකේ හිටගෙන බලන්නේ, අපේ තාත්තාLoke hitagena balanne, ape ThaththaAnd what the world stands and looks at is our Thaththa
Chorus
කොළඹ ගැලරියේ බිත්තියේ, අපේ තාත්තා! (අපේ තාත්තා!)Kolamba gallery-e biththiye, ape Thaththa! (ape Thaththa!)On the wall of the Colombo gallery, our Dad!
ජීවිතේම ගෙවල් හැදුව අත් දෙක, අද ලයිට් එක යටJeewithema gewal haduwa ath deka, ada light eka yataThe two hands that built houses all his life, under the light today
මිනිස්සු හිටගෙන බලනවා, අපේ තාත්තගේ මූණMinissu hitagena balanawa, ape Thaththage moonaPeople stand and look at our Thaththa's face
අපේ තාත්තා, ඒ අත් දෙක, අපේ නමApe Thaththa, e ath deka, ape namaOur Thaththa, those two hands, our name
බිත්තියේ අපේ තාත්තා, බිත්තියේ අපේ තාත්තා (බිත්තියේ!)Biththiye ape Thaththa, biththiye ape Thaththa (biththiye!)Our Dad on the wall, our Dad on the wall
කොළඹ ගැලරියේ, බිත්තියේ අපේ තාත්තා!Kolamba gallery-e, biththiye ape Thaththa!On the wall of the Colombo gallery, our Dad!
Outro
බිත්තියේ අපේ තාත්තාBiththiye ape ThaththaOur Dad on the wall
කොළඹ ගැලරියේ, අපේ තාත්තා.Kolamba gallery-e, ape Thaththa.in the Colombo gallery, our Dad
From the book
- Idea 395A national portrait project: the Sri Lankans who built things, photographed and exhibited, then sold as a book
- Cluster 19Heritage, archives and film
The book behind the songs
Every song here is sung from inside one moment: the day someone in Sri Lanka has already done one of the book's 500 ideas, and the family is celebrating.
This song is a story about one idea from the book Why Not Sri Lanka. It promises nothing. No real person or business is shown in it. The book's ideas belong to whoever builds them. Music and vocals created with Suno from original lyrics written for this channel. The pictures in the songs are made with AI too.
© 2026 Dr Maheshika Halbeisen. Lyrics, music recordings, films and pictures. All rights reserved. Please do not re-upload or reuse these songs; to use one, get in touch through whynotsrilanka.com.