[Intro: Chennai gaana male lead, raw cry over thundering parai drums] Vaa, machi, vaa Clear the road for Selvam, da [Verse 1: Chennai gaana male lead, parai and thavil pounding] Every temple night in the colony, he had the mic Up on a crate of soda bottles, singin' like a fight Traffic used to stop for him, the buses used to wait Conductors hangin' off the door to catch him at the gate And he grabbed me by the collar once and told me, "Don't you cry Get the parai and the firecrackers, stop the city, let me by" [Hook: Chennai gaana male lead, full band, parai thundering] Clear the road, da, make some room, 'cause Selvam's comin' through Every bus and every auto, pull aside the way you do He cleared the road for all of us, he sang us out of here So clear the road, machi, dance him out, there's no time for a tear [Verse 2: Chennai gaana male lead, harder, nadaswaram wailing] Now we're dancin' down the Ennore road, the marigolds like hail Twelve parai on the shoulders and the nadaswaram's wail And his mother rides the flower cart and claps on every beat 'Cause she knows her boy would haunt us if we dragged our feet Fifteen years I carried speakers, I was never on the stage I was wires and cords and askin' for his wage But today I'm in the front, da, and I'm dancin' like a fool 'Cause he said, "When I'm gone, machi, you're the one who keeps it loud" [Hook: Chennai gaana male lead, full band, parai thundering] Clear the road, da, make some room, 'cause Selvam's comin' through Every bus and every auto, pull aside the way you do He cleared the road for all of us, he sang us out of here So clear the road, machi, dance him out, there's no time for a tear [Verse 3: Chennai gaana male lead, the drums easing to a heavy march, then building] At the gate the drummers stop and wipe their faces on their arms Then they hand me Selvam's mic, the one with all the charms I never sang in front of people, I was only ever crew But I open up my mouth, aiyo, and it's his song comin' through And the parai hear the first line and they pick the sticks back up And his mother on the flower cart stands up and starts to clap And the buses on the main road honk it on the one And for one more minute, Selvam's got the whole road, and he's won [Bridge: Chennai gaana male lead, firecracker string, firecrackers bursting in time under the parai] Aiyo, Selvam, look out at the whole of the road Every window, every rooftop, every bus is slowed You said stop the city, machi, so we stopped it, wall to wall Your last show on our shoulders, and it's sold out, one and all [Final Hook: Chennai gaana male lead, full band, every parai at once] Clear the road, da, make some room, 'cause Selvam's comin' through Every bus and every auto, pull aside the way you do He cleared the road for all of us, he sang us out of here So clear the road, machi, dance him out, there's no time for a tear [Outro: Chennai gaana male lead, raw cry over the parai] Vaa, machi, road's clear, da [End]
