Bayila (also known as baila) is a form of music, popular in Sri Lanka and parts of India. The genre originated centuries ago among the 'Sri Lankan Kaffirs' or Afro-Sri Lankan communities (mixed communities of Portuguese, African and native Tamil and Sinhalese people). It utilises primarily European instruments and rhythms found in Iberia, Sri Lanka, Africa and India. Bayila songs are played during parties and weddings in Mangalore and Goa, accompanied by dancing.
Bayila music, as a form of folk art, has been popular for centuries in Sri Lanka. During the early 1960s, it entered into Sri Lanka's mainstream culture, primarily through the work of police officer turned singer Wally Bastian. He began adapting the 6/8 'kaffirhina' rhythms to accommodate Sinhala lyrics. By the 1970s musicians, including MS Fernando and Maxwell Mendis, had helped Bayila grow into a well known and respected style of Sri Lankan popular music. It is primarily considered dance music.
After their arrival in 1505, the Portuguese began to convert the Sinhalese and Tamils to Roman Catholicism, building their wealth and power through the spice and slave trade. As early as 1630, African Kaffirs were brought to Sri Lanka to work as slaves or soldiers. The Kaffirs were once described as a people 'steeped in opium and witless with drink'. The Kaffirs' carefree spirit inspired two music forms known as chicote and kafrinha infusing them with humour and satire.
Don't you cry, don't you look so sad
We both knew somehow this day would come
I know you want what is best for me
And I need to see you smile
From where I started off to where I am
It's a million miles, I can't go back there again
But no matter where I go from here
You will be part of me from now on
For every door that opens up
When another has to close
You got to trust me now
Be strong and let me go
Watch me now as I go my way
The time has come
And I gotta say I'm not afraid
Watch me now, every step I take
I feel stronger, so much stronger
The road ahead is a mystery
Your love is here
Oh and I believe inside of me
Watch me now, I can stand my ground
I will be alright, yes I'll be alright
You were someone who believed in me
When I wasn't even sure of myself
And I always will remember how
You were always there to help
And I heard so many things from you
And I'm ready now to try them out in the world
Though it hurts too much to say goodbye
We both know (We both know)
There's no other way
I will feel your loving arms
When I'm out there in the cold
'Cause all of my thoughts of you
Will still be mine to hold
Watch me now as I go my way
The time has come
And I gotta say I'm not afraid
Watch me now, every step I take
I feel stronger, so much stronger
The road ahead is a mystery
Your love is here
Oh and I believe inside of me
Watch me now, I can stand my ground
I will be alright, yes I'll be alright
You will find me running back sometime
When I really need a guiding hand
We'll be closer than we were before
And I know that you will understand
I know you'll understand
Watch me now as I go my way
The time has come
And I gotta say I'm not afraid
Watch me now, every step I take
I feel stronger, so much stronger
The road ahead is a mystery
Your love is here
Oh and I believe inside of me
Watch me now, I can stand my ground
I will be alright, yes I'll be alright