Learning to Swim in Life’s Ocean: Understanding Bayaan’s Tayraak
Bayaan’s song “Tayraak,” featuring Nazar Abbas and produced by Rakae Jamil, is track 2 on their album “Safar” (Journey). The title “Tayraak” translates to “Swimmer.” This song thoughtfully explores the very human feeling of standing before a big challenge – much like facing a vast, deep ocean – filled with fear and doubting one’s own ability to cope.
The song beautifully captures a journey of emotion. It starts with honestly showing that fear, that feeling of helplessness, and the search for even the smallest support. But it doesn’t stay there. It introduces a comforting voice, a message of hope that comes through surrender and trust.
While “Tayraak” focuses on navigating inner fears and learning to trust oneself, Bayaan also delivers a hard-hitting commentary on external chaos and collective suffering in “Faryaad”, offering a stark reminder of the world’s larger battles beyond personal struggles.
What Does the Title “Tayraak” Mean?
The title “Tayraak” is the Urdu/Hindi word for “Swimmer.” This single word immediately sets the theme for the song. It makes us think of someone moving through water, which is often used in poetry and songs to represent life itself, with all its deep emotions, unpredictable currents, and challenges.
The song uses this idea of a swimmer (Tayraak) to talk about how we handle life. At first, the person in the song feels they cannot swim, they are afraid of drowning in life’s difficulties. But the song encourages them, and us, eventually calling the listener a Tayraak Taara (“Swimmer Star”). So, the title represents both the fear we feel when facing challenges (Am I a swimmer?) and the hidden potential Bayaan suggests we all have within us (You are a swimmer).
“Tayraak” Lyrics Meaning Explained
Let’s walk through the feelings and the story told in each part of the song, explained simply, without using the original non-English lyrics in the descriptions.
Verse 1: Fear and Helplessness by the Shore
The song opens with a picture of someone standing hesitantly on the shore, just watching the water. They express a deep fear that comes from seeing the powerful currents and thinking about the vast, unknown depths ahead. This clearly represents feeling overwhelmed and scared when looking at a big challenge or an uncertain future in life.
The singer voices strong self-doubt, asking themselves “How will I manage to swim through this?” They are worried about failing completely. This anxiety grows because they feel totally alone, unable to see even the tiniest bit of support – not even something as small as a piece of straw they could cling to.
Feeling trapped in this fear and isolation, the singer’s thoughts turn towards prayer. They repeatedly call out to God (“Illah”), showing a desperate plea for help or guidance from a higher power when personal strength feels completely inadequate.
Bridge: Hope Through Letting Go
Then, the mood changes. A different voice seems to enter the song – maybe it’s an inner voice of wisdom, or perhaps a comforting external presence. This voice speaks gently, calling the fearful person “naive” or “innocent.” This isn’t meant as an insult, but perhaps suggests that the fear comes from not yet understanding or trusting life’s process.
The advice given is profound: “Let go completely. Surrender your body and soul.” Instead of fighting out of fear, the voice advises trust and acceptance. It comes with a comforting promise: if you surrender, the very waves you fear will actually support you, they will lift you up. The voice confidently assures, “You will definitely not drown.” This part introduces a powerful idea – finding safety not through control, but through surrender and faith.
Verse 2: Discovering the Swimmer Star Within
The final section of the song bursts with encouragement and a newfound confidence. The voice now directly addresses the listener (or the singer’s own changed perspective) with great belief. It calls them a “swimmer star,” a beautiful phrase acknowledging both their ability to navigate (swimmer) and their inner light or special destiny (star).
With this affirmation, the voice urges them to stop waiting on the shore and to bravely flow with the waves. The reason given is fundamental: real life, energy, and meaning are found within those very currents and challenges. To truly experience life, you have to jump in and engage with its flow, not just watch it safely from the side. Repeating this message makes the ending feel strong and empowering.
Understanding the Comparisons (Metaphors) in “Tayraak”
The song uses the central idea of swimming in water as a metaphor for life, employing several related symbols and comparisons to explore its themes of fear, faith, and courage.
The Journey Across Water
The song sets its emotional scene using metaphors related to water and the journey across it. The title “Tayraak” itself establishes the main comparison, as Tayraak means “Swimmer,” representing a person navigating life. The initial hesitation takes place on the shore, Kinaare, mentioned in Mai / Takta kinaare se (“I watch from the shore”). Kinaare means “Shore” or “Bank.” This shore symbolizes safety, the known world, but also the point of fear right before facing the vast unknown, represented by the water.
The water stands for life’s journey, its challenges, and deep emotions. Its dangerous aspects are highlighted through the fear of currents, dhaaron (from Khauf aaye dhaaron se – “Fear comes from the currents”), which represent life’s unpredictable forces. The fear also comes from the vast depth, gehrai (from Darta hu meelo wasee gehrai se mai – “I fear the miles-wide depth”), symbolizing the overwhelming unknown aspects of life or future challenges. Later, the waves, Maujo (from Maujo me beh jaa – “Flow away in the waves”), initially part of the fear, are reframed as the very medium where life exists. These elements together build a consistent metaphor of life as a body of water requiring navigation.
Feelings of Fear and Hope
The lyrics powerfully contrast feelings of fear and hope using specific imagery. The singer’s initial feeling of utter isolation is conveyed through the search for even the smallest help, like a piece of straw, Tinke ka sahara. Tinke means “Straw/Twig,” and sahara means “Support.” Not finding even this tiny support, as expressed in Tinke ka sahara dikhta nahi hai (“Support of a straw is not visible”), is a metaphor for feeling completely abandoned and without any resources when facing immense fear. This leads to the desperate call to God, using the name Illah.
Hope arrives dramatically in the bridge. The waves, Lehre (meaning “Waves”), usually symbols of turmoil, are personified as supportive forces in Lehre aa ke utha lengi (“Waves will come and lift you”). This metaphor suggests that by trusting and surrendering, support can be found unexpectedly, perhaps even within the difficulties themselves.
It promises safety, stating directly Na dooboge kabhi (“You will never drown”). The peak of this hopeful transformation is captured in the phrase Tayraak taara (“Swimmer star”). Taara means “Star.” Combining the identity of a capable swimmer (Tayraak) with the image of a star (taara) creates a powerful metaphor. Stars guide sailors and represent light, destiny, and brilliance. Calling the listener a Tayraak taara is deeply encouraging, affirming their innate ability to navigate life and suggesting they possess an inner light or guidance.
Embracing Life’s Flow
The song’s conclusion strongly encourages engaging with life, using metaphors related to movement and acceptance. The advice Maujo me beh jaa (“Flow away in the waves”) uses the idea of flowing (beh jaa) with the waves (Maujo) as a metaphor for embracing life’s challenges and changes rather than resisting them out of fear. It promotes adaptability and active participation.
The reason for this encouragement is found in the profound statement ke zindagi / In me basi hai (“because life resides in them [the waves]”). Zindagi means “Life,” and basi hai means “resides in” or “is settled in.” This metaphor asserts that a full, vibrant life isn’t found by staying safe on the shore but is inherent within the dynamic flow, the ups and downs, the currents and waves of experience. It’s a call to find life by living it fully, not by avoiding its challenges.
The Story Behind “Tayraak”
“Tayraak” is the second track on Bayaan’s album “Safar” (Journey), which was released in late 2024. The album explores various aspects of life’s journey. Coming early in the album, right after the potentially introspective “Milaap,” “Tayraak” addresses the fear and uncertainty that often come when starting a journey or facing something new and challenging.
The song features Nazar Abbas, whose flute playing likely adds a fluid, perhaps calming or hopeful, element to the music, complementing the themes of water and encouragement. Rakae Jamil, who also worked on other Bayaan tracks, produced “Tayraak,” using his skills to likely create the song’s emotional arc – moving from the hesitant fear of the verses to the reassuring warmth of the bridge and the confident empowerment of the final section.
In the context of Bayaan’s work, which often encourages listeners to “listen” (“Suno,” their first album’s title) and reflect, “Tayraak” can be seen as listening to both fear and the inner voice of hope. It’s a song about finding the courage to take the first step on the journey (“Safar”), suggesting that this courage comes not just from inner strength but also from trust and surrender. It fits Bayaan’s pattern of exploring deep emotions and offering nuanced perspectives on resilience.
Final Thoughts: Trusting the Waves of Life
Bayaan’s “Tayraak” is a truly beautiful and inspiring song that speaks to anyone who has ever felt afraid to face a challenge. It honestly portrays that initial fear, the feeling of being small and alone before a vast unknown. But crucially, it doesn’t leave us there.
The song gently guides the listener towards finding strength in an unexpected place – not in fighting harder, but in letting go, trusting, and believing in the “swimmer star” within. Its core message is uplifting: embrace the flow of life, because that’s where true living happens. “Tayraak” feels like a supportive hand, encouraging us to leave the shore of our fears and discover our own ability to navigate the waters ahead.