[1] First played in the early 1970s on Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in South Asia, the song was recorded both in English (by Mendis and Sandra Edema) and Sinhala (by Neville Fernando of Los Caballeros; lyrics translated to Sinhala by Karunaratne Abeysekera), with both versions released on the Lotus label and distributed by Lotus Entertainment.
An authorized cover of the song was performed live and recorded by popular Sri Lankan duo Bathiya and Santhush.
The lyrics of the first verse speak of how the last salary increment of 8 Panam is enough to feed the protagonist's child with some rice, but it is still less than what he deserves; and asking "Master Sir" to have mercy on him.
The chorus takes a more hopeful tone, exploring the Tug of war between master and servant, and whether it will end one day and the two will become friends.
Nimal Mendis was the music director for the film Kalu Diya Dahara and wrote Master Sir initially in English.