Another of these folk-songs presents a young girl who is able to outwit the young man who slyly approaches her as she is walking across a paddy field. It is in the form of a dialogue. The young man asks her to move closer to him and take cover under his umbrella, but she parries his requests with witty evasions.

Who is going there along the causeway
with bangles on the arms?

Oh, it is only the slave girl
of my lord of the farm.

Throw away those bangles, girl,
and come under this umbrella.

This umbrella is just for a day,
but my bangles are for all my life.

Who is going there along the causeway
with palm-leaf rolls in the ears?

Oh, it is only the slave girl
of my lord of the farm.

Throw away the palm-leaf rolls, girl,
and come under this umbrella.

This unbrella is just for a day,
but these palm-leaf rolls are for all my life.

Who is there going along the causeway
with silver anklets on the feet?

Oh, it is only the slave girl
of my lord of the farm.

Throw away the silver anklets, girl,
and come under this umbrella.

This umbrella is just for a day,
but these anklets are for all my life.

          Among the vocational songs are many which render an actual account of agricultural operations, especially the planting of seedlings and harvesting. The following song is sung by Pulayas who earn their living by working all the year round on the soil:

The rains have all come down,
the little fields are now wet,
the ploughing and tilling over,
the little seedlings have been scattered,
Omala, Chenthila, Mala,
little Kannamma, Kali, Karumpi,

Chatha, Chadaya and all
the Pulaya women have come.

They have come and lined up
and portioned out the seedlings.

To move up the line in unison
they get ready and bend down.

Kanna, the Pulaya girl then,
she calls out to Omala and says:

"You must sing a song
before you finish the planting and go."

Then comes a parrot girl
she perches on the tree and chirps.

The little Pulaya girl Omala
looks up at it and says:

"O, parrot girl, now tell me
why you have come here at all."

          Interspread with beautiful choric refrains made up of meaningless vocables constituting Vaythari metres, these folk-songs have preserved for centuries the pristine musical traditions of Kerala. The Christians and Muslims, along with Brahmins and other upper classes, have also had their religious and social songs. Examples are the door-opening song of the Christians associated with marriage celebrations, coaxing the bridegroom to open the door of the bridal chamber; the famous Moplah songs and ballads with their lyrical lilt and fervour; the Sanghakali songs of the Brahmin theatre, the songs about Kali, used for Thiyattu and Mudiyyettu, the boatsongs or Vanchippattu sung by choral groups to accompany spirited boat race activities: and songs used for Kalameshuthu, Thira and other kinds of ritualistic religious worship.