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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Aadupuli Aattam

From Jarugandi · 2018

Lyricist
A. N. Pitchumani
Singer
Deva
Music director
Bobo Shashi
Details
Jarugandi2018

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
HeiiiHey!
Yeppa eswaraaOh Lord Shiva!
Chorus
Aadupuli aattamIt's a game of tiger and goat,
Aadu odi pochuThe goat ran away.
Thedi poraar sir-uSir goes searching for it,
Solvathingu yaaruWho is there to tell here?
Chorus
Thappu onnu senjuMade a single mistake,
Thappu thappa pochuAnd everything went wrong continuously.
Ekku thappa ingaUnexpectedly and awkwardly here,
Sikki kondathaaruWho got trapped in this?
Male
Paavam sir-uPity the sir,
Paavam friend-uPity the friend,
Atha vida innumAnd even more than that,
Paavam ponnuPity the girl.
Nyaayam dharmamJustice and righteousness,
Expiry aachuHave reached their expiry date.
Nenappukku serinaEven if the intentions were right,
Sariyenna aachuWhat actually went right?
Male
Madhilula poraCatching a garden lizard,
Onaan pudichiThat was passing on top of a wall,
Madiyila sorugunaAnd stuffing it inside one's lap,
Kathaiya aachuIt became that kind of story.
Kathaiya aachuIt became that story.
Chorus
Yeh yeh yeh yehYeh yeh yeh yeh
{Naanaa nannana naanaa{Naanaa nannana naanaa
Naanaa naanaa naanaaNaanaa naanaa naanaa
Nanannaanaa naanaa} (2)Nanannaanaa naanaa} (2)
Male
Kannula velakkennaiPouring castor oil into the eyes,
Chorus :Oothi theduraanChorus :He is searching frantically.
Male :Sikkala sikkavae illaiMale :She hasn't gotten caught at all.
Chorus :Enga ponalooChorus :Where did she go?
Male
Light-ta nee nenaichaA matter you considered light,
Matteril ippoIn that issue now,
Life-eh fuse poiyiduchaeThe fuse of life itself blew out.
Chorus :Sketch-eh podaamaChorus :Without even making a plan,
Escape aiyuttaShe escaped!
Male :Aiyoo koondu kullaMale :Oh no, inside the cage,
Maatti kitta eli neeyaeYou are the trapped rat.
Chorus :Kettavan ellamChorus :All the bad guys,
Kattam kattittanHave drawn boundaries around you.
Male :Un kaiyil ava maattalanaMale :If she doesn't fall into your hands,
Bali neeyaeYou will be the sacrificial lamb.
Male
Petrol rate-u yerura polJust like the petrol prices rising,
Ivan crime rate-umHis crime rate too,
Ippo egiri pochuHas shot up sky-high now.
Egiri pochuHas shot up!
Chorus
Hei ..(5)Hei ..(5)
Aadupuli aattamIt's a game of tiger and goat,
Aadu odi pochuThe goat ran away.
Thedi poraar sir-uSir goes searching for it,
Solvathingu yaaruWho is there to tell here?
Chorus
Thappu onnu senjuMade a single mistake,
Thappu thappa pochuAnd everything went wrong continuously.
Ekku thappa ingaUnexpectedly and awkwardly here,
Sikki kondathaaruWho got trapped in this?
Male
Paavam sir-uPity the sir,
Paavam friend-uPity the friend,
Atha vida innumAnd even more than that,
Paavam ponnuPity the girl.
Nyaayam dharmamJustice and righteousness,
Expiry aachuHave reached their expiry date.
Nenappukku serinaEven if the intentions were right,
Sariyenna aachuWhat actually went right?
Male
Madhilula poraCatching a garden lizard,
Onaan pudichiThat was passing on top of a wall,
Madiyila sorugunaAnd stuffing it inside one's lap,
Kathaiya aachuIt became that kind of story.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song 'Aadupuli Aattam' from the movie Jarugandi humorously describes a chaotic situation where a small mistake escalates into a major catastrophe. Metaphorically framed as 'Aadupuli Aattam' (a traditional game of strategy between tigers and goats), the main character gets stuck in a cat-and-mouse predicament, being squeezed between villains and police after a key target slips away.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Aadupuli aattam / Aadu odi pochu

Compares a tricky chase situation to 'Aadupuli Aattam', a traditional Tamil board game of strategy between hunting tigers and fleeing goats.

Proverb / Idiom

Madhilula pora / Onaan pudichi / Madiyila soruguna

Uses the popular Tamil proverb about catching a fence lizard and putting it in one's waist, which means inviting unnecessary trouble onto oneself.

Simile

Petrol rate-u yerura pol / Ivan crime rate-um / Ippo egiri pochu

Directly compares the rapid rise in crime rate to the famously rising price of petrol.

Repetition (Anaphora / Polyptoton)

Thappu onnu senju / Thappu thappa pochu

Repeats variations of 'Thappu' (mistake/wrong) to emphasize how errors kept compounding sequentially.

Did you know?

Trivia

The movie 'Jarugandi' (2018) stars Jai and Reba Monica John. The film was directed by A.N. Pitchumani, who also penned the lyrics for this song, with music composed by Bobo Shashi.

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