- Lyricist
- Vairamuthu
- Singer
- K. J. Yesudas
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Thaaiku Oru Thaalaattu
- Movie release year
- 1986
- Lyrics added on
- 2 Oct 2018
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
'Thaaiku Oru Thaalaattu' is a poignant, heart-wrenching elegy where a grieving son sings a reverse lullaby to his deceased mother. Overwhelmed by unbearable sorrow upon her sudden demise, he questions the injustice of fate that claimed his mother's life before his own. He laments how the loving mother who once nurtured him, fed him milk-rice, and sang him lullabies is now lying motionless, forcing him to perform her tragic final rites. Penned by lyricist Vairamuthu, the song masterfully explores the stark contrast between maternal tenderness and the grim reality of funeral rituals. Through poignant rhetorical questions and deep traditional metaphors, the son expresses his intense feeling of abandonment, questioning how he can survive without the living deity who defined his entire world.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Irony / Wordplay (Sledai)
“Paal ootti paarthiyae / Paal oothalaamo”
Contrasts 'Paal ootti' (feeding milk lovingly to nurture a child) with 'Paal oothalaamo' (pouring milk as part of final Hindu funeral rites), highlighting the cruelty of fate.
Metaphor (Uvamanai)
“Koottai vittu thaai kizhi / Parandhadhengae”
Compares the mother departing her physical body to a mother bird leaving her nest and flying away.
Rhetorical Question (Vinaa Alangaaram)
“En dheivamae idhu poi thookama”
The grieving son asks if her death is merely a feigned sleep ('poi thookam'), unable to accept the harsh reality of her death.
Situational Irony
“Annam potta en thaayae / Unaku arisi poda vandhen”
Contrasts the mother serving meals ('annam potta') to her child throughout his life with the son having to pour raw funeral rice ('arisi poda') onto her lifeless body.
Did you know?
Trivia
'Thaaiku Oru Thaalaattu' (1986) is a Tamil film starring Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini, and Pandiarajan, directed by Balachandra Menon. The soundtrack features memorable compositions by Ilaiyaraaja, with emotional lyrics penned by Vairamuthu.
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