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16 Vayathinile album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Aattukkutti

From 16 Vayathinile · 1977

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singers
S. Janaki, Malaysia Vasudevan
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
16 Vayathinile
Movie release year
1977
Lyrics added on
11 Sept 2018

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Aaaa….aaa…aahaa….aaa…
Aatukutti muttai ittu
Kozhikutti vanthathinnu
Yaana kunju sollakettu
Poona kunju sonnathundu
Kathayilla saami
Ipo kaanuthu bhoomi
Ithu mattum thaana
Innum irukuthu saami
Koothumeda raasavukku
Yaee aae..ae……..
Koothumeda raasavukku
Noothirendu pondatiyaam
Noothirendu pondatiyum
Vaathu mutta pottathuvaam
Pattathuraani athula
Pathinettu peru
Pathinettu perkum
Vayasu iruvathiyaaru
Motham iruvathiyaaru
Female :Haan
Chinna kuttigalin mel aanai
Intha sattigalin mel aanai
Ithu valluvanin yetil undu
Parambarai paatil undu
Katha illa magaraasi..
Aatukutti muttai ittu
Kozhikutti vanthathinnu
Yaana kunju sollakettu
Poona kunju sonnathundu
Kathayilla saami
Ipo kaanuthu bhoomi
Ithu mattum thaana
Innum irukuthu saami
Kaakaiyilla seemaiyilae
Kaateruma meikaiyilae
Paateduthu paadiputtu
Ootamitta chinna ponnu
Santhaikku pona
Naanum saatchikku varavaa
Sammantham panna unakku
Sammatham thaana
Kaakaiyilla seemaiyilae…..
Female :Yae…ae….aaa….aaaiii
Kaakaiyilla seemaiyilae
Kaateruma meikaiyilae
Kaakkavachu nerampaathu
Paaku vecha aasa machaan
Santhaiki poren neenga
Saatchikku vaanga
Sammantham panna enakku
Sammatham thaanga
Ada intha pakkam paarungalen
Enn kannimozhi kelungalen
Adi yendi intha vambuinnu
Kekuriyae kekuriyae
Pazhaya nenapuda perandi
Pazhaya nenapuda
Ahhh pazhaya nenapuda perandi
Pazhaya nenapuda
Kittappaavin paata ketten
Chinnppaava nerula paathen
Kotta kotta varuguthama
Sangeethama peruguthamma
Medaiku ponaa enakku
Edula ponnu
Paadina ninna naanum
Noothula onnu
En thiramaya kaatatuma
Rendu sangathiya podatuma
Thatharina thatharina
Thatharina thatharina..
………………………………
Female :Hahahahahhaha
Thatharina thatharina
Thatharina thatharina..
……………………………….
Female :Hahahahahhaha
Thatharina thatharina
Thatharina thatharina..
Aaah….aaaa….aaa…..
………………………………………
Female :Hahahahahhaha
Aaah... aa... aaha... aa...
That a little lamb laid an egg,
And a chick hatched from it—
Hearing a baby elephant tell the story,
A little kitten went around spreading it!
It is no cooked-up story, boss!
The world is seeing it happen right now!
Is this all there is?
There is plenty more to come, boss!
For the king of the street theater stage,
Yey yay yay...
For the king of the street theater stage,
They say he has a hundred and two wives!
And all hundred and two wives
Are said to have laid duck eggs!
Among them, the crowned queens
Number eighteen in all!
And for all eighteen of them,
Their age is twenty-six!
Just twenty-six in all!
Female: Haan!
I swear on the little animal cubs,
I swear on these clay pots!
This is written in Valluvar's ancient verses,
It is found in our age-old folk songs!
It is no lie, my blessed lady...
That a little lamb laid an egg,
And a chick hatched from it—
Hearing a baby elephant tell the story,
A little kitten went around spreading it!
It is no cooked-up story, boss!
The world is seeing it happen right now!
Is this all there is?
There is plenty more to come, boss!
In a faraway land where no crows fly,
While the wild buffaloes were grazing,
Singing a song with all your heart,
You little girl who ran off—
You who went to the village market,
Shall I come along as your witness?
To join our hands in marriage,
Do you give your consent?
In a faraway land where no crows fly...
Female: Ye... ae... aah... aayee!
In a faraway land where no crows fly,
While the wild buffaloes were grazing,
Making me wait and watching for the right moment,
My beloved cousin who proposed marriage!
I am heading to the market,
Come along as my witness!
To join our hands in marriage,
I gladly give my consent!
Hey, take a look over this way!
Listen to what this girl has to say!
"Hey girl, why do you look for trouble?"
That is what you keep asking me, isn't it?
Old habits die hard, my grandson!
Old habits die hard!
Ah, old habits die hard, my grandson!
Old habits die hard!
I listened to Kittappa's songs,
I saw Chinnappa in person!
Melodies pour out of me in torrents,
Swelling and overflowing into music!
When I step onto the stage,
No one can match me, girl!
When I stand up and sing,
I am truly one in a hundred!
Shall I show you my skill?
Shall I sing a couple of musical flourishes?
Thatharina thatharina
Thatharina thatharina...
(Music)
Female: Hahaha haha
Thatharina thatharina
Thatharina thatharina...
(Music)
Female: Hahaha haha
Thatharina thatharina
Thatharina thatharina...
Aah... aaha... aa...
(Music)
Female: Hahaha haha
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Female
Female
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Aatukutti Muttai Ittu is a whimsical, satirical folk track from the landmark movie 16 Vayathinile (1977). Sung as a street drama (Therukoothu) style performance, the song utilizes playful absurdity and hyperbole—such as goats laying eggs and stage kings having over a hundred wives laying duck eggs—to poke fun at rural gossip, tall tales, and dramatic exaggerations. The lyrics gradually shift into a playful, romantic back-and-forth between characters while honoring Tamil musical nostalgia through nods to iconic singers like S.G. Kittappa and P.U. Chinnappa, showcasing traditional Tamil folk rhythm and expressive vocal scatting.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navitchi Ani)

Aatukutti muttai ittu / Kozhikutti vanthathinnu

The lyrics use intentional absurdity—like a goat laying an egg that hatches a chick—to craft humor typical of folk storytelling.

Rhyme and Alliteration (Monai and Ethukai)

Chinna kuttigalin mel aanai / Intha sattigalin mel aanai

Standard Tamil poetic meters are preserved through sound matching across line beginnings and endings, creating a fast-paced oral tradition rhythm.

Allusion (Kurippuruthal)

Kittappaavin paata ketten / Chinnppaava nerula paathen

Refers to S.G. Kittappa and P.U. Chinnappa, icons of early 20th-century Tamil musical theatre and cinema, to evoke artistic heritage.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Ilaiyaraaja with lyrics by Kannadasan and sung by Malaysia Vasudevan and S. Janaki, this song accompanies a street play sequence in Bharathiraja's directorial debut 16 Vayathinile (1977), capturing authentic rural Tamil folklore aesthetics.

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