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Lyrics & meaning

Ada Kadangara Pavingala

From Oli Piranthathu · 1980

Lyricist
Aalangudi Somu
Singer
Malaysia Vasudevan
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Details
Oli Piranthathu1980

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Ada kadangaara paavingalaaHey you indebted sinners!
Inga kattaayam neengalum varuveengadaaYou will all definitely come here too, man!
Unga adangaatha aasaiyellaamLeaving behind all your unquenchable desires here,
Inga udharipputtu kailaasam pooveengadaaYou will shake them off and go to Kailasam (heaven/afterlife)!
Male
Thamukkadichchu naalu peru thookkiduvaandaaFour people will carry you away while beating the funeral drum!
Thalai muzhugi briyani saappiduvaandaaThey will take a bath and eat biryani afterward!
Thamukkadichchu naalu peru thookkiduvaandaaFour people will carry you away while beating the funeral drum!
Thalai muzhugi briyani saappiduvaandaaThey will take a bath and eat biryani afterward!
Male
Ada kadangaara paavingalaaHey you indebted sinners!
Inga kattaayam neengalum varuveengadaaYou will all definitely come here too, man!
Unga adangaatha aasaiyellaamLeaving behind all your unquenchable desires here,
Inga udharipputtu kailaasam pooveengadaaYou will shake them off and go to Kailasam (heaven/afterlife)!
Male
Paavaththa senjaan kola laabaththa kandavanHe committed sins and saw huge profits,
Ivan petti panaththa maranthu moochcha vittaandaaBut he forgot his box of money and drew his last breath!
Pottikku ninnaan pala poigal sonnaanHe stood in competition and told many lies,
Ivan potta kanakku thavari poyi vanthaandaaBut his calculations went wrong, and he ended up coming here!
Male
Paavaththa senjaan kola laabaththa kandavanHe committed sins and saw huge profits,
Ivan petti panaththa maranthu moochcha vittaandaaBut he forgot his box of money and drew his last breath!
Pottikku ninnaan pala poigal sonnaanHe stood in competition and told many lies,
Ivan potta kanakku thavari poyi vanthaandaaBut his calculations went wrong, and he ended up coming here!
Male
Emanoruvan thookkaththilae muzhichchikkittaanLord Yama woke up in the middle of his sleep,
Aayul yaettapuratti ivan kadhaiya mudichchipputtaanFlipped open the book of life span, and finished his story!
Ada emanoruvan thookkaththilae muzhichchikkittaanHey, Lord Yama woke up in the middle of his sleep,
Aayul yaettapuratti ivan kadhaiya mudichchipputtaanFlipped open the book of life span, and finished his story!
Male
Ada kadangaara paavingalaaHey you indebted sinners!
Inga kattaayam neengalum varuveengadaaYou will all definitely come here too, man!
Unga adangaatha aasaiyellaamLeaving behind all your unquenchable desires here,
Inga udharipputtu kailaasam pooveengadaaYou will shake them off and go to Kailasam (heaven/afterlife)!
Male
Thamukkadichchu naalu peru thookkiduvaandaaFour people will carry you away while beating the funeral drum!
Thalai muzhugi briyani saappiduvaandaaThey will take a bath and eat biryani afterward!
Thamukkadichchu naalu peru thookkiduvaandaaFour people will carry you away while beating the funeral drum!
Thalai muzhugi briyani saappiduvaandaaThey will take a bath and eat biryani afterward!
Male
Veettaiyum vittaan sontha kaattaiyum vittaanHe left his house and left his own land,
Ivan aattaththai ellaam mudichchiputtu vanthaandaaHe finished all his games and came here!
Veettaiyum vittaan sontha kaattaiyum vittaanHe left his house and left his own land,
Ivan aattaththai ellaam mudichchiputtu vanthaandaaHe finished all his games and came here!
Sonthaththa vittaan paasapanthaththa vittaanHe left his relatives and left his affectionate bonds,
Inga soththu sugamum peththa pullaiyum poithaandaaHere, wealth, pleasures, and the children he bore are all a lie!
Male
Padachchavan ivan nilaiya purinjikkittaanThe Creator understood his true condition,
Ivan permanant-ah kallaraiyil padukka vachchaanAnd made him lie down permanently in the grave!
Padachchavan ivan nilaiya purinjikkittaanThe Creator understood his true condition,
Ivan permanant-ah kallaraiyil padukka vachchaanAnd made him lie down permanently in the grave!
Male
Ada kadangaara paavingalaaHey you indebted sinners!
Inga kattaayam neengalum varuveengadaaYou will all definitely come here too, man!
Unga adangaatha aasaiyellaamLeaving behind all your unquenchable desires here,
Inga udharipputtu kailaasam pooveengadaaYou will shake them off and go to Kailasam (heaven/afterlife)!
Male
Thamukkadichchu naalu peru thookkiduvaandaaFour people will carry you away while beating the funeral drum!
Thalai muzhugi briyani saappiduvaandaaThey will take a bath and eat biryani afterward!
Thamukkadichchu naalu peru thookkiduvaandaaFour people will carry you away while beating the funeral drum!
Thalai muzhugi briyani saappiduvaandaa dei….They will take a bath and eat biryani afterward, hey!
Male
………………[Outro / Instrumental fading out]

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Ada kadangaara paavingalaa is a philosophical Tamil song infused with dark humor, delivered from the perspective of a graveyard observer. It delivers a stark, uncompromising reminder about the impermanence of earthly life, material wealth, and worldly ambition. The song reflects on how human beings engage in greed, falsehoods, and intense competition throughout their lives, only to be forced to abandon all riches the moment death strikes. Ultimately, regardless of how much wealth or status one acquires, life ends in the grave. The lyricist highlights the indifferent reality of the world: after a person dies, relatives and acquaintances will perform the funeral rituals, carry the body, wash themselves, and casually move on with life over a meal of biryani, proving that all earthly attachments are fleeting illusions.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Ethukai (Second Letter Rhyme)

Ada kadangaara paavingalaa / Unga adangaatha aasaiyellaam

The second consonant sound matches across lines, creating a rhythmic Tamil folk cadence (e.g., 'kadangaara' matching with 'adangaatha').

Satire and Irony

Thamukkadichchu naalu peru thookkiduvaandaa / Thalai muzhugi briyani saappiduvaandaa

Juxtaposes the gravity of death with the mundane indifference of the living who carry out funeral rites and immediately feast on biryani.

Personification

Emanoruvan thookkaththilae muzhichchikkittaan / Aayul yaettapuratti ivan kadhaiya mudichchipputtaan

Depicts Yama (the God of Death) waking up from sleep and flipping through the ledger of human lifespans to close a person's life story.

Did you know?

Trivia

Oli Piranthathu (1980) features a soundtrack composed by the popular duo Shankar-Ganesh. Lyricist Aalangudi Somu was renowned for embedding deep philosophical truths into simple, colloquial Tamil folk poetry, often sung during pivotal funeral or graveyard scenes in Tamil cinema.

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