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Thunai album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Adey Unakkum Enakkum

From Thunai · 1982

Lyricist
Vaali
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Movie name
Thunai
Movie release year
1982
Lyrics added on
13 Feb 2023

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Adei unakkum enakkum uravu vara
Pennaathaan kaaranam
Oru pennaathaan kaaranam
Unakkum enakkum pirivu vara
Pennaathaan kaaranam
Oru pennaathaan kaaranam
Adei unakkum enakkum uravu vara
Pennaathaan kaaranam
Oru pennaathaan kaaranam
Unakkum enakkum pirivu vara
Pennaathaan kaaranam
Oru pennaathaan kaaranam
Unakku aval thunai enakku yaar thunai
Unakku aval thunai enakku yaar thunai
Bhoomiyilae en payarthaan dhasarathan
Aanaal raamanai pol illaiyadaa en magan
Bhoomiyilae en payarthaan dhsarathan
Aanaal raamanai pol illaiyadaa en magan
Kadhai veru nijam veru indru therinthathae
Kadhai veru nijam veru indru therinthathae
Dhisai maariyae paravai paranthathu
Adhan koottaiyae adhu yaen maranthathu
Adei unakkum enakkum uravu vara
Pennaathaan kaaranam
Oru pennaathaan kaaranam
Unakkum enakkum pirivu vara
Pennaathaan kaaranam
Oru pennaathaan kaaranam
Maanidarin aasaigalthaan madhi vasam
Antha aasaigalin mudivu ellaam vidhi vasam
Enna paasam enna pantham intha vayathilae
Siru thoondililae thavikkum meeninam adhai
Pondrathadaa thudikkum en manam
Adei unakkum enakkum uravu vara
Pennaathaan kaaranam
Oru pennaathaan kaaranam
Unakkum enakkum pirivu vara
Pennaathaan kaaranam
Oru pennaathaan kaaranam
Thalaimaganaai eendreduththa pillaiyae
Indru thalai kuniya vaiththuvittaan ennaiyae
Thalaimaganaai eendreduththa pillaiyae
Indru thalai kuniya vaiththuvittaan ennaiyae
Ada podaa maganthaandaa nandri maranthavan
Odhu purinthathaa nyaanam piranthathaa solli
Azhuvathaa ninaiththu siripathaa
Adei unakkum enakkum uravu vara
Pennaathaan kaaranam
Oru pennaathaan kaaranam
Unakkum enakkum pirivu vara
Pennaathaan kaaranam
Oru pennaathaan kaaranam
Hey, for a bond to form between you and me,
a woman was the reason,
only a woman was the reason.
For separation to come between you and me,
a woman was the reason,
only a woman was the reason.
Hey, for a bond to form between you and me,
a woman was the reason,
only a woman was the reason.
For separation to come between you and me,
a woman was the reason,
only a woman was the reason.
She is your companion, but who is mine?
She is your companion, but who is mine?
On this earth, my name is Dasaratha,
but my son is nothing like Rama!
On this earth, my name is Dasaratha,
but my son is nothing like Rama!
Stories are one thing, reality is another—I realize it today.
Stories are one thing, reality is another—I realize it today.
The bird changed its direction and flew away;
why did it forget its own nest?
Hey, for a bond to form between you and me,
a woman was the reason,
only a woman was the reason.
For separation to come between you and me,
a woman was the reason,
only a woman was the reason.
Human desires are led by the mind,
but how those desires end is decided by fate.
What love, what attachment remains at this age?
Like a fish struggling on a little hook,
my aching heart beats just the same, my son.
Hey, for a bond to form between you and me,
a woman was the reason,
only a woman was the reason.
For separation to come between you and me,
a woman was the reason,
only a woman was the reason.
The child born as my firstborn son,
today, has made me bow my head in shame.
The child born as my firstborn son,
today, has made me bow my head in shame.
Ah, forget it, it is the son who forgot all gratitude!
Has it become clear? Has wisdom finally dawned? Tell me,
should I cry over this, or think of it and laugh?
Hey, for a bond to form between you and me,
a woman was the reason,
only a woman was the reason.
For separation to come between you and me,
a woman was the reason,
only a woman was the reason.
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This poignant track sung by T. M. Soundararajan from the 1982 film 'Thunai' expresses the sorrow and disillusionment of an aging father abandoned or betrayed by his son. The father meditates on the duality of human bonds, pointing out that a woman brings a son into existence and establishes the family bond, yet another marital bond often splits the son from his father. He contrasts his life with epic Ramayana lore, lamenting that while he feels as grieving as King Dasaratha, his son falls far short of being an ideal, obedient Rama. Throughout the song, Vaali highlights themes of fate, shattered expectations, and ungratefulness. The lyrics portray a heart caught like a helpless fish on a hook, torn between weeping over the loss of familial warmth and bitterly laughing at the inescapable harshness of worldly reality.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Mythological Allusion (Purana Uvamai)

“Bhoomiyilae en payarthaan dhasarathan / Aanaal raamanai pol illaiyadaa en magan”

The speaker invokes King Dasaratha and Lord Rama from the Ramayana to contrast ideal filial devotion with his real-life pain.

Simile (Uvamai)

“Siru thoondililae thavikkum meeninam adhai / Pondrathadaa thudikkum en manam”

Compares the speaker's agonized, throbbing heart to a fish trapped and squirming on a hook.

Metaphor / Allegory

“Dhisai maariyae paravai paranthathu / Adhan koottaiyae adhu yaen maranthathu”

Uses the metaphor of a bird altering its flight path and abandoning its nest to represent a son departing from his parental home.

Repetition (Anaphora)

“Pennaathaan kaaranam / Oru pennaathaan kaaranam”

Repeats the line emphasizing woman as the central pivot of both bonding and conflict.

Did you know?

Trivia

The song showcases T. M. Soundararajan's trademark emotive rendition for dramatic film sequences. Tuned by the composer duo Shankar-Ganesh with lyrics by Vaali, the song echoes classical Ramayana motifs commonly utilized in 1980s Tamil cinema to depict intergenerational grief and familial breakdown.

Keep listening

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