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Lyrics & meaning

Adi Ennadi Rakkamma

From Pattikada Pattanama · 1972

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
M. S. Vishwanathan
Details
Pattikada Pattanama1972

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Adi raakku en mookkuHey Raakku, my nose!
En kannu en palluMy eyes, my teeth!
En raajaayi…My queen...
Male
Adi ennadi raakkammaaHey, Raakkamma, what is this?
Pallaakku nelippuThat palanquin-like sway,
En nenju kulungudhadiMakes my heart tremble!
Siru kannaadi mookkuthi maanikka sevappuThe tiny glass nose-stud with ruby redness,
Machaana izhukkudhadiPulls this cousin (me) towards you!
Male
Adi ennadi raakku…Hey, what Raakku...
Adi ennadi raakkammaaHey, Raakkamma, what is this?
Pallaakku nelippuThat palanquin-like sway,
En nenju kulungudhadiMakes my heart tremble!
Siru kannaadi mookkuthi maanikka sevappuThe tiny glass nose-stud with ruby redness,
Machaana izhukkudhadiPulls this cousin (me) towards you!
Male
Anjaaru roobaaikku mani maalaA bead necklace worth five or six rupees,
Un kazhuthukku poruthamadiSuits your neck so perfectly!
Anjaaru roobaaikku mani maalaA bead necklace worth five or six rupees,
Un kazhuthukku poruthamadiSuits your neck so perfectly!
Ammooru meenaatchi paathaalumEven if Goddess Meenakshi of our town looks at it,
Ava kannukku varuthamadiHer eyes will be filled with sorrowful envy!
Ahaa ammooru meenaatchi paathaalumAha, even if Goddess Meenakshi of our town looks at it,
Ava kannukku varuthamadiHer eyes will be filled with sorrowful envy!
Male
Chinnaala pattiyilae kandaangi eduthuGetting a traditional Kandaangi saree from Chinnalapatti,
En kaiyaalae katti vidavaaShall I drape it around you with my own hands?
En atha ava petha en sothaeMy treasure, born to my aunt!
Adi raakkammaa kothodu muthu tharavoHey Raakkamma, shall I give you a bunch of pearls (kisses)?
Male
Adi ennadi raakkammaaHey, Raakkamma, what is this?
Pallaakku nelippuThat palanquin-like sway,
En nenju kulungudhadiMakes my heart tremble!
Siru kannaadi mookkuthi maanikka sevappuThe tiny glass nose-stud with ruby redness,
Machaana izhukkudhadiPulls this cousin (me) towards you!
Male
Dheivaana sakkalathi valli kurathiDeivayanai the co-wife and Valli the gypsy girl,
Namma kadhaiyila irukkudhadiExist in our traditional folklore!
Dheivaana sakkalathi valli kurathiDeivayanai the co-wife and Valli the gypsy girl,
Namma kadhaiyila irukkudhadiExist in our traditional folklore!
Singaara madhuraiyin vellaiyammaaBeautiful Madurai's story of Vellaiyamma,
Kadhai dhinam dhinam nadakkudhadiHappens here every single day!
Ahaa singaara madhuraiyin vellaiyammaaAha, beautiful Madurai's story of Vellaiyamma,
Kadhai dhinam dhinam nadakkudhadiHappens here every single day!
Male
Adi thappaamal naan unnai sirai eduppenWithout fail, I will kidnap and claim you,
Onnu rendaaga irukkattumaeLet one turn into two!
En kannu en mookku en palluMy eyes, my nose, my teeth,
En raajaayi kalyaana vaibogamaeMy queen, it is a grand wedding festival!
Male
Ada pipipi dumdumdumOh pipipi dumdumdum (festive pipe and drum beats)
Pippipi dumdumdumPippipi dumdumdum
Pippipi dumdum dumdum dumPippipi dumdum dumdum dum
Ada pipipi pipipi dumdumdumOh pipipi pipipi dumdumdum
Pippipi dumdum dumdum dumPippipi dumdum dumdum dum

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This playful and rhythmic Tamil folk-style song from 'Pattikada Pattanama' expresses a hero's intense affection and flirtatious teasing towards his beloved, Raakkamma. Through rural imagery, he praises her gait, her ruby-red nose stud, and her neck adornments, hyper-bolically claiming that even Goddess Meenakshi would envy her beauty. He proposes draping a Chinnalapatti saree on her and showering her with affection. In the second half, he invokes famous mythological and folk tales—such as Lord Murugan's consorts Valli and Deivayanai, and the folk heroine Vellaiyamma—to contextualize their own passionate romance. He cheekily promises to playfully abduct her and turn their romance into a grand wedding celebration filled with festive music.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamai)

Pallaakku nelippu

Compares her graceful, undulating walk to the gentle swaying of a palanquin (Pallaakku nelippu).

Hyperbole (Athyokthi)

Ammooru meenaatchi paathaalum / Ava kannukku varuthamadi

Exaggerates her beauty by stating that even Goddess Meenakshi of Madurai would feel envious seeing her simple necklace.

Anaphora & Endearment

En kannu en mookku en pallu

Repetition of 'En' (My) attached to body parts ('En kannu en mookku en pallu') as rustic terms of deep affection.

Onomatopoeia (Irattai Kilavi / Sound Mimicry)

Ada pipipi dumdumdum

Imitates the joyous sounds of traditional wedding music (Nadaswaram and Thavil) using vocal mnemonics like 'pipipi' and 'dumdumdum'.

Did you know?

Trivia

From the hit 1972 Tamil movie 'Pattikada Pattanama' starring Sivaji Ganesan and Jayalalithaa. The music was composed by M. S. Viswanathan with lyrics penned by Kannadasan. The track is renowned for its authentic rural flavor and dynamic vocal performance by T. M. Soundararajan and L. R. Eswari.

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