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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Adiye Adiye

From Kadal · 2012

Lyricist
Madhan Karky
Singers
Sid Sriram, Maria Roe Vincent
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Details
Kadal2012

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Manasa thoranthaayae neeYou opened my heart
Engirinthu vanthaayo neeWhere did you come from?
Adiyae… adiyaeOh girl... oh girl
Enna engae nee kootti poraWhere are you taking me?
Adiyae adiyaeOh girl, oh girl
Enga nee kootti poraWhere are you taking me?
Enna enga nee kootti poraWhere are you taking me?
Chorus
Ooo ooo ooo oooOoo ooo ooo ooo
Male :Ooo…ooo…ooo..Male: Ooo…ooo…ooo..
Male
PallaanguzhiThe pathway like a Pallanguzhi game
Paatha puriyalaI cannot understand the route
Unna nambi vaarenaeYet I follow, trusting you
Intha kaattu payaThis wild rustic boy
Oru aattukutti polaLike a little lamb
Un pinnae suthurenaeWanders behind you
Male
PallaanguzhiThe pathway like a Pallanguzhi game
Paatha puriyalaI cannot understand the route
Unna nambi vaarenaeYet I follow, trusting you
Intha kaattu payaThis wild rustic boy
Oru aattukutti polaLike a little lamb
Un pinnae suthurenaeWanders behind you
Male
Meena thooki rekka varanjaYou lifted a fish and painted wings on it
Vaanam melae nee veesi erinjaAnd threw it high up into the sky
Paraka pazhakuriyaeYou are teaching me to fly
Engirunthu vanthayo neeWhere did you come from?
Male
Kannala kannadi senjuMaking a mirror out of your eyes
En achatha kaaturiyaeYou show me my own fear
En thoosi thurumbellam thattiDusting away all my specks of dirt
Ullam vellai adikiriyaeYou whitewash and purify my heart
Male
Oh bhoomi vittu sorgathukuOh, leading from earth to heaven
Nee vaanavillil paadha virichaYou laid out a pathway on a rainbow
Manasa kayiraakiTurning my heart into a rope
Izhuthu poraayae neeYou drag me along with you
Male
Sorgam vittu bhoomi vanthaalWhen descending from heaven back to earth
Meendum kizhakil sooriyanthaanThe sun rises again in the east
Naan vizhichu paakaiyilaeWhen I wake up and open my eyes
Kalanju povaayo neeWill you vanish like a dream?
Male
Adiyae adiyaeOh girl, oh girl
Enna enga nee kootti poraWhere are you taking me?
Chorus :Oooo….oo…Chorus: Oooo….oo…
Male :Adiyae adiyaeMale: Oh girl, oh girl
Enna enga nee kootti poraWhere are you taking me?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song 'Adiye' depicts a rustic young man's bewilderment, fascination, and deep romantic surrender towards the girl who has entered his life. He feels completely out of his element, comparing himself to a naive lamb following her along a complex path he cannot comprehend. Through vivid metaphors, he describes how she transforms his wild nature, cleanses his soul, and lifts him from ordinary earthly existence into a realm of surreal fantasy.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

Oru aattukutti pola Un pinnae suthurenae

Compares the protagonist's helpless and innocent following of his beloved to a little lamb following its master.

Metaphor (Urvagam)

Pallaanguzhi Paatha puriyala

Compares the confusing, winding journey of love to the pits and winding paths of the traditional board game Pallanguzhi.

Surreal Metaphor

Meena thooki rekka varanja Vaanam melae nee veesi erinja

Paints a vivid surreal picture of taking a sea creature (fish), giving it wings, and throwing it into the sky to teach it to fly, symbolizing how she elevates his grounded life.

Hyperbole & Imagery

Nee vaanavillil paadha viricha

Uses dramatic imagery of laying a path across a rainbow from earth to heaven, illustrating the transcendent experience of love.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Adiye' from Mani Ratnam's movie Kadal (2012) was composed by A. R. Rahman and sung by Sid Sriram (marking his debut in Tamil cinema). It uniquely blends Christian gospel music elements with Tamil folk blues, featuring lyrics penned by Madhan Karky.

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