Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Nandha album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Amma Endralle

From Nandha · 2001

Lyricist
Pulamaipithan
Singer
Ilayaraja
Music director
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Movie name
Nandha
Movie release year
2001
Lyrics added on
13 Jan 2018

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Haaaa….aaaaaa…..
Haaaa….aaaaaa…..
Haaaa….aaa aaa…..
Amma endraalae
Athai ketkavum unnaal aagaatho
Aaroo aariroo
Athai paadavum unnaal mudiyaatho
Yaaro yaar yaaro
Endrae thaayum seiyum iruppaaro..oo…
Vidaiyae illaamal
Intha jenmam muzhuthum vaalvaaro
Amma endraalae
Athai ketkavum unnaal aagaatho
Dheivamum neeyum
Unnmaigal pesaa
Oomaigalthaano sol unn vaalvil
Nee konda sogam
Nee konda mounam
Theernthidum naal varumae
Antho unn thalai melae
Peridipolae kaalanum vanthaanae
Antha kaalanin perai ketkirapodho
Unn magan perthaanae
Amma endraalae
Athai ketkavum unnaal aagaatho
Haaa…aaaa…aaaa……
Aaaa….
Haaa…aaaa…aaaa……
Aaaa….
Sei kural kettaal
Thaai uyirodu
Or vali yerpadumae thaalaatta
Annai illaatha pillaigal kannil
Yaarum illaa verumai
Mannil nun uyirkooda
Thannuyir thantha
Thaay uyir thedaathaa….
Amma unn madiyodu
En thalai saainthaal
Maaivathil or sugamae
Amma endraalae
Athai ketkavum unnaal aagaatho
Aaroo aariroo
Athai paadavum unnaal mudiyaatho
Haa... aa...
Haa... aa...
Haa... aa aa...
When called 'Mother',
Can you not even bear to listen?
A tender lullaby,
Can you not even sing it?
Like strangers to each other,
Will a mother and her child remain so?
Without finding any answer,
Must they live their whole lives like this?
When called 'Mother',
Can you not even bear to listen?
Are both God and you
Just silent beings
Who will not speak the truth? Tell me, in your life,
The sorrow you carry,
The silence you hold,
The day will come when they end.
Alas, crashing down upon your head
Like a thunderbolt, death came...
Yet when you hear the name of that very death,
Isn't it your own son's name?
When called 'Mother',
Can you not even bear to listen?
Haa... aa... aa...
Aa...
Haa... aa... aa...
Aa...
At the sound of a child's cry,
Deep in a mother's soul,
A tender ache stirs to sing a lullaby...
In the eyes of motherless children,
There is only lonely emptiness.
On this earth, doesn't even the tiniest creature
Long for the mother
Who gave it life?
Mother, upon your lap,
If I lay my head to rest,
There is sweet comfort even in dying.
When called 'Mother',
Can you not even bear to listen?
A tender lullaby,
Can you not even sing it?
Chorus
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Chorus
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Amma Endraale from the movie Nandha (2001) is a heart-wrenching song that captures the deep anguish and yearning of a son seeking acceptance and love from his estranged mother. The lyrics convey the tragedy of a broken maternal bond, asking why a mother remains silent to her child's distress when even the smallest creatures in nature harbor maternal affection. It reflects the tragic irony of the protagonist's life, where his very presence brings painful memories of death to his mother, yet resting his head on her lap remains his ultimate desire for solace.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Rhetorical Question (Vinah)

Athai ketkavum unnaal aagaatho

Repeatedly asking 'Athai ketkavum unnaal aagaatho' (Can you not even hear it?) to highlight emotional grief and disbelief at the mother's cold silence.

Simile (Uwamai)

Peridipolae kaalanum vanthaanae

'Peridipolae' compares the sudden, terrifying arrival of fate/death to a massive bolt of thunder.

Anaphora / Parallelism

Nee konda sogam / Nee konda mounam

Repetition of 'Nee konda' at the beginning of consecutive lines emphasizes the heavy burdens of sorrow and silence carried by the mother.

Metaphor

Dheivamum neeyum ... Oomaigalthaano

Comparing the unresponsive God and mother to 'Oomaigal' (mute beings) who refrain from speaking the truth.

Did you know?

Trivia

This deeply emotional track from Director Bala's 'Nandha' (2001) was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and written by veteran lyricist Pulamaipithan. Notably, the song was sung by Yuvan's father, maestro Ilaiyaraaja, whose soulful voice elevated the tragic theme of maternal alienation central to the film.

Keep listening

Songs with a similar feeling

From the same album

More songs from Nandha

View album

Spot an issue?

Help us improve the lyrics or English translation.