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Isaimozhi
Naan Kadavul album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Amma Un Pillai Naan

From Naan Kadavul · 2009

Lyricist
Vaali
Singer
Sadhana Sargam
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Naan Kadavul
Movie release year
2009
Lyrics added on
14 Jan 2018

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Ammaa un pillai naan
Ariyaadhadhennavo
Un paadal ondru thaan
En sondham enbadho
Enai endrum kaakkavae
Enai endrum kaakkavae
Idhu ondru podhumaa ammaa… mm…
Ammaa un pillai naan
Ariyaadhadhennavo
Kaattoram odum neerae
Nadhiyaanadhae…ae….
Kaattoram odum neerae
Nadhiyaanadhae…ae….
Rottoramaai vazhvu vidhiyaanadhae
Vidhiyenum ezhuththellaam
Vizhi neeril azhiyum orr neram
Ammaa un pillai naan
Ariyaadhadhennavo
Kaaval illaadha jeevan
Kanneerilae….
Kaaval illaadha jeevan
Kanneerilae….
Karai kandidaadha odam thanneerilae
Karaiyillaa thuyarukkorr
Karaippottu kaattavaa neeyae
Ammaa un pillai naan
Ariyaadhadhennavo
Jenmangalil paavam
Penn jenmamae
Jenmangalil paavam
Penn jenmamae
Bandhangal endru sonnaal thunbangalae
Pengalai silaiyilae
Thozhugindra ulagamae yen sollu…
Ammaa un pillai naan
Ariyaadhadhennavo
Enai endrum kaakkavae
Enai endrum kaakkavae
Idhu ondru podhumaa ammaa… mm…
Ammaa un pillai naan
Ariyaadhadhennavo
Mmm…mmm…mm…mmm…
Mmmm…mmm…mm…mmm..
Mother, I am your child,
is there anything you do not know?
Is this song of yours
the only thing I can call my own?
To protect me forever,
to protect me forever,
is this alone enough, Mother? Mmm...
Mother, I am your child,
is there anything you do not know?
The water running by the forest
has become a river...
The water running by the forest
has become a river...
Yet my life was fated to be on the roadside.
Will all the lines written by fate
be washed away one day by these tears?
Mother, I am your child,
is there anything you do not know?
A helpless life with no protector,
drowning in tears...
A helpless life with no protector,
drowning in tears...
Like a boat in the water that cannot find the shore.
For this endless sorrow,
won't you guide me to a shore?
Mother, I am your child,
is there anything you do not know?
Of all the births in this world,
the most cursed is to be born a woman.
Of all the births in this world,
the most cursed is to be born a woman.
To speak of bonds is to speak only of sorrows.
You worship women as stone idols,
O world, tell me why...
Mother, I am your child,
is there anything you do not know?
To protect me forever,
to protect me forever,
is this alone enough, Mother? Mmm...
Mother, I am your child,
is there anything you do not know?
Mmm... mmm... mm... mmm...
Mmmm... mmm... mm... mmm...
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Ammaa Un Pillai Naan from the film Naan Kadavul (2009) is a deeply moving, melancholic song sung from the perspective of a helpless, visually impaired woman who faces extreme societal cruelty. She addresses the Divine Mother, pleading for protection and questioning the hardship and sorrow written into her destiny. The song laments the tragic state of human bonds, which often bring only suffering to the vulnerable. In addition to expressing personal grief, the lyrics present a powerful social critique. Lyricist Vaali highlights the hypocrisy of a society that reveres female deities carved in stone while mistreating and marginalizing real women in daily life. Through poignant imagery of endless tears and shoreless waters, the song captures both existential despair and a desperate plea for divine mercy.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Monai (Initial Alliteration)

Vidhiyenum ezhuththellaam / Vizhi neeril azhiyum orr neram

Repetition of initial consonant/vowel sounds in consecutive lines, such as 'Vidhiyenum' and 'Vizhi' creating poetic rhythm.

Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Kaaval illaadha jeevan / Kanneerilae….

Rhyming of the second letter across lines, seen in 'Kaaval' and 'Kanneerilae'.

Metaphor (Uvamai / Uruvagamm)

Karai kandidaadha odam thanneerilae

Comparing a helpless life without refuge to an aimless boat adrift in water unable to reach the shore.

Irony & Rhetorical Question

Pengalai silaiyilae / Thozhugindra ulagamae yen sollu…

Highlighting societal hypocrisy by asking why people worship women as idols in temples while causing pain to living women.

Did you know?

Trivia

The soundtrack for Naan Kadavul was composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja, with lyrics written by the legendary poet Vaali. Director Bala's intense depiction of marginalized individuals earned critical acclaim, and actress Pooja Umashankar received widespread praise and awards for her soul-stirring performance in this song.

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