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Raman Ethanai Ramanadi album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Ammadi Ponnukku

From Raman Ethanai Ramanadi · 1970

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
M. S. Vishwanathan
Movie name
Raman Ethanai Ramanadi
Movie release year
1970
Lyrics added on
6 Dec 2019

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Ammaadi… ee… ee…
Ponnukku thanga manasu
Pogudhu chinna manasu
Kannukku nooru vayasu
Ava sollukku naalu vayasu
Sollukku naalu vayasu
Ammaadi… ee… ee…
Ponnukku thanga manasu
Pogudhu chinna manasu
Kannukku nooru vayasu
Ava sollukku naalu vayasu
Sollukku naalu vayasu
Oho ho… ooo… ooo… oo…
Ennaiyil eriyum vilakku
Aval ennaiyae azhaikkum sirippu
Chorus :Bur thagum thakida
Bur thaghum thakida
Bur thaghum thakida burthatthaa
Ennaiyil eriyum vilakku
Aval ennaiyae azhaikkum sirippu
Ennavo nadakuthu nadappu
Idhil yedho sugamum irukku
Yaarukku indha kadhai theriyum
Saamikku mattum idhu puriyum
Paalukkul morum kooda irukkum
Naalukkum kaalam vandhaal nadakkum
Ammaadi… ee… ee…
Ponnukku thanga manasu
Pogudhu chinna manasu
Kannukku nooru vayasu
Ava sollukku naalu vayasu
Sollukku naalu vayasu
Adithaal azhuven oru naal
Yaarum anaithal sirippen maru naal
Bur thaghum thakida
Bur thaghum thakida
Bur thaghum thakida burthatthaa
Adithaal azhuven oru naal
Yaarum anaithal sirippen maru naal
Eduppaar kaigalil pillai
Oru pagaiyo uravo illai
Thoppukku thennai maram sondham
Kaathukku endha maram sondham
Boomikku kaattu vellam sondham
Ponnukku indha ullam sondham
Ammaadi… ee… ee…
Ponnukku thanga manasu
Pogudhu chinna manasu
Kannukku nooru vayasu
Ava sollukku naalu vayasu
Sollukku naalu vayasu
Oh my dear girl...
The girl has a heart of gold,
yet her innocent heart drifts away.
Her eyes hold the wisdom of a hundred years,
while her words are only four years old.
Her words are only four years old.
Oh my dear girl...
The girl has a heart of gold,
yet her innocent heart drifts away.
Her eyes hold the wisdom of a hundred years,
while her words are only four years old.
Her words are only four years old.
Oho ho... oh... oh... oh...
A lamp burning bright on oil,
and her smile that calls out to me.
Chorus: Par thagum thagida
Par thagum thagida
Par thagum thagida parthathaa
A lamp burning bright on oil,
and her smile that calls out to me.
Something strange is happening,
yet there is a quiet sweetness in it.
Who really knows this story?
Only God understands it all.
Inside milk, buttermilk is also hidden,
and when the right time comes, things will happen.
Oh my dear girl...
The girl has a heart of gold,
yet her innocent heart drifts away.
Her eyes hold the wisdom of a hundred years,
while her words are only four years old.
Her words are only four years old.
If someone hits me, I cry one day;
if someone holds me close, I smile the next.
Par thagum thagida
Par thagum thagida
Par thagum thagida parthathaa
If someone hits me, I cry one day;
if someone holds me close, I smile the next.
Like a baby in the arms of whoever carries it,
having neither hatred nor attachment.
The coconut tree belongs to the grove,
but which tree does the wind belong to?
The wild flood belongs to the earth,
and this heart of mine belongs to that girl.
Oh my dear girl...
The girl has a heart of gold,
yet her innocent heart drifts away.
Her eyes hold the wisdom of a hundred years,
while her words are only four years old.
Her words are only four years old.
Male
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Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
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Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song features a deep philosophical reflection framed through a playful yet poignant observation of a woman with a child-like innocence and pure heart. The narrator describes her as someone with a golden heart whose expressions carry deep wisdom ('eyes of a hundred years') despite her innocent speech ('words of a four-year-old'). The lyrics explore themes of destiny, resilience, and unconditioned love. Through metaphors of nature—such as milk containing buttermilk, the wind belonging to no single tree, and floods belonging to the earth—Kannadasan illustrates how nature and life operate on inherent, divine timing beyond human comprehension. The protagonist reflects on his own simple, forgiving disposition, noting that he holds no grudges and that his heart naturally belongs to her.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Ethukai (Second-letter Rhyme)

“Ponnukku thanga manasu / Kannukku nooru vayasu”

Matching second consonants in consecutive lines (Ponnukku / Kannukku).

Monaif (First-letter Alliteration)

“Adithaal azhuven oru naal / Yaarum anaithal sirippen maru naal”

Matching initial consonant sounds within lines or across paired lines (Adithaal / Anaithal).

Metaphor (Uvamai / Uruvagamaai)

“Ponnukku thanga manasu”

Comparing a pure, loving heart directly to gold ('thanga manasu').

Philosophical Metaphor

“Paalukkul morum kooda irukkum / Naalukkum kaalam vandhaal nadakkum”

Comparing potential and timing to buttermilk hidden within milk waiting to be churned at the right moment.

Did you know?

Trivia

The film 'Raman Ethanai Ramanadi' (1970) stars Sivaji Ganesan and K. R. Vijaya, with music composed by M. S. Viswanathan and lyrics by Kannadasan. The track 'Ponnukku Thanga Manasu' was sung by T. M. Soundararajan and remains one of the iconic philosophical songs of 1970s Tamil cinema, celebrated for Kannadasan's signature blend of folk rhythm and existential wisdom.

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