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Isaimozhi
Roja Kootam album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Anna Saalaiyil

From Roja Kootam · 2002

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Karthik
Music director
Bharathwaj
Movie name
Roja Kootam
Movie release year
2002
Lyrics added on
25 Mar 2018

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Thank you bhagavaanae
Anna saalayil
Chennai anna saalayil
Oru ettu vanna vaanavillai paarthen
Etti pidikka
Vinnai mutti parandhen
Adhu mazhai pattu karainthida verthen
Vaa vaa vaanavil thaedi
Naa naan alaigindra neram
Haiyyo thaedi chendra
Vaanavillae neril vandhathae
Anna saalayil
Chennai anna saalayil
Oru ettu vanna vaanavillai paarthen
Etti pidikka
Vinnai mutti parandhen
Adhu mazhai pattu karainthida verthen
Oorurururu…(3)
Aayiram aandugal
Thozhilnutpam pazhagi
Aandavan padaithaan
Asathidum azhagi
Kangal paarthathum konjam
Adhu moondrae sadha vigitham
Thonnoothaezhum paarthaal
Uyir pogum sadha vigitham
Ovvoru pennukum ovvondru azhagu
Naan kanda pennuku ovvundrumae azhagu
Vaan konda nilavukku mugam mattum velicham
Naan kanda pennuku nizhal kooda velicham
Aval vaazhum veedhikku iravae illai
Chorus :Illai
Male :Aval ennai paakattum maranam illai
Anna saalayil
Chennai anna saalayil
Oru ettu vanna vaanavillai paarthen
Ahaa…aaa…
Etti pidikka
Vinnai mutti parandhen
Adhu mazhai pattu karainthida verthen
Lala laa laa lalaa
Lal lala laa laa lalaa
Lal lala laa laa laalaa laalaa lalaaa
Laalala laa laa..aa..aa…
Laalala laa laa..aa..aa…
Lala laa laa lalaa
Lal lala laa laa lalaa
Lal lala laa laa laalaa laalaa lalaaa
Vinveliyil rendu
Natchathiram parithu
Senbagapoo ondru
Adhai mella thudaithu
Adada adada adada
Aval vizhigal seithaanoo
Urulum vizhigal kondu
Ivan uyirai koithaanoo
Sari sonnal aval manasukkul iruppen
Illai endral aval kolusukkul kidappen
Suttrum vinnil ondru paavayin ullathil
Innum ondru aval paadhathin pallathil
Avalai pol pennoruthi boomikkillai
Chorus :Illai
Male :Inimelum padaikum ennam saamikku illai
Anna saalayil
Chennai anna saalayil
Oru ettu vanna vaanavillai paarthen
Yeayyyy…
Etti pidikka
Vinnai mutti parandhen
Adhu mazhai pattu karainthida verthen
Vaa vaa vaanavil thaedi
Naa naan alaigindra neram
Haiyyo thaedi chendra
Vaanavillae neril vandhathae
Thank you, God!
On Anna Salai...
On Chennai's Anna Salai,
I saw an eight-colored rainbow!
To reach out and catch it,
I flew touching the sky,
and I broke into a sweat, fearing the rain would wash it away!
Come, looking for that rainbow,
as I was wandering around,
oh my, the very rainbow
I went searching for appeared before my eyes!
On Anna Salai...
On Chennai's Anna Salai,
I saw an eight-colored rainbow!
To reach out and catch it,
I flew touching the sky,
and I broke into a sweat, fearing the rain would wash it away!
Oorurururu… (3)
Mastering technology
for a thousand years,
God created
this stunning beauty!
What my eyes saw was only a fraction,
just three percent!
If I gaze upon the other ninety-seven,
that percentage would take my life away!
Every girl has one thing that is beautiful,
but in the girl I saw, everything is beautiful!
For the moon in the sky, only its face glows with light,
but for the girl I saw, even her shadow radiates light!
The street where she lives has no night at all!
Chorus: None at all!
Male: If she just looks at me, death won't touch me!
On Anna Salai...
On Chennai's Anna Salai,
I saw an eight-colored rainbow!
Aaha… aah…
To reach out and catch it,
I flew touching the sky,
and I broke into a sweat, fearing the rain would wash it away!
Lala la la lala
Lal lala la la lala
Lal lala la la laala laala lalaa
Laalala la la.. aah.. aah...
Laalala la la.. aah.. aah...
Lala la la lala
Lal lala la la lala
Lal lala la la laala laala lalaa
Plucking two stars
from outer space,
and wiping them gently
with a champak flower,
oh my, oh my, oh my,
did He craft her eyes?
With those rolling eyes of hers,
did she snatch my life away?
If she says yes, I will live inside her heart;
if she says no, I will lie inside her anklet!
One in the spinning sky, one in this girl's heart,
and one more in the curve of her foot!
There is no other woman like her on this earth!
Chorus: No one!
Male: And God has no intention of making another one!
On Anna Salai...
On Chennai's Anna Salai,
I saw an eight-colored rainbow!
Yay...
To reach out and catch it,
I flew touching the sky,
and I broke into a sweat, fearing the rain would wash it away!
Come, looking for that rainbow,
as I was wandering around,
oh my, the very rainbow
I went searching for appeared before my eyes!
Chorus
Male
Male
Male
Chorus
Male
Chorus
Male
Male
Male
Female
Male
Chorus
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

'Anna Saalayil' is an exuberant romantic track from the 2002 Tamil film 'Roja Kootam', composed by Bharathwaj and written by Vairamuthu. The song captures a young man's ecstatic reaction upon encountering a captivating woman on Anna Salai, one of Chennai's most prominent avenues. He poetically compares her to an extraordinarily rare eight-colored rainbow and describes her striking beauty in hyperbolic, playful metaphors.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Hyperbole (Uruvagaimai / Uyharvu Navirtchi)

Oru ettu vanna vaanavillai paarthen

Describing the girl as an 'eight-colored rainbow' (ettukku vanna vaanavil) and claiming God practiced technology for 1000 years to create her.

Metaphor (Uruvagamm)

Vinveliyil rendu Natchathiram parithu

Comparing her eyes to two plucked stars from space cleaned with a champak flower.

Emona / Rhyme (Monai)

Aayiram aandugal / Aandavan padaithaan

Alliteration of the initial consonant sounds across lines, such as 'Aayiram' and 'Aandavan'.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Roja Kootam' marked Srikanth's debut as a lead actor in Tamil cinema and featured Bhumika Chawla. The film's soundtrack composed by Bharathwaj was a major commercial hit, with 'Anna Saalayil' sung by Unni Krishnan becoming particularly popular among college students.

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