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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Annai Illaye

From Sathanai · 2006

Lyricist
Pa. Vijay
Singer
Chorus
Music director
Premkumar S
Details
Sathanai2006

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Annai illaye thanthai illayeThere is no mother, there is no father
Thoal saaya yaarum illayeThere is no one to lean on for support
Chorus
Annai illaye thanthai illayeThere is no mother, there is no father
Thoal saaya yaarum illayeThere is no one to lean on for support
Thaayum thanthaiyum thantha uyireIs this life given by a mother and father
Pizhai thaano antha uraveA mistake, that very relationship?
Chorus
Annai illaye thanthai illayeThere is no mother, there is no father
Thoal saaya yaarum illayeThere is no one to lean on for support
Thaayum thanthaiyum thantha uyireIs this life given by a mother and father
Pizhai thaano antha uraveA mistake, that very relationship?
Chorus
Intha poonguyil paavachinnamoIs this tender cuckoo a symbol of sin?
Sumai thaangum soga thegamaA sorrowful body bearing a heavy burden?
Intha poonguyil paavachinnamoIs this tender cuckoo a symbol of sin?
Sumai thaangum soga thegamaA sorrowful body bearing a heavy burden?
Chorus
Intha kangalthaan indru thoongumaWill these eyes sleep today?
Vazhi thedi endrum yengumaWill they forever long while searching for a way?
Intha kangalthaan indru thoongumaWill these eyes sleep today?
Vazhi thedi endrum yengumaWill they forever long while searching for a way?
Chorus
Annai illaye thanthai illayeThere is no mother, there is no father
Thoal saaya yaarum illayeThere is no one to lean on for support
Thaayum thanthaiyum thantha uyireIs this life given by a mother and father
Pizhai thaano antha uraveA mistake, that very relationship?
Chorus
Chinna pinjuku paathai illayeFor this tiny young tender child, there is no path
Vanthu sera koodum illayeThere is no nest to reach and rest
Chinna pinjuku paathai illayeFor this tiny young tender child, there is no path
Vanthu sera koodum illayeThere is no nest to reach and rest
Chorus
Intha boomiye thunba medaiyaIs this world merely a stage of sorrow?
Anbu seyya yaarum illaiyaIs there no one to show love?
Intha boomiye thunba medaiyaIs this world merely a stage of sorrow?
Anbu seyya yaarum illaiyaIs there no one to show love?
Chorus
Annai illaye thanthai illayeThere is no mother, there is no father
Thoal saaya yaarum illayeThere is no one to lean on for support
Thaayum thanthaiyum thantha uyireIs this life given by a mother and father
Pizhai thaano antha uraveA mistake, that very relationship?
Chorus
Annai illaye thanthai illayeThere is no mother, there is no father
Thoal saaya yaarum illayeThere is no one to lean on for support
Thaayum thanthaiyum thantha uyireIs this life given by a mother and father
Pizhai thaano antha uraveA mistake, that very relationship?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant chorus song expresses the overwhelming despair and loneliness of an orphaned or abandoned child. Deprived of parental love, guidance, and protection, the lyrics question whether the very birth of the child and the bonds of parenthood were a cruel error. The child is likened to a fragile bird without a nest and a traveler with no path forward. Throughout the track, deep existential questions are raised about the cruelty of the world, asking if earth is merely a stage designed for suffering where unconditional love is absent. The repetitive refrain underscores the unbearable weight of solitude and the longing for emotional refuge.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Intha poonguyil paavachinnamo

Compares an innocent child to a flower-cuckoo ('poonguyil') and the world to a stage of suffering ('thunba medai').

Rhetorical Question

Pizhai thaano antha urave

Asks thought-provoking questions about fate and abandonment rather than seeking a direct answer.

Anaphora / Repetition

Annai illaye thanthai illaye

Repeats phrases like 'Annai illaye thanthai illaye' to emphasize acute isolation and grief.

Iyaibu (End Rhyme)

Thoal saaya yaarum illaye

Lines end with similar rhyming suffixes like 'illaye' across multiple lines to build a rhythmic, doleful cadence.

Did you know?

Trivia

Featured in the 2006 film 'Sathanai', this song uses a choral arrangement to elevate the emotional weight of child abandonment and social hardship. Lyricist Pa. Vijay employs simple, evocative Tamil vocabulary to maximize emotional resonance.

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