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Lyrics & meaning

Bhoomi Bhoomi

From Chekka Chivantha Vaanam · 2018

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Shakthisree Gopalan
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Details
Chekka Chivantha Vaanam2018

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Mudhal yaadhoWhat is the beginning?
MudivethuvoWhich is the end?
Mudivilla vaanamThe endless sky,
MudivathumundoDoes it ever end?
MudiyaathendroWill it ever cease?
Udalai polae uyirumJust like the body, is the soul
Aiyyo azhivathumundoAlas, subject to destruction too?
Female
Udalindru paandam…Today the body is a earthen pot...
UdainthuvidumIt will break apart.
Katharum manamae…Oh wailing heart...
Kavaloru vendamDo not feel anxious.
Ivaigal uyirum pozhuthilWhen all these living beings die,
Maram azhivummillaiEven a tree doesn't really perish.
Agrinai polae andradum vaazhthiduLive day to day like inanimate objects,
Ulagae….ae…. nizhaiyillaiye…ae….Oh world... nothing is permanent...
Female
Ohhh…bhoomi bhoomiOh... Earth, Earth!
Suthum sathamThe sound of it spinning,
Aazhi aazhi kathum sathamThe roaring sound of the deep ocean,
Manithan manithanMan against man,
Oh yutha sathamOh, the sound of war!
Ithil engae ketkkumIn all this noise, where can one hear
Kuyilin sathamThe sweet song of the cuckoo?
Ithil engae ketkkumIn all this noise, where can one hear
Kuyilin sathamThe sweet song of the cuckoo?
Female
Kadalil meen onnuIf a single fish in the sea
AzhuthaWere to weep,
Karaikku seidhi vanthuWould that news ever reach
SerumaThe shore?
Female
Idhayam thaangumaCan the heart endure it?
Idhayam thaangumaCan the heart endure it?
Idhayamae thaangumaCan the heart truly endure it?
Idhayamae….Oh my heart...
Female
Idhayam thaangumaCan the heart endure it?
Idhayam thaangumaCan the heart endure it?
Idhayam thaangumaCan the heart endure it?
Idhayam thaangumaCan the heart endure it?
Female
ThaangumaCan it endure?
ThaangumaCan it endure?
ThaangumaCan it endure?
Female
Ohhh…bhoomi bhoomiOh... Earth, Earth!
Suthum sathamThe sound of it spinning,
Aazhi aazhi kathum sathamThe roaring sound of the ocean,
Manithan manithanMan against man,
Oh yutha sathamOh, the sound of war!
Ithil engae ketkkumIn all this noise, where can one hear
Kuyilin sathamThe sweet song of the cuckoo?
Ithil engae ketkkumIn all this noise, where can one hear
Kuyilin sathamThe sweet song of the cuckoo?
Female
Kadalil meen onnuIf a single fish in the sea
AzhuthaWere to weep,
Karaikku seidhi vanthuWould that news ever reach
SerumaThe shore?
Female
Paavi nenjaeOh sinful heart,
Paththa vacha panjaeLike cotton set ablaze,
Female
Panjil saambal minjathaeEven ashes do not remain from the cotton.
Vazhvathai vidavumWorse than living itself,
Vazhiyae kodithuPain is cruel;
Veezhvathai vidavumWorse than falling down,
Pirivae kodithuSeparation is cruel.
Female
Karuvarai illa muthalum allaNo womb, so it is not a beginning;
Mudivurai illa mudivum allaNo epilogue, so it is not an end.
Kanneer varudhu unmai sollaTears fall to tell the truth,
Paazhum manadhu ketkudhumillaYet this wretched heart refuses to listen.
Nee engae nee engaeWhere are you? Where are you?
Naalaikku naanum angaeTomorrow, I shall be there too.
Female
Ohhh…bhoomi bhoomiOh... Earth, Earth!
Suthum sathamThe sound of it spinning,
Aazhi aazhi kathum sathamThe roaring sound of the ocean,
Manithan manithanMan against man,
Oh yutha sathamOh, the sound of war!
Ithil engae ketkkumIn all this noise, where can one hear
Kuyilin sathamThe sweet song of the cuckoo?
Ithil engae ketkkumIn all this noise, where can one hear
Kuyilin sathamThe sweet song of the cuckoo?
Female
Kadalil meen onnuIf a single fish in the sea
AzhuthaWere to weep,
{Karaikku seidhi vanthuWould that news ever reach
Seruma} (2)The shore?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Bhoomi Bhoomi from Chekka Chivantha Vaanam is a deeply philosophical and melancholic track composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics by Vairamuthu. The song explores the fleeting nature of human existence, the inevitability of death, and the overpowering noise of human conflict and violence. It contrasts the grand, chaotic dynamics of the world—the spinning earth, roaring oceans, and destructive wars—with the quiet, unheeded suffering of an individual.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamai)

Kadalil meen onnu azhutha karaikku seidhi vanthu seruma

Comparing human life and unseen grief to a fish weeping silently in the vast sea, whose tears never reach the shore.

Rhetorical Question (Vinaa Aani)

Ithil engae ketkkum kuyilin satham

Asking whether a cuckoo's gentle song can be heard amid the roar of war and spinning planets, emphasizing how innocent human life is drowned in conflict.

Second-letter Rhyme (Ethugai)

Mudhal yaadho / Mudivethuvo

Rhyming of the second consonant sound 'd' across consecutive lines (Mudhal / Mudivethuvo / Mudivilla).

Anaphora / Repetition (Adukku Thodar)

Ohhh…bhoomi bhoomi

Repetition of words like 'Bhoomi Bhoomi' and 'Idhayam thaanguma' to amplify emotional anguish and existential dread.

Did you know?

Trivia

Though listed as 'Unknown' in the prompt, the soundtrack of Chekka Chivantha Vaanam was composed by Academy Award-winner A. R. Rahman. 'Bhoomi Bhoomi' features vocals by Aharon Master and Shakthisree Gopalan, and serves as an emotional background score for major moments of tragic realization and betrayal in Mani Ratnam's multi-starrer crime drama.

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