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Isaimozhi
Boys album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Secret of Success

From Boys · 2003

Lyricist
Vaali
Singers
Lucky Ali, Vasundhara Das, Clinton Cerejo, Blaaze
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Movie name
Boys
Movie release year
2003
Lyrics added on
10 Jun 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Hey…
Chorus :Hey…
Male :Heyyy…
Chorus :Heyyy..
Female :Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy….
Chorus :Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…..
Say sa..
Chorus :Sa
Male :Say ri..
Chorus :Ri
Male :Say ga..
Chorus :Ga
Male :Say mae..
Chorus :What?
Maathi yosie
Female :Maathi yosie
Chorus :Maathi yosie …maathi yosie
Maathi yosie ..maathi yosie
Maathi yosie …maathi yosie
Female :That’s what we say
Ho hooo….ohhoo…hooooo….
{Sa ri ga mae pa dha ni se
Maathi yosie
That’s what we say} (2)
Kettuko
Luck kaal kilo
Loss kaal kilo
Labour kaal kilo
Sethukko
Bakthi kaal kilo
Hope kaal kilo
Talent Kaal kilo
Sa ri ga mae pa dha ni se
Maathi yosie
Maathi yosie
That’s what we say
Indha isai sondha isai
Imsaiyilae vandha isai
{We wake it..
Jus take it..} (2)
We are the boys… (4)
Kutti suvar yeri vetti kadhai pesi
Kaadhal jolly-il paadam gaali thozha
Adolescent age-il andha sugam thedi
Soodu pattu ponom thozha
Thappaana rout-il sendru
Rightaana routai kandom
Mistakes are the secret of success
Naam odi ponom
Ulagam purindhadhu
Male :Avalukkaagavae
Uzhaikka therindhadhu
Male & Female :Love is the secret of success
Sa ri ga mae pa dha ni se
Se se
Maathi yosie
Se se
That’s what we say
Yeah
Sa ri ga mae pa dha ni se
Chorus :Sa ri ga mae pa dha ni se
Male :Maathi yosie
Chorus :Maathi yosie
Male :That’s what we say
Chorus :That’s what we say
Here we comein
Yeah we coming up with something and
You know that we are bringing it to number 1
Full of fun and laughter
Comein lil faster
Yeah you know we are number one
Kurangena udumbena
Pudichadha pudi pudi
Adikkadi varuma sandharppam
Announce panni varuma
Label otti varuma
Oru naal varumda seize that day
Sa ri ga mae pa dha ni se
Maathi yosie
Maathi yosie
That’s what we say
Indha isai sondha isai
Imsaiyilae vandha isai
Blade dhaan bore dhaan
Kashtam dhaan nashtam dhaan
Irundhaalum adichu solven dhaan
Vetrikkoru secret vetrikkoru shortcut
Nermai nermai nermai dhaan
Ohooo…oooo…hoooo…ooooo
Ohooo…oooo…hoooo…ooooo
Ohooo…oooo…hoooo…ooooo
Male :Ohoo nermai dhaan vetriyin ragasiyamae
Chorus :Ohooo…oooo…hoooo…ooooo
Female :Saa ree gaa mae..
Male :Saa ree gaa mae..
Female :Saa ree gaa mae..
Male :Ohoo nermai dhaan vetriyin ragasiyamae ….
Hey...
Chorus: Hey...
Male: Hey...
Chorus: Hey...
Female: Hey...
Chorus: Hey...
Say Sa..
Chorus: Sa
Male: Say Ri..
Chorus: Ri
Male: Say Ga..
Chorus: Ga
Male: Say Me..
Chorus: What?
Think differently!
Female: Think differently!
Chorus: Think differently... Think differently
Think differently... Think differently
Think differently... Think differently
Female: That's what we say
Ho ho... Oh-ho... Ho...
{Sa Ri Ga Me Pa Dha Ni Se
Think differently
That's what we say} (2)
Listen up:
A quarter kilo of luck,
A quarter kilo of loss,
A quarter kilo of hard work,
Mix it in!
A quarter kilo of devotion,
A quarter kilo of hope,
A quarter kilo of talent,
Sa Ri Ga Me Pa Dha Ni Se
Think differently
Think differently
That's what we say
This music is our own music,
Music born through our struggles!
{We wake it..
Just take it..} (2)
We are the Boys... (4)
Sitting on broken walls and gossiping away,
Lost in romantic fun, studies went out the window, my friend!
Chasing thrills in our teenage days,
We got burned badly, my friend!
Going down the wrong road,
We found the right path.
Mistakes are the secret of success!
When we ran away from home,
We finally understood the world.
Male: Just for her sake,
We learned how to work hard.
Male & Female: Love is the secret of success!
Sa Ri Ga Me Pa Dha Ni Se
Se Se
Think differently
Se Se
That's what we say
Yeah
Sa Ri Ga Me Pa Dha Ni Se
Chorus: Sa Ri Ga Me Pa Dha Ni Se
Male: Think differently
Chorus: Think differently
Male: That's what we say
Chorus: That's what we say
Here we come in
Yeah we're coming up with something and
You know that we're bringing it to number 1
Full of fun and laughter
Coming a little faster
Yeah you know we are number one
Like a monkey's grip, like a lizard's hold,
Grip tight whatever you hold!
Do opportunities come every day?
Will it come after making an announcement?
Will it come with a label stuck on it?
One day it will come, seize that day!
Sa Ri Ga Me Pa Dha Ni Se
Think differently
Think differently
That's what we say
This music is our own music,
Music born through our struggles!
It may be a drag, it may be boring,
There may be hardship, there may be loss,
Even so, I will tell you with certainty,
There is one secret, one shortcut to victory:
Honesty, honesty, honesty alone!
Oho... Ooo... Hoo... Oooo
Oho... Ooo... Hoo... Oooo
Oho... Ooo... Hoo... Oooo
Male: Oh, honesty is the secret of success!
Chorus: Oho... Ooo... Hoo... Oooo
Female: Saa Ree Gaa Me..
Male: Saa Ree Gaa Me..
Female: Saa Ree Gaa Me..
Male: Oh, honesty is the secret of success!
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Chorus
Chorus
Male
Female
Female
Male
Male
Chorus
Chorus
Male
Male
Chorus
Chorus

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

'Secret of Success' (Maathi Yosie) from the film Boys (2003) is a youthful, energetic anthem composed by A.R. Rahman with lyrics by legendary poet Vaali. The song represents the youth's perspective on life, mistakes, learning, and unconventional pathfinding. It emphasizes thinking differently ('Maathi Yosie') and combining hard work, talent, devotion, and hope instead of relying purely on luck.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Emonai (Second letter rhyming)

Indha isai sondha isai / Imsaiyilae vandha isai

The second letters 'dha' in 'Indha' and 'm' in 'Imsaiyilae' create rhythmic rhyme in Tamil poetry structure.

Simile / Analogy

Kurangena udumbena / Pudichadha pudi pudi

Comparing holding onto opportunities like a monkey or monitor lizard gripping tightly.

Repetition / Anaphora

Nermai nermai nermai dhaan

Repetition of key words like 'Maathi Yosie' and 'Nermai' to emphasize the central theme of thinking out of the box and honesty.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by A.R. Rahman for Shankar's 2003 youth film 'Boys', this track featured a vibrant ensemble of singers including Shankar Mahadevan, Vasundhara Das, Blaaze, Karthik, and Lucky Ali. The song famously popularised the phrase 'Maathi Yosie' (Think Differently) in Tamil pop culture.

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