Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Busse Bussil Coloure

From Manjal Nila · 1982

Lyricist
Gangai Amaran
Singers
Deepan Chakravarthy, Saibaba, Sirkazhi G. Sivachidambaram
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
Manjal Nila1982

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Chorus
Bussey bus-il colour-reOh colorful lady inside the bus!
Colour-il pala vidhaththu malaraeA flower among many colorful varieties!
Malaril manith thaliraeA tender human bud among flowers!
Mayangathavargal silaraeOnly a few haven't fallen for your beauty!
Silaril yaarum ivvidaththil ilaraeAnd among those few, there is nobody here!
Adiyaar kettomWe, your humble devotees, ask of you,
Pala annakiligal vedumindriWithout hunting down these parrot-like maidens,
Arul purivaai…..Shower your grace upon us...
Male
Vaa machchi machchiCome on, friend, come on!
Chorus :Haei vaa machchi machchiChorus: Hey, come on friend, come on!
Male :Nalla pachchikili vanthu erangumMale: When the green parrot alights,
Namma bus stand-kku thengaai odaiBreak a coconut at our bus stand,
Oodhuvaththi karpooraththaLight incense sticks and camphor,
Yaeththi vachchu vendikkalaam vaa maAnd let us offer our prayers, come on lady!
Chorus
Haei vaa machchi machchiHey, come on friend, come on!
Vaa machchi machchiCome on friend, come on!
Male :Haei…aa….Male: Hey... aa...
Male
Vaa vaa chinnamma peru ennammaCome, come, young lady, what is your name?
Radhaa needhaan karthi ingammaIf you are Radha, here is your Krishna!
Chorus :Vaa vaa chinnamma peru ennammaChorus: Come, come, young lady, what is your name?
Radhaa needhaan karthi ingammaIf you are Radha, here is your Krishna!
Male
Rasippatharkkaaga thavamirunthomWe did penance just to admire you,
Pala pala neram kaaththirunthomWe waited for a very long time!
Chorus :Rasippatharkkaaga thavamirunthomChorus: We did penance just to admire you,
Pala pala neram kaaththirunthomWe waited for a very long time!
Male
Aa aa pallavan avan rompa nallavanAh ah, Pallavan bus is very generous!
Chorus :Aa aa pallavan avan rompa nallavanChorus: Ah ah, Pallavan bus is very generous!
Male :Alli alli koduppaandaa hoiMale: He gives generously in abundance, hoi!
Chorus
Vaa machchi machchiCome on friend, come on!
Haei haei Vaa machchi machchiHey hey, come on friend, come on!
Chorus
Nalla Pachchaikili vanthu erangumWhen the green parrot alights,
Namma bus stand-kku thengaai odaiBreak a coconut at our bus stand,
Oodhuvaththi karpooraththaLight incense sticks and camphor,
Yaeththi vachchu vendikkalaam vaa maAnd let us offer our prayers, come on lady!
Male
Haei machchi yaar vathurukaangannu paarudaaHey friend, look who has arrived!
Chorus :HaanChorus: Yes!
Male
Aa aahaa aiyayayo allikirattaaAh aahaa oh my, shall I scoop you up?
Poovaa unna naa killikkirattaaShall I pluck you like a flower?
Chorus :Aa aahaa aiyayayo allikirattaaChorus: Ah aahaa oh my, shall I scoop you up?
Poovaa unna naa killikkirattaaShall I pluck you like a flower?
Male
Allikkirampothu azhukkaathuIt won't get dirty when scooped up,
Aa….killi killi paaththu salikkaathu aamaamAh... plucking and admiring will never get tiring, yes!
Chorus :Allikkirampothu azhukkaathuChorus: It won't get dirty when scooped up,
Killi killi paaththu salikkaathu aamaamPlucking and admiring will never get tiring, yes!
Male
Jaaldraa kottattaa thaalam ippo thattattaaShall I play the cymbals and beat the rhythm now?
Chorus :Jaaldraa kottattaa thaalam ippo thattattaaChorus: Shall I play the cymbals and beat the rhythm now?
Male :Padikkiraen un paatta hoiMale: I am singing your song, hoi!
Chorus
Vaa machchi machchiCome on friend, come on!
Haei vaa machchi machchiHey, come on friend, come on!
Nalla pachchikili vanthu erangumWhen the green parrot alights,
Namma bus stand-kku thengaai odaiBreak a coconut at our bus stand,
Oodhuvaththi karpooraththaLight incense sticks and camphor,
Yaeththi vachchu vendikkalaam vaa maAnd let us offer our prayers, come on lady!
Chorus
Haei vaa machchi machchiHey, come on friend, come on!
Vaa machchi machchi aa….ae…naa….ya….Come on friend, come on, aa... ae... naa... ya...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

'Bussey Bus-il Colour-re' is a playful, upbeat youth song from the 1982 Tamil movie Manjal Nila, written by Gangai Amaran. The track captures the humorous exuberance of local street youth waiting at a bus stop to admire young women arriving on the public transport bus. The protagonist and his group poetically liken the arriving lady to a divine green parrot and a delicate flower, playfully suggesting that her arrival warrants breaking coconuts and burning incense as if worshipping a deity. Throughout the track, the lyrics employ casual street slang ('machchi'), mythology-inspired teasing (referencing Radha and Krishna), and local cultural references such as Chennai's famous 'Pallavan' buses. The overall vibe is celebratory, lighthearted, and reflective of 1980s Tamil cinema's bus-stop romance tropes.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamaani)

Nalla pachchikili vanthu erangum

Compares the attractive young lady arriving at the bus stop to a bright green parrot ('pachchikili') and a tender bud ('manith thalirae').

Antadi (Aandhadhi / Chain Linking)

Bussey bus-il colour-re / Colour-il pala vidhaththu malarae

The opening lines chain the ending word/concept of one line to the start of the next (colour -> malarae -> thalirae -> silarae -> ilarae).

Anaphora / Repetition (Adukku Thodar)

Alli alli koduppaandaa hoi

Repetition of words like 'alli alli' and 'killi killi' to create rhythm and intensify the emotion of admiration.

Cultural Allusion & Hyperbole

Namma bus stand-kku thengaai odai / Oodhuvaththi karpooraththa Yaeththi vachchu vendikkalaam

Uses exaggeration by suggesting lighting camphor and breaking coconuts at a bus stand for a girl, while referencing Pallavan Transport buses.

Did you know?

Trivia

The song references 'Pallavan', which refers to the Pallavan Transport Corporation (PTC), the iconic state-run public bus service operating in Chennai (then Madras) during the 1970s and 1980s before it was reorganized into the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC).

Keep listening

More from Manjal Nila