Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Dheivangal Ellam

From Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga · 2013

Lyricist
Na. Muthu Kumar
Singer
Vijay Yesudas
Music director
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Details
Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga2013

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Deivangal ellam thottrae pogumAll gods will accept defeat,
Thandhai anbin munnaeIn front of a father's love.
Thaalaatu paadum thaiyin anbumEven the love of a mother who sings a lullaby,
Thandhai anbin pinnaeComes only after a father's love.
Male
Thagapanin kanneeraiA father's tears,
KandorillaiHave never been seen by anyone.
Thandhai soll mikkaThere is no sacred chant,
Mandhiram illaiGreater than a father's word.
Male
Ennuyir anuvilIn every atom of my life,
Varum unuyir allavaIsn't it your life that flows?
Mannil vandhaHaving arrived on this earth,
Naan un nagal allavaAm I not a replica of you?
Kaayangal kanda pinbaeOnly after enduring painful wounds,
Unnai kandenDid I truly recognize your worth.
Male
Deivangal ellam thottrae pogumAll gods will accept defeat,
Thandhai anbin munnaeIn front of a father's love.
Thaalaatu paadum thaiyin anbumEven the love of a mother who sings a lullaby,
Thandhai anbin pinnaeComes only after a father's love.
Male
Kandipilum thandipilumThrough discipline and punishment,
Kodhithidum un mugamYour face may seem to boil with rage.
Kaichal vandhu padukayilYet when I lie bedridden with fever,
Thudipadhum un mugamYour face quivers in deep pain.
Male
Ambaariyaai yetrikonduCarrying me atop like an elephant howdah,
Andru sendra oorvalamThat grand procession we had back then,
Thagapanin anaipilaeLying safe in a father's warm embrace,
Kidandhadhum orr sugamWas an incomparable bliss.
Male
Valarndhathumae yaavarumAs soon as we grow up,
Theevaai pogiromWe all turn into isolated islands.
Thandhai avanin paasathaiWhere else can we find,
Engae kaangiromThe selfless affection of a father?
Male
Namakenavae vandhaA true friend sent exclusively for us,
Nanban thandhaiIs none other than a father.
Male
Deivangal ellam thottrae pogumAll gods will accept defeat,
Thandhai anbin munnaeIn front of a father's love.
Thaalaatu paadum thaiyin anbumEven the love of a mother who sings a lullaby,
Thandhai anbin pinnaeComes only after a father's love.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant song serves as an emotional tribute to fatherhood, elevating a father's quiet sacrifice and unconditional devotion above all else. It highlights how a father often suppresses his own tears and pains, masking his immense tenderness under a façade of strictness to guide his child towards a better future.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Ambaariyaai yetrikondu

Comparing the father's shoulders carrying a child to an 'Ambaari' (a royal elephant howdah/palanquin).

Metaphor

Theevaai pogirom

Comparing grown children who drift away emotionally into self-absorbed individuals to 'isolated islands'.

Monoreyme / Rhyme (Edhukai)

Kandipilum thandipilum / Kodhithidum un mugam

Second-letter rhyming across consecutive lines (Thandhai / Thaalaatu, Kandipilum / Kaichal).

Hyperbole

Deivangal ellam thottrae pogum / Thandhai anbin munnae

Exaggerating a father's love as supreme to the point where all divine gods lose to it.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja with lyrics by late Na. Muthu Kumar, this song won immense critical acclaim and earned singer Vijay Yesudas the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer - Tamil in 2013.

Keep listening

More from Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga