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Lyrics & meaning

Dont Worry Be Happy

From Nimirndhu Nil · 2014

Lyricist
Gaana Bala
Singer
Gaana Bala
Music director
G. V. Prakash Kumar
Details
Nimirndhu Nil2014

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Vazhkka oru veri pidichaLife is like a rabid
Kazhudha machidonkey, my friend.
Male :YendaaMale: Why, man?
Male :Munnadi pona kadikudhuMale: If you go in front, it bites;
Pinnadi pona udhaikudhu cha..if you go behind, it kicks! Ah...
Male
Dont worry be happy…Don't worry, be happy...
Male :Idho vantaaruppa dolakkuMale: Look, here comes Mr. Dholak!
Male
Kozhi sandaikkellaamEven if for a simple rooster fight
Courtu-kuthaan ponaalumyou have to go all the way to court,
Kolandha porandha pinnaeeven if after a child is born
Konjam azhagu koranjaaluma woman's beauty fades a little,
Aadi maasam manaivieven if during the month of Aadi your wife
Amma veetuku ponaalumgoes away to her mother's house,
Adutha maasam unnakueven if in the following month
Panjaayatha vachaalumthey convene a village council meeting against you,
Male
Dont worry dont worryDon't worry, don't worry,
Be happyBe happy.
Dont worry dont worry be happyDon't worry, don't worry, be happy.
Male
Adagu vacha poruluEven if mortgaged items
Yelathula ponaalumare auctioned off,
Adhuku nee sariyillanueven if saying you are good for nothing
Yelanamaa sonnaalumthey speak of you with disrespect,
Koratta vittadhukueven if for snoring loudly in sleep
Divorce thaan ketaalumshe demands a divorce,
Kozhambula uppu illanueven if saying there is no salt in the curry
Purusan unna thittunaalumyour husband scolds you,
Male
Kissu adicha poonueven if the girl you kissed
Vera paiyan kooda ponaalumwalks away with another guy,
Pissu adicha unna pudichueven if for urinating in public they catch you
Petti case-u pottaalumand file a petty police case against you,
Male
Pathaam class-u nallaa padichieven if after studying hard for 10th grade
Faila thaanae aanaalumyou still end up failing,
Power star-u vandhu koodaeven if when Power Star himself arrives
Current-u cut aanaalumthe electricity gets cut off,
Male
Dont worry dont worryDon't worry, don't worry,
Be happyBe happy.
Dont worry dont worry be happyDon't worry, don't worry, be happy.
Male
Veettoda maapulanuEven if calling you a dependent resident son-in-law
Kevalamaa sonnaalumthey mock you meanly,
Veppaati pecha ketueven if listening to his mistress's words
Purusan unna adichaalumyour husband hits you,
Aathula pora thanniyaeven if the water flowing in the river
Yaarum mondu kudichaalumis scooped up and drunk by anyone,
Veetula moonu velaeven if sitting three meals a day at home
Thandasoru thinnaalumyou eat food earned by others,
Male
Onnumilla matter-ukueven if over a trivial non-issue
Ooru serndhu adichaalumthe whole village joins together to beat you,
Chumma suthuna paavathukueven if for the crime of simply wandering around uselessly
Thaali katta sonnaalumthey force you to tie the wedding knot,
Male
Thaali kattum nerathulaeven if right at the moment of tying the sacred thread
Ponnu kaanaa ponaalumthe bride suddenly goes missing,
Pension vaangura aunty unnaeven if a pension-earning old aunty
Tension-u thaan pannaalumcauses you immense stress,
Male
Dont worry dont worryDon't worry, don't worry,
Be happyBe happy.
Dont worry dont worry be happyDon't worry, don't worry, be happy.
Male
Kozhi sandaikkellaamEven if for a simple rooster fight
Courtu-kuthaan ponaalumyou have to go all the way to court,
Kolandha porandha pinnaeeven if after a child is born
Konjam azhagu koranjaaluma woman's beauty fades a little,
Aadi maasam manaivieven if during the month of Aadi your wife
Amma veetuku ponaalumgoes away to her mother's house,
Adutha maasam unnakueven if in the following month
Panjaayatha vachaalumthey convene a village council meeting against you,
Male
Dont worry dont worryDon't worry, don't worry,
Be happyBe happy.
Dont worry dont worry be happyDon't worry, don't worry, be happy.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This track, titled 'Don't Worry Be Happy' from the movie Nimirndhu Nil (2014), is a quintessential Chennai Gaana song penned and sung by Gaana Bala with music by G. V. Prakash Kumar. Written in a lighthearted, humorous, and philosophical style, the song uses everyday street humor and absurd social situations to preach resilience and maintaining a cheerful attitude despite life's unexpected hurdles.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Vazhkka oru veri pidicha Kazhudha machi

Compares life to a mad donkey that bites if approached from the front and kicks if approached from behind.

Ethukai (Second-letter rhyming in Tamil poetry)

Kissu adicha poonu Vera paiyan kooda ponaalum / Pissu adicha unna pudichu Petti case-u pottaalum

Rhyming of the second letter 'ssu' across consecutive lines (Kissu / Pissu).

Refrain / Chorus

Dont worry dont worry be happy

Repetition of the cheerful advice in English across all stanzas.

Did you know?

Trivia

Written and rendered by popular Tamil folk-gaana singer Gaana Bala, the song features ironic pop-culture references typical of 2010s Tamil comedy tracks, including a humorously timed reference to actor 'Power Star' Srinivasan.

Keep listening

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