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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Enda Ippadi

From Kootathil Oruthan · 2017

Lyricist
Kabilan
Singers
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Emcee Gonzales
Music director
Nivas K. Prasanna
Details
Kootathil Oruthan2017

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Chorus
Odura nariyilaAmong the running foxes
Oru nari kulla nariOne fox is a cunning jackal
Kullanari vandilaIn the jackal's cart
Oru pakkam pincha tyreOne side has a burst tire
Pincha tyre otti ottumPatching up the burst tire and driving on
Thinasari manushanAn ordinary everyday man
Bulidup panna onnumillaiHas nothing fancy to flex about
Kootathila oruthanJust one person in the crowd
Male
Naan thaan nadakuranI am the one walking
Yethuvum nadakalaYet nothing good is happening
Yenda ippadiWhy is it like this?
Pallu irunthum pakoda kidaikalaHaving teeth, yet can't get any pakoda
Yenda ippadiWhy is it like this?
Facebook-il-um friendship illaNo friendship even on Facebook
Yenda ippadiWhy is it like this?
Maggu adichium mandala yeralaEven after mugging up, it doesn't enter the head
Yenda ippadiWhy is it like this?
Male
Rekka irundhum parakalayaeHaving wings, yet couldn't fly
Kathavum irundhum thurakaliyaeHaving a door, yet it didn't open
Kitta irundhum kidaikalaiyaeBeing so close, yet didn't get it
Nallathu nadakalaiyaeNothing good ever happened
Male
Nool illa kaathadiA kite without a string
Vesham illa koothadiA street performer without a costume
Enthan vaazhvil idhu polaIn my life, just like this
Sambavam pala kodiThere are crores of such incidents
Male
{Yenda ippadi{Why is it like this?
Enakku yenda ippadiWhy is it like this for me?
Yenda ippadiWhy is it like this?
Enakku yenda ippadi} (2)Why is it like this for me?} (x2)
Chorus
Ara kora vayasulaAt an immature age
Pudichathu kedaikalaDidn't get what I liked
Kedachathu pudichalaumEven if I liked what I got
Athukenna pidikalaWhy didn't it like me back?
Velichathila dhinam dhinamIn the light, day after day
Mutti pottu padichalumEven if I studied on my knees
Padichatha maranthidumEverything studied gets forgotten
Exam-la varum joramA fever comes during the exam
Chorus
Adi thadi sandai-laIn street brawls and fights
Adikadi mandai-laFrequently on the head
Adipattu midhipattuGetting beaten and kicked
Avasara sikichaiyilaEnding up in emergency care
Busumilla kaasumillaNo bus and no money
Class pona missumillaWhen going to class, the teacher isn't there
Theenjipona car-u melaOn top of a worn-out car
Thaaru mara vilasiraHitting wildly
Thariketta marakattaA stray piece of wooden block
Odanjitta karikattaA broken piece of charcoal
Rusiayana rasathukkuFor a delicious rasam
Naanjipona palakottaA dried-up jackfruit seed
Facebooku twitter-laOn Facebook and Twitter
Like share pottu pottuHitting likes and shares
Ivanaiyum ungalaConsider him too
Oruthana sethukongaAs one among yourselves
Chorus
One more timeOne more time!
Male
Kulla illa komaliA joker without a cap
Atha vittu kodukkum yemaliA fool who easily surrenders
Athirshtam enakku ethiraliGood luck is my enemy
Naan thotha poraliI am a defeated warrior
Male
Irubathi naalu mani neramAll twenty-four hours a day
Enakku illa nalla neramI have no good time
Ithukku enna parigaramWhat is the remedy for this?
Naan mulluadaintha kedikaramI am a clock jammed with thorns
Male
Thappu seiyalaDidn't do anything wrong
Thandanai kedaikuthuYet receiving punishment
Yenda ippadiWhy is it like this?
Kadavul vanangiyumEven after worshipping God
Kaariyam nadakalaNothing gets accomplished
Yenda ippadiWhy is it like this?
Male
{Yenda ippadi{Why is it like this?
Enakku yenda ippadiWhy is it like this for me?
Yenda IppadiWhy is it like this?
Enakku Yenda Ippadi} (2)Why is it like this for me?} (x2)
Chorus
Aalamara uchiyilaAt the top of the banyan tree
Kosu onnu kadikuthuA mosquito bites
Nochikuppam ditchu-kullaInside the ditch at Nochikuppam
Kerchief katti paadikinuTying a kerchief and singing away
Poradi santhailaIn the crowded marketplace
Kunthikittu kunthikinuSquatting down repeatedly
Parala mandrathilaIn the Parliament
Panchi mittai vaangi thinnuBuying and eating cotton candy
Ikkuli pikalliTopsy-turvy situation
Jungle-la sundeliA tiny mouse in the jungle
Chorus
Pasiyila paduthaLying down in hunger
Panjathil thakkaliTomatoes during a famine
Road-la pora onanaTaking a garden lizard crawling on the road
Lungikkulla uttuputtuAnd putting it inside one's lungi
Vannathiraiyila vanthuComing onto the silver screen
Voluntary vazhipariVoluntary highway robbery
Male
Vayiru nirayuthuThe stomach gets filled
Vaazhkai niraiyillaBut life feels unfulfilled
Yenda ippadiWhy is it like this?
Ettu thisaiyilumIn all eight directions
Vazhiyae theriliyaeNo path is visible
Yenda ippadiWhy is it like this?
Uthadu irundhumDespite having lips
Sirikka mudiyalaUnable to smile
Yenda ippadiWhy is it like this?
Mutti mothiyumEven after trying hard and bumping around
Onnum nadakalaNothing happened
Yenda ippadiWhy is it like this?
Male
Rekka irundhum parakalayaeHaving wings, yet couldn't fly
Kathavum irundhum thurakaliyaeHaving a door, yet it didn't open
Kitta irundhum kidaikalaiyaeBeing so close, yet didn't get it
Nallathu nadakalaiyaeNothing good ever happened
Male
Nool illa kaathadiA kite without a string
Vesham illa koothadiA street performer without a costume
Enthan vaazhvil idhu polaIn my life, just like this
Sambavam pala kodiThere are crores of such incidents
Male
{Yenda ippadi{Why is it like this?
Enakku yenda ippadiWhy is it like this for me?
Yenda ippadiWhy is it like this?
Enakku yenda ippadi} (2)Why is it like this for me?} (x2)

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

'Yenda Ippadi' is a comical, self-deprecating anthem about an average, invisible guy—the ultimate 'middle-bencher' or 'one in the crowd'—who feels perpetually plagued by bad luck. Through relatable everyday misadventures like failing exams despite studying, ending up in emergency rooms from random brawls, lacking friends on social media, and encountering endless ironic failures, the protagonist hilariously questions his continuous string of misfortunes with the recurring phrase 'Yenda Ippadi?' ('Why is it like this?'). Despite the underlying frustration with his luck, the song maintains a humorous, lighthearted, and resilient tone. Blending Chennai folk/Gaana style phrasing with modern pop culture, lyricist Kabilan portrays an underdog who takes life's minor catastrophes with a pinch of salt, urging society to embrace him as 'one of their own'.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

Rekka irundhum parakalayae / Kathavum irundhum thurakaliyae / Kitta irundhum kidaikalaiyae / Nallathu nadakalaiyae

The lines end with rhyming sound patterns ('parakalayae', 'thurakaliyae', 'kidaikalaiyae', 'nadakalaiyae'), adding rhythmic flow to the complaint.

Metaphor

Nool illa kaathadi / Vesham illa koothadi

The protagonist compares himself to a kite without a controlling thread and a street performer without a mask/costume, highlighting his lack of control and direction.

Metaphor

Naan mulluadaintha kedikaram

Compares himself to a clock stuck with thorns, representing a life where time itself feels painful and non-functional.

Proverb / Idiom

Pallu irunthum pakoda kidaikala

A colloquial Tamil idiom meaning having the capacity/teeth to enjoy something, but lacking the opportunity or resources to get it.

Idiom

Road-la pora onana / Lungikkulla uttuputtu

A popular Tamil idiom ('Onaanai eduthu madiyil/lungiyil vittukondadhu pola') referring to unnecessarily inviting trouble upon oneself.

Did you know?

Trivia

The song 'Yenda Ippadi' features in the 2017 Tamil film 'Kootathil Oruthan', composed by Nivas K. Prasanna and sung with distinctive quirkiness by singer-composer Santhosh Narayanan. The movie revolves around the life of an average, unnoticeable middle-bencher played by Ashok Selvan. Lyricist Kabilan used local Chennai slang mixed with modern social media terms like Facebook, Twitter, likes, and shares to capture the contemporary youth's existential frustration in a humorous Gana style.

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