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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Enga Ooru Kadhala

From Puthu Paatu · 1990

Lyricist
Gangai Amaran
Singers
Ilayaraja, Asha Bhosle
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
Puthu Paatu1990

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Enga ooru kaadhala pathiWhat do you think about the love in our town?
Ennaa nenakkiraeWhat are you thinking?
Male :Adhu enga ooru kaadhal polaMale: It lacks depth
Aazham illaiyaeCompared to love in our town!
Female
AppadiyaaIs that so?
Male :Pinna eppadiyaanMale: Of course, how else could it be?
Female
Enga ooru kaadhala pathiWhat do you think about the love in our town?
Ennaa nenakkiraeWhat are you thinking?
Male :Adhu enga ooru kaadhal polaMale: It lacks depth
Aazham illaiyaeCompared to love in our town!
Female
Enga ooru kaadhala pathiWhat do you think about the love in our town?
Ennaa nenakkiraeWhat are you thinking?
Male :Adhu enga ooru kaadhal polaMale: It lacks depth
Aazham illaiyaeCompared to love in our town!
Female
Aazhaminnaa ennaa…What do you mean by depth?
Oh aazhaminnaa ennaaOh, what is depth?
Male :Adhu romba deeppammaaMale: That means it is very deep, ma'am!
Female :Enga ooru kaadhalFemale: The love in our town...
Male :Adhu romba douppammaaMale: That is a total fake, ma'am!
Female
Enga ooru kaadhala pathiWhat do you think about the love in our town?
Ennaa nenakkiraeWhat are you thinking?
Male :Adhu enga ooru kaadhal polaMale: It lacks depth
Aazham illaiyaeCompared to love in our town!
Female
God andha krishnaaThat God Krishna...
Adhu lover yethana peruHow many lovers did he have?
Lord muruganoda dear wifeLord Murugan's dear wives...
Rendu peruThere were two of them!
Male
Paravaalla idha pathiNot bad, about all this...
Nallaa thaan therinjirukkuraYou seem to know quite well!
Female
Onnu rendu peraLoving just one or two people...
Love pannum unga godThat's how your God loves.
Indha ulagil endha uyiraiyumEvery living soul in this world...
Love pannum enga godThat's who our God loves!
Male
SabaashBravo!
Female
OruthanukkoruthiOne woman for one man...
Aadham yaevaal timilaeBack in the days of Adam and Eve...
Ippo maari pochu enga oorilaeNow it has changed in our town!
Male :Ada dadadadaaMale: Oh dadadadaa!
Female
Anju perukku oruthiOne woman becoming a wife
Wife aanadhuTo five men...
Ada andha story unga oorilaeHey, that story happened in your land!
Male :AamaamaaMale: Yes, yes!
Female
Modern dayslaeIn modern days...
Maari ponadhuThough things have changed...
Manasil ulla love maarumaaWill the love inside the heart ever change?
Female
Enga ooru kaadhala pathiWhat do you think about the love in our town?
Ennaa nenakkiraeWhat are you thinking?
Male :Adhu enga ooru kaadhal polaMale: It lacks depth
Aazham illaiyaeCompared to love in our town!
Female
Aazhaminnaa ennaaWhat do you mean by depth?
Male :Adhu romba deeppammaaMale: That means it is very deep, ma'am!
Female :Enga ooru kaadhalFemale: The love in our town...
Male :Adhu romba douppammaaMale: That is a total fake, ma'am!
Female
Aaa…aaa….aa….Aaa…aaa….aa….
Aaa…aaa….aaa…..Aaa…aaa….aaa…..
Male
Kaadhal seiya ingaeTo fall in love here...
Romba kattuppaadu adhigamThere are too many restrictions!
Katti potta piragumEven after being restricted...
Naanga kaiya korthu nadappomWe will still walk hand in hand!
Female :ApdiyaaFemale: Is that so?
Male :Vera vidhiMale: What choice do we have?
Female :Hahaha hahahaFemale: Hahaha hahaha
Male
Uyira kuduthu koodaEven by laying down our lives...
Enga kaadhal kadhaiyil jeyippomWe will emerge victorious in our love story!
Odhaiya vaanginaalumEven if we get beaten up...
Pala duet paattu padippomWe will sing many duet songs!
Male
Kaadhal enbadhu podhuvaaGenerally, love...
Pazhamai aanadhuIs something ancient!
Adha panna panna pudhumai aadhuguYet as we experience it, it becomes ever new!
Male
Onga oorilae kaadhalLove in your town...
Odambu varaikkum thaanIs only skin-deep!
Manasu anga maranju ponadhuThe heart has vanished there!
Male
Manasa mattum thaanOnly the heart...
Naanga paakkuromIs what we look at!
Matha saedhi adhukku mela thaanEverything else comes secondary!
Female
AahaaAhah!
Enga ooru kaadhala pathiWhat do you think about the love in our town?
Ennaa nenakkiraeWhat are you thinking?
Male :Adhu enga ooru kaadhal polaMale: It lacks depth
Aazham illaiyaeCompared to love in our town!
Female
Aazhaminnaa ennaaWhat do you mean by depth?
Male :Adhu romba deeppammaaMale: That means it is very deep, ma'am!
Female :Enga ooru kaadhalFemale: The love in our town...
Male :Adhu romba toppammaaMale: That is a top class, ma'am!
Female
Enga ooru kaadhala pathiWhat do you think about the love in our town?
Ennaa nenakkiraeWhat are you thinking?
Male :Adhu enga ooru kaadhal polaMale: It is just like the love in our town,
Toppu toppammaaTop-notch, ma'am!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song is a lively, humorous, and satirical duet debating the nature and depth of love across different cultural backgrounds. The male and female leads engage in a playful verbal duel, lightheartedly questioning whose culture understands love better. They draw comparisons from Western concepts (Adam and Eve, English slang like 'deep' and 'dupe') to Indian mythologies (Krishna's paramours, Murugan's two wives, and Draupadi's five husbands). As the banter progresses, they contrast superficial physical attraction with deep spiritual affection. Despite the social taboos and beatings lovers might face in traditional settings, they celebrate the resilience of true love. By the end of the song, the playful conflict resolves into mutual appreciation, conceding that love, when genuine and heart-centered, is top-notch regardless of where it originates.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

Adhu romba deeppammaa / Adhu romba douppammaa

The lines end with identical rhyming suffixes ('deeppammaa' and 'douppammaa'), creating a lighthearted rhythmic cadence.

Muran (Antithesis)

Kaadhal enbadhu podhuvaa pazhamai aanadhu / Adha panna panna pudhumai aadhugu

Contrasts 'pazhamai' (ancient/old) with 'pudhumai' (newness) to show how love is timeless yet constantly renewed.

Mythological Allusion

God andha krishnaa... Lord muruganoda dear wife... Anju perukku oruthi wife aanadhu

Refers to Indian mythological figures (Krishna, Murugan, Draupadi) as well as Biblical figures (Adam and Eve) to anchor the debate in cultural and historical references.

Did you know?

Trivia

The movie 'Puthu Paatu' (1990) starred Ramarajan and Vaidehi, with music composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja and lyrics written by Gangai Amaran. The song famously uses Tanglish (Tamil-English code-switching) slang popular in the 1980s and 1990s, such as 'deep' and 'doupe'.

Keep listening

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