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Aelay album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Ettuthikkum Oorum

From Aelay · 2021

Lyricist
M. K. Kadal Vendhan
Singer
M. K. Kadal Vendhan
Music director
Aruldev
Movie name
Aelay
Movie release year
2021
Lyrics added on
15 Jul 2024

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Ettuthikkum oorum
Ivan per ucharikum paaru
Pakkathula paatha
Ivaro pacha pulla aalu
Kavadu soothu theriya paya pulla
Irunthum kuduppan thinamum ivan tholla
Kodukum settai endrum inai illa
Kanaka valaka aiyo alavillai
Ettuthikkum oorum
Ivan per ucharikum paaru
Pakkathula paatha
Ivaro pacha pulla aalu
Aluku vetti colouru satta
Aluthi ootum bedalu katta
Kudippan bodha mooku mutta
Ulaippan rasa viyarva sotta
Oor pillai yavum thaan pillai
Onnaga pappa mappila
Elaikum ivan mel illa
Yarukum aiya keel illa
Pinju manasa kolla adippan
aana veliya ivan nadippan
Pinju manasa kolla adippan
Aana veliya ivan nadippan
Ettuthikkum oorum
Ivan per ucharikum paaru
Pakkathula paatha
Ivaro pacha pulla aalu
Across all directions, the whole town
talks about his name, look!
If you look at him up close,
he is just an innocent child at heart.
A fellow who knows no cunning or deceit,
yet he stirs up trouble every day.
There is no match for the mischief he makes,
there is no count or limit to it at all!
Across all directions, the whole town
talks about his name, look!
If you look at him up close,
he is just an innocent child at heart.
A dirty dhoti, a colorful shirt,
pushing hard on the bicycle pedals,
he drinks until he is full to the brim,
and works like a king, dripping with sweat.
Every child in town is like his own,
he treats everyone as equal, our man.
He is no better than the poor,
and he is beneath no one, sir!
He steals away innocent young hearts,
yet puts on an act to the outside world.
He steals away innocent young hearts,
yet puts on an act to the outside world.
Across all directions, the whole town
talks about his name, look!
If you look at him up close,
he is just an innocent child at heart.
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

The song 'Ettuthikkum Oorum' from the film 'Aelay' (2021) serves as a vibrant character sketch for the protagonist, an eccentric rural ice-cream seller named Muthu (played by Samuthirakani). The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a hard-working village man whose fame extends across all eight directions. Despite his unkempt appearance, daily drinking habits, and habit of causing playful trouble, he is devoid of malice, cunning, or pretense. Thematically, the song celebrates his egalitarian spirit and tender interior hidden beneath a rough exterior. He treats all village children as his own family, holds no pride or inferiority complex, and works tirelessly with immense dignity. The track balances rustic folk energy with warmth, capturing the essence of a lovable, flawed, yet pure-hearted father figure.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

Kavadu soothu theriya paya pulla / Irunthum kuduppan thinamum ivan tholla / Kodukum settai endrum inai illa

The lines end with rhyming sounds ('pulla', 'tholla', 'illa') creating a rhythmic folk flow.

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

Aluku vetti colouru satta / Aluthi ootum bedalu katta

End words 'satta' and 'katta' rhyme, adding musicality to the description of his appearance and bicycle.

Ethugai (Second Letter Rhyme)

Aluku vetti colouru satta / Aluthi ootum bedalu katta

The second consonant 'l' (ள/ல) rhymes between 'Aluku' and 'Aluthi'.

Muran (Antithesis / Contrast)

Pinju manasa kolla adippan / aana veliya ivan nadippan

Contrasts his tender, loving inner heart ('Pinju manasu') with his tough external acting/behavior ('veliya ivan nadippan').

Monai (Alliteration)

Kudippan bodha mooku mutta

Repetition of the 'm' sound in 'mooku' and 'mutta' at the end of the phrase.

Did you know?

Trivia

The movie 'Aelay' (2021) was directed by Halitha Shameem and starred Samuthirakani alongside Manikandan. The film explores the complex dynamics of a father-son relationship in a rural Tamil Nadu setting. M.K. Kadal Vendhan not only wrote the lyrics for this energetic character-introduction song but also sang it himself under Aruldev's musical direction, giving it an authentic folk voice.

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