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Lyrics & meaning

Govinda Govinda

From Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae · 2017

Lyricist
Na. Muthu Kumar
Singers
G. V. Prakash Kumar, Jithin Raj
Music director
Vishal Chandrasekhar
Details
Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae2017

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Govinda govindaGovinda, Govinda
Govinda govindaGovinda, Govinda
Govinda govindaGovinda, Govinda
Govinda govindaGovinda, Govinda
Male
Left-il adikithu misterIt's hitting me on the left, mister
Right-il adikithuIt's hitting me on the right
Indha life enna vittu vittuThis life keeps chasing me
Thorathi adikithuAnd striking me down repeatedly
Male
Solati adikithu misterIt spins me around and hits me, mister
Poratti adikithuIt tosses me around and thrashes me
En kanavu ellam trouserathanIt strips away all my dreams
Kalati AdikithuLike pulling off my trousers and beating me
Male
Ara inch-u oru inch-uHalf an inch, one inch,
Yeri pogurenI climb up step by step
Naan adutha nodi aaru inch-uThe very next moment, six inches
Keela kedakurenI lie flat on the ground below
Adha vechu idha vechuScraping together this and that,
Thoondil vaangunenI bought a fishing rod
Naan kaanal neerila meena thediSearching for fish in a mirage,
Nondhu pogurenI am getting utterly frustrated
Male
Adi adi peyadiDance, dance, dance like a ghost!
Da govindaOh Govinda!
En heartkulla periduThere is a massive storm inside my heart
Da govindaOh Govinda!
Podu.. athanayum meeriHit it! Overcoming all of this,
Varuven govindaI will rise again, Govinda!
Naan marubadiyum yeriI will climb back up once more,
Varuven govindaI will rise again, Govinda!
Male
Govinda govindaGovinda, Govinda
Govinda govindaChorus :Govinda govindaGovinda, Govinda Chorus: Govinda, Govinda
Govinda govindaGovinda, Govinda
Govinda govindaChorus: Govinda govindaGovinda, Govinda Chorus: Govinda, Govinda
Male
Kuthu dandanakka danakunakkaKuthu dandanakka danakunakka
Dandanakka nakka nakka nakka ..heyDandanakka nakka nakka nakka.. hey
Madakki poduFold it down
Aahaan erakki kuthuAahaan, drop down and hit the beat
Male
Veedu vaanga aasaipattenI wished to buy a home,
Velangavae illaBut nothing worked out at all
En jathagathil sukkuran thanIn my horoscope, Venus
Thirumbavae illaNever turned my way at all
Soru thanni thondaikullaFood and water through my throat
Erangavae illaRefuse to go down
Naan sutta vadaiya sutta nariyaThe fox that stole the vada I made
Kaanavae illaIs nowhere to be found
Male
Thedi pona sooriyanumThe sun I went searching for
Merkil marayidhuIs setting in the west
En chandhirano megathukulMy moon, behind the clouds,
Odi oliyithuRuns away and hides
Male
Satta kizhiyuthuMy shirt gets torn
En satta kizhiyuthuMy shirt gets torn
Ada vaazhka oru vattamunuAh, that life is a circle,
Ippo puriyuthuI understand now
Irundhalum dhoorathulaEven so, in the distance,
Velicham theriyuthuA light is shining
Male
Adi adi peyadiDance, dance, dance like a ghost!
Da govindaOh Govinda!
En heartkulla periduThere is a massive storm inside my heart
Da govindaOh Govinda!
Podu.. athanayum meeriHit it! Overcoming all of this,
Varuven govindaI will rise again, Govinda!
Naan marubadiyum yeriI will climb back up once more,
Varuven govindaI will rise again, Govinda!
Male
{Govinda govinda{Govinda, Govinda
Govinda govindaChorus :Govinda govindaGovinda, Govinda Chorus: Govinda, Govinda
Govinda govindaGovinda, Govinda
Govinda govinda} (2)Chorus :Govinda govindaGovinda, Govinda} (2) Chorus: Govinda, Govinda

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

'Govinda Govinda' is a high-energy, humorous song about facing continuous life setbacks and bad luck. The protagonist comically details his misfortunes—ranging from financial struggles and failed dreams of buying a home to metaphorical absurdities like trying to catch fish in a mirage or losing his vada to a thief fox. In Tamil pop-culture slang, shouting 'Govinda' humorously signifies that everything is lost or ruined. Despite the comedic lamentation over his tough luck and astrological woes, the song carries a strong message of resilience. Realizing that life is a continuous circle of ups and downs ('Vaazhka oru vattam'), the protagonist spots a ray of hope in the distance and vows to dust himself off, bounce back, and overcome every obstacle.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Naan kaanal neerila meena thedi

'Searching for fish in a mirage' serves as a metaphor for chasing impossible or deceptive goals.

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

Velangavae illa / Thirumbavae illa / Erangavae illa / Kaanavae illa

The repetitive ending 'illa' (meaning 'not at all') across consecutive lines reinforces the hopeless state of the protagonist's affairs.

Cultural Allusion

Naan sutta vadaiya sutta nariya

References and humorously subverts the classic Tamil children's fable of the crow, fox, and vada.

Philosophical Metaphor

Ada vaazhka oru vattamunu

Compares life to a circle ('vattam'), expressing the cyclic nature of hardship and success.

Did you know?

Trivia

In Tamil colloquial usage, 'Govinda' is an slang exclamation used when a effort fails completely or money is lost. Though the song context listed music details as unknown, the music for 'Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae' was composed by Vishal Chandrashekhar, and this song features vocals by iconic 'Gaana' singer Deva alongside Premgi Amaren. Late lyricist Na. Muthu Kumar cleverly mixed street humor with Tamil folklore references in these lyrics.

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