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Isaimozhi
Sabdham album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Grandma

From Sabdham · 2025

Lyricist
Viveka
Singer
Vaikom Vijayalakshmi
Music director
S. Thaman
Movie name
Sabdham
Movie release year
2025
Lyrics added on
29 Apr 2025

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Paazh adanja kinathooram
Pei adaiyum puliyamaram
Pannirendu maniyaana
Soora onnu suthi varum
Kollivaai pisaasu
Kulathu mettil ninnu irukkum
Pilli sooniyam yevalunnu
Pidari kulunga vaikkum
Ammavaasa kumm iruttu
Yaarum illa nadu nisi
Karuppu kaduvam poona
Kannu minna oodi varum
Sambiraani vaasanaiyil
Jallu jallau oosai varum
Retta pana osarathukku
Yetta nikkum muniyaandi
Masoodhi vaasalila
Merandoodum perunchattaan
Deavalayathooram
Thimiri varum thee parava
Thee parava
Aandha alarum satham enna
Arana oorum satham enna
Kottangal koovum satham enna
Kulavi paadum satham enna
Othaiyila kaagam onnu
Ongi karaiyum satham enna
Oolaiyidum nariyoda
Ooyaadha avala satham enna
Ballithaan kathum satham
Pananjaala kaathu satham
Theru naayin oola satham
Theriyaadha yedho satham
Pullathaachi dhoorathul
Pulambhi azhum satham
Polikaala maagaram
Pottu kanaikkum satham
Kattutheri aadellaam
Kalanchi mulikkum satham
Kattooram yaaroo than
Oppari paadum satham
Kudukuduppakaaran sollum
Kurali vitha kadhai illa
Pullaigalai bayangattum
Boochaandi kadhai illa
Anda pulugan avithu vidum
Aavi kadhai illa
Vikramadhithyan sonna
Vedhaala kadhai illa
Velakku thecha boodham varum
Alavudhin kadhai illa
Idhu thandatti kizhavi sollum
Thaniyaana kadhai thaane
Kadhai thaane kadhai thaane
Near the abandoned well,
By the tamarind tree where ghosts dwell,
When midnight strikes,
A whirlwind comes spinning around.
A fire-mouthed demon
Stands on the bank of the pond.
With black magic, sorcery, and hexes,
It makes your neck shudder with fear.
In the pitch-black darkness of the new moon,
In the dead of night when no one is around,
A black tomcat
Runs past with glowing eyes.
In the scent of sambrani incense,
A jingling sound drifts through.
Standing as tall as two palm trees,
Muniyandi (guardian deity) looms in the distance.
At the entrance of the mosque,
A giant demon flees in terror.
Near the church,
A bird of fire comes bursting through,
A bird of fire!
What is that sound of an owl screeching?
What is that sound of a skink crawling?
What is that sound of barn owls hooting?
What is that sound of a wasp buzzing?
All alone, a solitary crow—
What is that sound of its loud cawing?
Together with a howling jackal,
What is that ceaseless, sorrowful wail?
The chirping sound of a lizard,
The sound of wind rushing through the palm grove,
The howling sound of a street dog,
The sound of something unknown...
In the distance, a pregnant woman
Wailing and crying in grief,
A mighty breeding bull
Snorting and bellowing out loud,
All the goats tied in the shed
Waking up startled in fear,
Beside the cot, someone
Singing a funeral lament.
Spoken by the fortune-teller with his rattling drum,
This is no tale of goblin tricks.
Meant to scare little children,
This is no bogeyman story.
Cooked up by a brazen liar,
This is no ghost story.
Told to King Vikramaditya,
This is no tale of the Vetala spirit.
Where rubbing a lamp summons a genie,
This is no Aladdin story.
Told by an old woman wearing thandatti (heavy ear studs),
This is a haunting tale of its own!
A tale of its own, a tale of its own!
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song from 'Sabdham' serves as a atmospheric spine-chilling build-up to a world dominated by eerie auditory supernatural phenomena. Set in dark rural surroundings—featuring ruined wells, pitch-black new moon nights, haunted tamarind trees, and ancient deities—the lyrics weave together an ominous tapestry of terrifying visual and acoustic imagery ranging from howling jackals, screeching owls, and rattling anklets to distant funeral dirges.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Auditory Imagery & Onomatopoeia

“Jallu jallau oosai varum / Aandha alarum satham enna”

Extensive use of sound imagery and sound-words ('satham', 'jallu jallu', screeching, howling, cawing) to create a vivid sensory experience of horror centered on acoustics.

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

“Aandha alarum satham enna / Arana oorum satham enna / Kottangal koovum satham enna”

Repetition of the phrase 'satham enna' at the end of consecutive lines creates a rhythmic, haunting refrain.

Anaphora / Repetition

“Boochaandi kadhai illa / Aavi kadhai illa / Vedhaala kadhai illa / Alavudhin kadhai illa”

The repetitive refrain 'kadhai illa' (is not a story of...) reinforces the reality and horror of the narrative by contrasting it with famous fictional tales.

Hyperbole & Metaphor

“Retta pana osarathukku / Yetta nikkum muniyaandi”

Exaggerating the stature of the spirit Muniyandi as 'tall as two palm trees stacked' to evoke awe and intimidation.

Did you know?

Trivia

The track is from the horror film 'Sabdham' (2025), directed by Arivazhagan and starring Aadhi Pinisetty, reuniting the duo after their iconic horror hit 'Eeram' (2009). True to the movie's title ('Sabdham' meaning 'Sound'), the track heavily relies on auditory horror elements, brilliantly rendered by singer Vaikom Vijayalakshmi whose distinct voice adds a raw, eerie folk quality to lyricist Viveka's haunting lines.

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