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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Hey Maane Unnaithane

From Vizhiyora Kavithai · 1989

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Details
Vizhiyora Kavithai1989

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Hae maanae unnaiththaanaeHey doe-like dear, it's you indeed!
En paadal inbath thaenaeThe sweet honey of my song!
Indre medaikku vaaCome to the stage today,
Illai naalaikku vaaOr come tomorrow,
Poovae maalaikku vaa….O flower, come for the evening!
Male
Hae maanae unnaiththaanaeHey doe-like dear, it's you indeed!
En paadal inbath thaenaeThe sweet honey of my song!
Indre medaikku vaaCome to the stage today,
Illai naalaikku vaaOr come tomorrow,
Poovae maalaikku vaa….O flower, come for the evening!
Female
Ho ho oo oo oohooHo ho oo oo oohoo
Ho ho oo oo oohooHo ho oo oo oohoo
Lala laala laalaaLala laala laalaa
Lala laala laalaaLala laala laalaa
Male
Thaarodu saeraatha neeraaAre you water that cannot mix with tar?
Verodu saeraatha poovaaAre you a flower detached from roots?
Thunaikkoru pennindruA woman longing today for companionship,
Thudippathu vaazhvallaThat yearning alone isn't what makes a life.
Ilakkanam maaraamalWithout changing according to rules,
Iruppavan naanallaI am not one to stay rigid.
Male
Un meni ettaatha kattil…thahthgurathaaA bed that your body cannot reach...
Thottaalae aadaatho thottill….hahaah…Won't a cradle rock if touched? Haha...
Male
Hae maanae unnaiththaanaeHey doe-like dear, it's you indeed!
En paadal inbath thaenaeThe sweet honey of my song!
Indre medaikku vaaCome to the stage today,
Illai naalaikku vaaOr come tomorrow,
Poovae maalaikku vaa….O flower, come for the evening!
Male
Hae maanae unnaiththaanaeHey doe-like dear, it's you indeed!
En paadal inbath thaenae….The sweet honey of my song...
Female
………………
Male
Yaeraala selvangal ingaeAbundant wealth is present right here,
Thaaraala ullangal egaeBut where are the generous hearts?
Aduththavan thunbaththaiThe divine soul who wipes away
Thudaiththidum dheivaththaiThe suffering of fellow human beings,
Kanbathu engengaeWherever such a soul is seen,
Koyilgal angangaeTemples reside right in those places!
Male
Kanneerai thudaikkaatha kaigalHands that do not wipe away tears,
Kaiyalla kaiyalla poigalAre not true hands, they are mere lies!
Male
Hae maanae unnaiththaanaeHey doe-like dear, it's you indeed!
En paadal inbath thaenaeThe sweet honey of my song!
Indre medaikku vaaCome to the stage today,
Illai naalaikku vaaOr come tomorrow,
Poovae maalaikku vaa….O flower, come for the evening!
Male
Aa…..aah….a….ahhaaAa…..aah….a….ahhaa
Hae….hahaeh…..yaa….Hae….hahaeh…..yaa….

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song is a energetic musical invitation to a female partner, affectionately addressed as a deer ('maanae') and a flower ('poovae'). The protagonist calls her to join him on stage, celebrating a spirit of freedom and romantic warmth, while rejecting rigid conventional boundaries ('ilakkanam maaraamal iruppavan naanalla'). In typical Vairamuthu fashion, the second stanza shifts to a social and humanistic message. It contrasts material wealth with the rarity of genuine generosity. It asserts that true divinity lies not in physical stone temples, but in compassionate human hands that wipe away the tears and pain of others.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

En paadal inbath thaenae

Compares the beloved directly to the 'sweet honey' of the singer's melody.

Ethugai (Second Letter Assonance)

Yaeraala selvangal ingae / Thaaraala ullangal egae

Matching second letter consonant sound ('ra') in 'Yaeraala' and 'Thaaraala'.

Rhetorical Question

Thaarodu saeraatha neeraa / Verodu saeraatha poovaa

Uses dramatic rhetorical questioning comparing a distant person to unmixable water on tar or a flower severed from its root.

Muran (Antithesis)

Indre medaikku vaa / Illai naalaikku vaa

Contrasts time concepts 'today' (indre) and 'tomorrow' (naalaikku).

Did you know?

Trivia

Written by poet Vairamuthu for the 1989 Tamil film 'Vizhiyora Kavithai', this song blends playful stage performance lyrics with humanitarian philosophical lines ('Kanneerai thudaikkaatha kaigal... poigal'), which became a hallmark style of Vairamuthu's lyrics during the late 1980s.

Keep listening

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