Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Inbam Yavume

From Thirumanam · 1958

Lyricist
Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music directors
S. M. Subbaiah Naidu, T. G. Lingappa
Movie name
Thirumanam
Movie release year
1958
Lyrics added on
14 Sept 2020

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Inbam yaavumae thunbam aagumae
Ithuthaan vaazhvim anupavamae
Inbam yaavumae….ae….
Thunbam aagumae…
Ithuthaan vaazhvin anubavamae
Ithuthaan vaazhvin anubavamae
Ithuthaan vaazhvin anubavamae
Anbin ootrilae malarntha malarum
Andrey vaadidumae…
Panbudan pazhagum palanaal kiliyum
Paranthae oodidumae
Ithuthaan vaazhvin anubavame
Sothanaiyaalae thendralum orunaal
Puyalaai seeridumae…..ae…
Puyalaai seeridumae
Kadhalar vaazhvum edhirpaaramal
Kanavaai maaridumae
Ithuthaan vaazhvin anupavamae
Kanavil thondrum kaasum panamum
Kaithanil kidaiththidumaa
Kalai vaan nilavai
Naam kavarnthida ninaikkum
Kaariyam mudinthidumaa
Ennam polavae edhuvum nadanthaal
Iraivan illaiyadaa….aa…..aa….
Ennam polavae edhuvum nadanthaal
Iraivan illaiyadaa….
Iga meedhil nee irukkum varaithaan
Iththanai thollaiyadaa
Iththanai thollaiyadaa
Iga meedhil nee irukkum varaithaan
Iththanai thollaiyadaa
Inbam yaavumae….ae….
Thunbam aagumae…
Ithuthaan vaazhvin anubavamae
All joy turns into sorrow
This is life's true experience
All joy...
Turns into sorrow...
This is life's true experience
This is life's true experience
This is life's true experience
Even a flower blooming from the spring of love
Withers away that very day...
Even a parrot nurtured with care for days
Flies away and is gone
This is life's true experience
When tested, even a gentle breeze
Rages like a storm one day...
Rages like a storm
The life of lovers unexpectedly
Turns into a mere dream
This is life's true experience
Can the riches seen in a dream
Ever be held in your hands?
The beautiful moon in the sky—
Wishing to capture it,
Can such a task ever succeed?
If everything happened as we wished,
There would be no God, my friend...
If everything happened as we wished,
There would be no God, my friend...
Only as long as you live in this world
Are there all these troubles, my friend
All these troubles, my friend
Only as long as you live in this world
Are there all these troubles, my friend
All joy...
Turns into sorrow...
This is life's true experience
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Inbam Yaavumae from the 1958 film Thirumanam is a deeply philosophical song exploring the transience of happiness and the inevitable presence of sorrow in human existence. Through metaphors such as flowers wilting, companion birds flying away, and soft breezes transforming into fierce storms, the lyrics illustrate how unexpected life turns can dismantle human expectations and turn reality into a fleeting dream.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Antithesis (Muran)

Inbam yaavumae thunbam aagumae

Contrasting 'Inbam' (pleasure/joy) and 'Thunbam' (sorrow) in the same line highlights the dual nature of human experience.

Alliteration (Moonaai)

Kanavil thondrum kaasum panamum

Repetition of the initial 'Ka' sound across words creates melodic balance and rhythmic unity.

Metaphor (Uruvagamm)

Sothanaiyaalae thendralum orunaal Puyalaai seeridumae

Comparing sudden adversity to a gentle breeze turning into a storm symbolizes how life's circumstances shift unexpectedly.

Did you know?

Trivia

Written by the renowned lyricist Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass for the film Thirumanam (1958), this song exemplifies the classic tradition of philosophical tracks in mid-20th-century Tamil cinema that offered existential reflections on fate and life.

Keep listening

Songs with a similar feeling

From the same album

More songs from Thirumanam

View album

Spot an issue?

Help us improve the lyrics or English translation.