Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Bigil album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kaalame

From Bigil · 2019

Lyricist
Vivek
Singer
Bamba Bakya
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Movie name
Bigil
Movie release year
2019
Lyrics added on
8 Oct 2019

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Kaalamae kaalamae
Ennai engu kondu pogiraai
Mannavan saaigiraan
Kaigal katti paarkiraai
Vaazhkayin kaaranam
Ennai vittu pogudhoo
Veedhiyil veera vaal
Thee pidithu vegudhoo
Thunayilla vaazhkayil
Thunayaai un kural
Thirumbi vaa
Nilayilla koottathil
Nilaikkum un peyar
Ezhundhu vaa
Ezhundhu vaa
Nee illa boomiyil
Engu naan selluven
Thirumbi vaa
Ezhundhu vaa
Thirumbi vaa
Ezhundhu vaa…aaa…aa….
Ezhundhu vaa
Malaigalum mannil
Vizhumpozhudhu
Malaigalai dhaanae ezhuppidudhu
Vaengai vaazhndha kaatilae..ae..hae
Vaengai vandhu nirappidum kadhaiyo
Hooo hoo ooo oooo
Arasan naano
Hoo hoo ooo oooo hoo ho
Kobam ondru eriyudho
Muttum pagai mudiyudho
Vittu vaitha kalathilea
Singam ondru nuzhaiyudho
Hoo hoo ooo oooo hoo ho ooo ooo
Hoo hoo ooo oooo hoo ho ooo ooo
Ezhundhu vaa ..aa…
Ezhundhu vaa
Ezhundhu vaa….aa….
Ezhundhu vaa
Oh time, oh time,
Where are you taking me?
The king is falling,
Yet you stand and watch with folded hands.
Is the very purpose of my life
leaving me behind?
Out on the street, is the warrior's sword
burning away in flames?
In a life with no one beside me,
your voice was my support.
Come back!
In this fleeting crowd,
your name will live on.
Rise up!
Rise up!
In a world without you,
where will I go?
Come back!
Rise up!
Come back!
Rise up...
Rise up!
Even when mountains
fall to the ground,
they only raise new peaks again!
In the forest where a tiger once lived,
is this the story of a tiger rising to take its place?
Ho ho ho...
Am I the king?
Ho ho oo ooo ho ho
A fierce rage is burning,
the attacking enemy meets their end,
Into the battlefield left behind,
a lion steps in!
Ho ho oo ooo ho ho oo oo
Ho ho oo ooo ho ho oo oo
Rise up...
Rise up!
Rise up...
Rise up!
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song from Bigil is a poignant and powerful plea filled with grief, grief-stricken questioning of fate, and an inspiring call to action. The lyrics open with an emotional lament addressed to Time for standing idly by as a leader or beloved figure falls. It captures a moment of deep vulnerability where the speaker feels lost without their pillar of strength. As the song builds, the tone shifts from grief to a roaring revival. Through fierce metaphors of mountains, tigers, and lions, the lyricist conveys that true power cannot be permanently extinguished. It serves as an anthem of resurgence, urging the fallen leader to rise again and reclaim his throne and legacy.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Personification

Kaamae kaalamae ... Kaigal katti paarkiraai

Time ('Kaalamae') is personified as a silent spectator standing with folded hands while tragedy strikes.

Metaphor

Malaigalum mannil vizhumpozhudhu / Malaigalai dhaanae ezhuppidudhu

Great men are compared to mountains, signifying that only another monumental force can lift a fallen legend.

Animal Imagery & Zoomorphism

Vaengai vaazhndha kaatilae... Singam ondru nuzhaiyudho

The hero is likened to a tiger ('Vaengai') and a lion ('Singam') returning to claim his domain.

Edhukai (Tamil Second-letter Rhyme)

Nilayilla koottathil / Nilaikkum un peyar

Repetition of the second consonant sound 'la' across lines creating rhythmic harmony.

Did you know?

Trivia

This track serves as a pivotal emotional peak in the 2019 sports-action drama 'Bigil' starring Vijay. Although the music was composed by Academy Award winner A. R. Rahman with lyrics by Vivek, this particular piece acts as a dramatic motif during the emotional turning point involving the father character, Rayappan.

Keep listening

Songs with a similar feeling

From the same album

More songs from Bigil

View album

Spot an issue?

Help us improve the lyrics or English translation.