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Kadhalan album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kaatru Kuthirayile

From Kadhalan · 1994

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singers
Sujatha Mohan, Minmini
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Movie name
Kadhalan
Movie release year
1994
Lyrics added on
16 Sept 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Aaaaa….aaaaaa….aaaaa…
Aaaaaa….aaaa….aaaaa…mmm…mmm…
Katru kudhiraiyilae
En karkuzhal thoodhu vitten
Katru kudhiraiyilae
En karkuzhal thoodhu vitten
Adhu netru nadandhadhanai
Un nenjil ezhudhattumae
Chorus :Mmmmm….mmmmm
Atrangarai pudharil
Sikki aadum nurai polae
Vetru giragathilae
Naam vilayada povadheppo….
Mmmm…..mmmm….
Mmmm…..mmmm….
Aaah... Aaah... Aaah...
Aaah... Aaah... Aaah... Mmm... Mmm...
Riding on a horse of wind,
I sent my dark hair as a messenger.
Riding on a horse of wind,
I sent my dark hair as a messenger.
Let it write what happened yesterday
upon your heart.
Chorus: Mmm... Mmm...
In the bushes by the riverbank,
like foam trapped and swaying,
on another planet,
when will we go to play?
Mmm... Mmm...
Mmm... Mmm...
Female
Female
Female
Female
Chorus

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This sensual and deeply poetic passage captures a lover expressing her intense longing and surreal desire for intimacy. She poetically describes sending her dark hair carried by the wind as a messenger to etch memories of their encounter onto her beloved's heart. Using evocative natural imagery, she compares their helpless, passionate entanglement to foam caught swirling in bushes along a riverbank. Ultimately, she yearns to escape the eyes of the ordinary world and play freely with her lover on a completely secluded, alien world.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Katru kudhiraiyilae En karkuzhal thoodhu vitten

'Katru kudhirai' (Wind-horse) metaphorically frames the wind as a swift steed delivering messages, while 'Karkuzhal thoodhu' presents her dark hair as the messenger.

Simile (Uwamai)

Atrangarai pudharil Sikki aadum nurai polae

'Nurai polae' uses a simile to compare their restless, captive love play to fragile white river foam caught swirling inside riverbank thickets.

Second-Letter Rhyme (Edhukai)

Katru kudhiraiyilae / Adhu netru nadandhadhanai

Matching second consonants ('t-r') across lines creates a rhythmic cadence in 'Katru' and 'Netru'.

Did you know?

Trivia

This delicate poetic sequence features music by A. R. Rahman and lyrics by Vairamuthu from the landmark 1994 romantic thriller 'Kadhalan', directed by S. Shankar. Vairamuthu seamlessly blends ancient Sangam-style classical imagery (sending hair/wind as a messenger) with modern sci-fi themes ('Vetru giragam' or alien planet).

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