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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kadhaiyai Kettathum

From Neengatha Ninaivu · 1963

Lyricist
Kothamangalam Subbu
Singer
P. B. Sreenivas
Music director
K. V. Mahadevan
Movie name
Neengatha Ninaivu
Movie release year
1963
Lyrics added on
16 Apr 2024

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Kadhaiyai kettadhum maranthu vidu
Kanneer vandhaal thudaithu vidu
Kadhaiyai kettadhum maranthu vidu
Kanneer vandhaal thudaithu vidu
Kadhaiyai kettadhum maranthu vidu
Ullathilae unakku aalayam amaithu
Oruvan unnai poojithaan
Ullathilae unakku aalayam amaithu
Oruvan unnai poojithaan
Avan uyirukku melaai nesithaan
Uyirukku melaai nesithaan..aa…aaa…
Pallathilae indru veezhndhu vittaan
Avan paadhaiyilae avan pogattum
Nalla bakkiyam unakku serattum
Kadhaiyai kettadhum maranthu vidu…
Iravum pagalum theriyaa naalil
Inbamum thunbamum theriyavillai
Adhu yen endru andru puriyavillai
Irulum theernthathu paadhaiyum therinthathu
Evano vazhiyai kaattugiraan
Ini edhu nadanthaalum kavalai illai
Kadhaiyai kettadhum maranthu vidu
Kanneer vandhaal thudaithu vidu
Kadhaiyai kettadhum maranthu vidu…
Forget this story once you have heard it.
If tears come to your eyes, wipe them away.
Forget this story once you have heard it.
If tears come to your eyes, wipe them away.
Forget this story once you have heard it.
Building a temple for you inside his heart,
a man once worshipped you.
Building a temple for you inside his heart,
a man once worshipped you.
He loved you more than his own life...
He loved you more than his own life... Ah... ah...
Today, he has fallen into the depths.
Let him go on his own path;
may all good fortune come to you.
Forget this story once you have heard it...
In those days when day and night blurred together,
joy and sorrow could not be told apart.
Back then, I did not understand why.
The darkness has lifted, the path is now visible,
someone is showing the way.
Whatever happens from now on, I have no worries.
Forget this story once you have heard it...
If tears come to your eyes, wipe them away.
Forget this story once you have heard it.
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

The song 'Kadhaiyai kettadhum maranthu vidu' is a deeply emotional ballad about selfless love and ultimate sacrifice. The protagonist addresses his beloved, asking her to listen to his tragic tale and immediately forget it without shedding tears. Speaking of himself in the third person, he describes how he enshrined her in his heart like a deity and loved her beyond his own life. Even though life has brought him down to a state of ruin, he asks her to move forward into a prosperous future while he walks his own lonely path. Reflecting on past confusion and pain, he notes that enlightenment and clarity have finally dawned upon him. Accepting his fate with composure, he finds solace in knowing that she will be happy, choosing to bear his suffering silently without causing her any distress.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagamm)

Ullathilae unakku aalayam amaithu

Compares the speaker's heart to a temple ('aalayam') where the beloved is enshrined and worshipped like a deity.

Metaphor (Uruvagamm)

Pallathilae indru veezhndhu vittaan

'Falling into a pit' ('Pallathilae veezhndhu vittaan') metaphorically describes reaching the depths of misfortune and failure in life.

Antithesis (Ethirsol)

Inbamum thunbamum theriyavillai

Pairs contrasting concepts like night and day ('Iravum pagalum') as well as joy and sorrow ('Inbamum thunbamum') to highlight a past state of emotional confusion.

Anaphora / Refrain

Kadhaiyai kettadhum maranthu vidu

Repeated use of the refrain 'Kadhaiyai kettadhum maranthu vidu' emphasizes the core theme of self-effacing sacrifice.

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Trivia

This soulful song from the 1963 film 'Neengatha Ninaivu' features poignant lyrics by Kothamangalam Subbu and music composed by K. V. Mahadevan. Singer P. B. Sreenivas delivers an iconic performance that perfectly captures the painful yet noble sentiment of sacrificing one's love for the well-being of another.

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