Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kaadhal Vandhaal

From Iyarkai · 2003

Lyricists
Not listed
Singers
Tippu, Manikka Vinayagam
Music director
Vidyasagar
Details
Iyarkai2003

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Babe tell me you love meBabe, tell me you love me
I hope i hear it when i’m in loveI hope I hear it when I am in love
Male
Kaadhal vandhaal solli anupuIf love blossoms, send word to me
Uyirodirundhaal varugirenIf I am still alive, I will come
En kanneer vazhiyae uyirum vazhiyaAs my life drains away along with my tears
Karaiyil karaindhu kidakirenI lie dissolved upon the shore
Male
{ Sutta mannilae meenaagaLike a fish on sun-baked soil
Manam vetta veliyilae vaadudhadi } (2)My heart languishes in the open wasteland
Kanneer kalandhu kanneer kalandhuMingling with my tears, mingling with my tears
Kadal neer mattam koodudhadi … iiiiiiiThe sea level rises, oh dear girl!
Male
Kaadhal vandhaal solli anupuIf love blossoms, send word to me
Uyirodirundhaal varugirenIf I am still alive, I will come
Male
Uyirai thavira sondham illaiyae kaadhalikum munbuI had no kin except my own life before falling in love
Indha ulagae endhan sondham aanadhae kaadhal vandha pinbuThis entire world became my family after love arrived
Male
Babe tell me you love meBabe, tell me you love me
It’s never late don’t hesitateIt is never too late, do not hesitate
Male
Saavai azhaithu kaditham potten kaadhalikum munbuI wrote a letter inviting death before I fell in love
Oru saavai pudhaika sakthi ketkiren kaadhal vandha pinbuI pray for strength to bury death itself after love arrived
Unnaal en kadal azhai urangavae illaiBecause of you, my ocean waves do not sleep
Unnaal en nilavuku udal nalam illaiBecause of you, my moon is not in good health
Male
Kadal thuyil kolvadhum nila gunam kolvadhumWhether the sea sleeps or the moon recovers
Naan uyir vaazhvadhum un sollil ulladhadiAnd whether I remain alive, lies in your single word
Un irukam thaan en uyirai kolludhadi kolludhadiYour silence is killing my life, killing it
Male
Kaadhal vandhaal solli anupuIf love blossoms, send word to me
Uyirodirundhaal varugiren en kannilIf I am still alive, I will come before your eyes
Male
{ Yeleyley lo yeleleley lo } (2)Yeleyley lo yeleleley lo
Aaaa aaa aaaa aaaa aaaaAaaa aaa aaaa aaaa aaaa
Male
Pirandha mannai alli thindren unnai kaanum munbuI ate the soil of my birth before seeing you
Nee nadantha mannai alli thindren unnai kanda pinbuI gathered and ate the soil where you walked after seeing you
Annai thandhai kandadhillai naan kan thirandha pinbuI never knew a mother or father after opening my eyes
En athanai uravum motham kanden unnai kanda pinbuI found all my relationships within you after seeing you
Male
Pennae en payanamo thodangavae illaiOh girl, my journey has not even truly begun
Adharkul adhu mudivadhaa vilangavae illaiIs it ending already? I cannot understand
Naan karaiyaavadhum illai nuraiyaavadhumWhether I become the firm shore or mere sea foam
Valar piraiyaavadhum un sollil ulladhadiOr a growing waxing moon, lies in your single word
Un irukam thaan en uyirai kolludhadi kolludhadiYour silence is killing my life, killing it
Male
{ Kaadhal vandhaal solli anupu } (2)If love blossoms, send word to me
Solli anupu solli anupuSend word, send word

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This soulful track from the movie 'Iyarkai' depicts a protagonist deeply consumed by love, yearning for acceptance and a single word of confirmation from his beloved. The lyrics weave intense nautical and oceanic metaphors with emotional vulnerability, comparing his heart to a fish stranded on hot sand and his tears to the rising sea level. Before falling in love, he felt completely orphaned and welcoming of death; however, finding love transformed the world into his home and gave him a newfound desire to live and overcome mortality.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Uwamai)

{ Sutta mannilae meenaaga

Compares the protagonist's suffering heart directly to a fish stranded on burning soil ('Sutta mannilae meenaaga').

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navortchi)

Kanneer kalandhu kanneer kalandhu Kadal neer mattam koodudhadi

An exaggerated expression claiming that the rising sea level is caused by the protagonist's endless tears.

Personification

Unnaal en kadal azhai urangavae illai Unnaal en nilavuku udal nalam illai

Attributes human conditions like sleeping and suffering ill-health to the sea waves and the moon.

Contrast / Antithesis (Muran)

Pirandha mannai alli thindren unnai kaanum munbu / Nee nadantha mannai alli thindren unnai kanda pinbu

Contrasts the orphan state of eating birth soil prior to love against revering the earth walked upon after finding love.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Kaadhal Vandhaal' is composed by Vidyasagar for the 2003 Tamil period drama film 'Iyarkai', directed by S. P. Jananathan. The lyrics were penned by Vairamuthu and sung by Tippu and Manikka Vinayagam. Set against the backdrop of a port city, the song beautifully blends mariner motifs with deep romantic longing, mirroring the protagonist's life as a sailor.

Keep listening

More from Iyarkai