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Raavanan album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kalvare Kalvare

From Raavanan · 2010

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Shreya Ghoshal
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Movie name
Raavanan
Movie release year
2010
Lyrics added on
2 Jan 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Kalvarae kalvarae
Kalvarae kalvarae
Kanpugum kalvarae
Kaikondu paareerooo..
Kankondu sereerooo..
Kalai solli thaareeroo..
Ummai enni ummai enni
Oomai kangal thoongaathu
Thalaiva en thalaiva agam ariveero..
Arulpuriveero..
Vaaram thorum azhagin baaram
Koodum koodum kuraiyaathu
Uravae en uravae udai kalaiveero..
Udal aniveero..
aaahhh..aahhhhah….
En aasai en aasai…
Naanaa solven
En aasai naanaa solven
En aasai neeyae sonnaal..
Kannaalae aamaam enbenae
Engengae udhadu pogum
Angangae uyirum pogum
Anbaalae aala solvenae
Valimigum idangal
Vali migaa idangal
Thamizhukku therigindrathae..aee..
Valimigum idangal
Vali migaa idangal
Thangalukku therigindrathaa..
{Kalvarae kalvarae
Kalvarae kalvarae
Kanpugum kalvarae
Kaikondu paareerooo..
Kankondu sereerooo..
Kalai solli thaareeroo..} (2)
Kalai solli thaareeroo..
O thief of my heart, my thief,
O thief of my heart, my thief,
Thief who steals into my eyes,
Won't you hold me in your hands?
Won't you join with me through your eyes?
Won't you teach me the art of love?
Thinking of you, constantly thinking of you,
these silent eyes find no sleep.
My master, my love, do you know what is in my heart?
Will you show me your grace?
Week after week, the heavy burden of beauty
only keeps growing, it never fades.
My soulmate, my love, will you undress me?
Will you wear my body like your clothes?
Ah... ahhh...
My desire, my desire...
how can I speak of it myself?
Can I express my own desire?
If you speak my desire for me,
I will say yes with just my eyes.
Wherever your lips wander,
my very soul follows there.
I will ask you to rule over me with love.
Where the hard sounds double,
and where the sounds stay soft,
the Tamil language knows so well...
The places that crave a firm touch,
and the places that need a gentle touch,
do you know them as well?
O thief of my heart, my thief,
O thief of my heart, my thief,
Thief who steals into my eyes,
Won't you hold me in your hands?
Won't you join with me through your eyes?
Won't you teach me the art of love?
Won't you teach me the art of love?
Female
Female
Chorus
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

In 'Kalvare Kalvare' from Raavanan (2010), the heroine addresses her captor/beloved as a 'thief' who has infiltrated her soul through her eyes. Filled with intense longing, she yearns for physical intimacy and emotional understanding, asking him to decipher her unspoken desires without requiring her to state them aloud. Vairamuthu brilliantly uses a famous Tamil grammatical rule—'Valimigum idangal' and 'Vali migaa idangal' (rules dictating where hard consonants double)—as a poetic double-entendre. Here, 'vali' puns on both phonetic hardness and bodily/emotional pain, asking if he understands where her pain and pleasure reside just as Tamil grammar knows its rules.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Double Entendre / Pun (Slesai)

“Valimigum idangal / Vali migaa idangal / Thamizhukku therigindrathae..”

The phrase 'Valimigum idangal / Vali migaa idangal' refers grammatically to hard-consonant doubling in Tamil syntax, but 'vali' also translates to 'pain'. Vairamuthu uses it as a metaphor for touch, pleasure, and sensitivity.

Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)

“Kalvarae kalvarae / Kanpugum kalvarae / Kaikondu paareerooo..”

Repetition of the 'Ka' syllable across consecutive lines creates rhythmic melody.

Personification / Oxymoron

“Oomai kangal thoongaathu”

Describing eyes as 'Oomai' (mute or silent) that refuse to sleep creates a poetic paradox of silent longing.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics by Vairamuthu and sung by Shreya Ghoshal, this song highlights Mani Ratnam's aesthetic portrayal of love and captivity in Raavanan. The Hindi version of the song is titled 'Khili Re' (sung by Reena Bhardwaj), and the Telugu version is 'Usure Poothe'.

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