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Agni Sakshi album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kana Kaanum Kangal

From Agni Sakshi · 1982

Lyricist
Vaali
Singers
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Saritha
Music director
M. S. Vishwanathan
Movie name
Agni Sakshi
Movie release year
1982
Lyrics added on
15 Jan 2022

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Kanaa kaanum kangal mella
Urangaatho paadal solla
Nilaakkaala megam ellaam
Ulaap pogum neram kannae
Ulaap pogum neram kannae
Kanaa kaanum kangal mella
Urangaatho paadal solla
Nilaakkaala megam ellaam
Ulaap pogum neram kannae
Ulaap pogum neram kannae
Kumari uruvam kuzhanthai ullam
Rendum ondraana maayam neeyo
Thalaivan madiyil magalin vadivil thoongum seyo
Kumari uruvam kuzhanthai ullam
Rendum ondraana maayam neeyo
Thalaivan madiyil magalin vadivil thoongum seyo
Nodiyil naalthorum niram maarum devi
Vidaithaan kidaikkaamal thadumaarum kelvi
Vilakku yaetri vaiththaalkooda
Nizhal pola thondrum nijamae
Nizhal pola thondrum nijamae
Naan un nijaththai nesikkiraen
Un nizhalaiyo poojikkiraen
Adhanaalthaan un nizhal vizhuntha
Nilaththin mannai kooda
En nettriyil neeru pol thiruneeru pol
Ittu kolgiraen
Kanaa kaanum kangal mella
Urangaatho paadal solla
Pudhiya kavithai punaiyum kuyilae
Nenjjil undaana kaayam enna
Ninaivu alaigal neruppil kulikkum paavam enna
Kizhakku velukkaamal irukkaathu vaanam
Vidiyum naal paarththu iruppaenae naanum
Varungaalam inbam endru
Nigazhkaalam koorum kannae
Nigazhkaalam koorum kannae
Kanaa kaanum kangal mella
Urangaatho paadal solla
Nilaakkaala megam ellaam
Ulaap pogum neram kannae
Ulaap pogum neram kannae
Heemmm hmm hmmm mmmm
Won't these dreaming eyes slowly
drift off to sleep as I sing?
It is the hour when the moonlit clouds
stroll across the sky, my dear.
stroll across the sky, my dear.
Won't these dreaming eyes slowly
drift off to sleep as I sing?
It is the hour when the moonlit clouds
stroll across the sky, my dear.
stroll across the sky, my dear.
A woman's form and a child's heart—
are you the magical wonder of both?
A child sleeping like a daughter in her lover's lap?
A woman's form and a child's heart—
are you the magical wonder of both?
A child sleeping like a daughter in her lover's lap?
A goddess whose moods shift each moment of the day,
a question faltering without an answer.
Even when a lamp is lit,
reality still seems just like a shadow.
Reality still seems just like a shadow.
I love the real you,
and I worship your shadow.
That is why, from the ground
where your shadow falls,
I take the soil like sacred ash,
and place it upon my forehead.
Won't these dreaming eyes slowly
drift off to sleep as I sing?
O songbird weaving new poetry,
what is this wound in your heart?
What misfortune makes your waves of memories bathe in fire?
The sky in the east will never fail to brighten,
and I will keep waiting for that dawning day.
Promising that the future will bring happiness,
the present reassures us, my dear.
the present reassures us, my dear.
Won't these dreaming eyes slowly
drift off to sleep as I sing?
It is the hour when the moonlit clouds
stroll across the sky, my dear.
stroll across the sky, my dear.
Mmm hmm hmm mmm...
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Female
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Kanaa Kaanum Kangal Mella is a deeply emotional lullaby and love song from the 1982 Tamil movie Agni Sakshi. Sung primarily to comfort a emotionally troubled or mentally fragile partner, the lyricist Vaali captures the delicate intersection between romance, paternal care, and tragic helplessness. The speaker admires the heroine's childlike innocence while acknowledging her complex, changing psyche, offering unconditional devotion that borders on worship.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagakani)

“Pudhiya kavithai punaiyum kuyilae”

Compares the beloved to a cuckoo composing new poetry and an unanswered question struggling without a response.

Simile (Upamai)

“En nettriyil neeru pol thiruneeru pol”

Compares applying the dirt from where her shadow fell on his forehead to applying holy ash (Thiruneeru).

Oxymoron / Paradox

“Nizhal pola thondrum nijamae”

Contrasts reality (Nijam) with shadow (Nizhal), describing the person as a truth that manifests only as an elusive shadow.

Emoni / Monai (Alliteration)

“Kanaa kaanum kangal mella”

Repetition of initial consonant sounds ('K' sound in Kanaa/Kaanum/Kangal and 'N' sound in Nodiyil/Naalthorum/Niram).

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by M. S. Viswanathan for K. Balachander's film Agni Sakshi starring Sivakumar and Saritha, this song is acclaimed for its haunting melody rendered by K. J. Yesudas and S. Janaki. Saritha received widespread critical acclaim for portraying a complex psychological character in the film.

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