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Isaimozhi
David album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kanave Kanave

From David · 2013

Lyricist
Mohan Rajan
Singer
Anirudh Ravichander
Music director
Anirudh Ravichander
Movie name
David
Movie release year
2013
Lyrics added on
28 Apr 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Koramaana maranam ondru
Uyirai kondu ponathae
Uyaramaana kanavu indru
Alaiyil veezhnthu ponadhae
Isaiyum ponadhu
Thimirum ponathu
Thanimai theeyilae vaadinen
Nizhalum ponadhu
Nijamum ponathu
Enakkul enaiyae thedinen
Kanavae kanavae kalaivatheno
Karangal ranamaai karaivatheno
Ninaivae ninaivae araivatheno
Enadhu ulagam udaivathenoo…
Kangal rendum neerilae
Meenai pola vaazhuthae
Kadavulum pen idhayamum
Irukkutha ada illaiya
Oho naanum ingae valiyilae
Neeyum ango sirippilae
Kaatril engum thedinen
Pesi pona vaarthaiyai
Idhu nyaayama
Manam thaanguma
En aasaigal adhu paavama…
Kanavae kanavae ………
Karangal ranamaai ……………
Ninaivae ninaivae araivatheno
Enadhu ulagam udaivathenoo…
A cruel death
has taken my life away.
A dream reaching so high
has fallen into the waves today.
The music is gone,
my pride is gone,
I withered in the fire of loneliness.
My shadow is gone,
reality is gone,
I searched for myself within me.
Oh dream, why do you shatter?
Why do my hands dissolve into wounds?
Oh memory, why do you strike me?
Why is my world falling apart?
Both my eyes
live like fish in tears.
Does God, or a woman's heart,
truly exist or not?
While I am here in pain,
you are over there, smiling.
I searched everywhere in the air
for the words you spoke and left behind.
Is this fair?
Can my heart endure this?
Were my desires a sin?
Oh dream, oh dream...
Why do my hands dissolve in wounds...
Oh memory, why do you strike me?
Why is my world falling apart?
Male
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Male
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Male
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Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This poignant song expresses the agonizing sorrow and betrayal felt after a heartbreaking breakup. The protagonist feels as though his soul has experienced a dreadful death, leaving him completely devoid of joy, music, and identity. He compares his tear-filled eyes to fish living underwater and agonizes over the stark contrast between his unbearable pain and his former lover's indifference. The lyrics question the existence of divine justice and the genuineness of love, capturing the ultimate despair of a world falling apart.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagama)

Thanimai theeyilae vaadinen

Loneliness is metaphorically compared to a burning fire ('Thanimai theeyilae').

Simile (Upamai)

Kangal rendum neerilae Meenai pola vaazhuthae

The eyes filled with tears are explicitly compared to fish living in water using 'pola'.

Personification

Ninaivae ninaivae araivatheno

Memories are personified as an entity capable of physically slapping the protagonist ('araivatheno').

Rhyme / Monai & Edhukai

Kanavae kanavae kalaivatheno / Ninaivae ninaivae araivatheno

Use of rhyming initial and secondary sounds across paired lines ('Isaiyum' / 'Thimirum', 'Kanavae' / 'Ninaivae').

Keep listening

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