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Uthaman album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kanavugale Kanavugale

From Uthaman · 1976

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
K. V. Mahadevan
Movie name
Uthaman
Movie release year
1976
Lyrics added on
18 Feb 2020

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Kanavugalae kanavugalae
Kaalamellaam vaareero
Ninaivugalae ninaivugalae
Nindru poga maatteero
Nimmadhiyai thaareero
Kanavugalae kanavugalae
Kaalamellaam vaareero
Ninaivugalae ninaivugalae
Nindru poga maatteero
Nimmadhiyai thaareero
Kanavugalae kanavugalae
Kaalamellaam vaareero
Hoo oo oo oo oo oo ooo…(4)
{Kaviyuraitha karpanai pol
Kai piditha poongodiyaal
Poiyuraitha kavidhaiyai pol
Pona kadhai enna solven} (2)
Silai vadikka kalleduthen
Sittruliyaal sedhukki vaithen
Silai vadithu mudiyum munnae
Thalai vedithu ponadhammaa
Kanavugalae kanavugalae
Kaalamellaam vaareero
Ninaivugalae ninaivugalae
Nindru poga maatteero
Nimmadhiyai thaareero
{Aadiyilae kaattradithaal
Aayiramaai ilaiyudhirum
Aippasiyil mazhai pozhindhaal
Athanaiyum thazhaithu varum} (2)
Aval aadi vara paarthirundhen
Aadi vandhu serndhadhammaa
Aippasikku kaathirundhen
Eppasiyum theeravillai
Kanavugalae kanavugalae
Kaalamellaam vaareero
Hoo oo oo oo oo oo ooo…(4)
{Kaayamondru nee koduthaai
Kaaindha vadu neengavillai
Kaaindha vadu aarudharkko
Kai thavazhum saei koduthaai} (2)
Un kadhaiyai naan ezhudha
Uyirai vaithu kaathirundhen
En kadhaiyai nee ezhudhi
Yaedugalai maraithu vittaai
Kanavugalae kanavugalae
Kaalamellaam vaareero
Ninaivugalae ninaivugalae
Nindru poga maatteero
Nimmadhiyai thaareero
O dreams, O dreams,
Will you keep coming for the rest of my life?
O memories, O memories,
Won't you ever come to a stop?
Won't you give me some peace?
O dreams, O dreams,
Will you keep coming for the rest of my life?
O memories, O memories,
Won't you ever come to a stop?
Won't you give me some peace?
O dreams, O dreams,
Will you keep coming for the rest of my life?
Ho oo oo oo oo..... (4)
{Like the vision in a poet's dream,
the delicate girl whose hand I held,
like a poem that turned out to be a lie—
what can I say of how she walked away?} (2)
I took a stone to sculpt a statue,
and shaped it gently with a small chisel.
Before the sculpture was complete,
my head burst with heartbreak!
O dreams, O dreams,
Will you keep coming for the rest of my life?
O memories, O memories,
Won't you ever come to a stop?
Won't you give me some peace?
{When the wind blows in the month of Aadi,
leaves fall to the ground in thousands.
When the rain pours in the month of Aippasi,
they all flourish green again.} (2)
I watched and waited for her to come dancing in,
but only the stormy month of Aadi arrived!
I waited for the soothing rains of Aippasi too,
yet no hunger in my heart was ever fed.
O dreams, O dreams,
Will you keep coming for the rest of my life?
Ho oo oo oo oo..... (4)
{You gave me a painful wound,
and its dried scar has never faded.
Was it to heal that dried scar
that you left a crawling child in my arms?} (2)
Longing to write your story,
I waited, holding on to my very life.
Instead, you wrote my story,
and hid the pages away!
O dreams, O dreams,
Will you keep coming for the rest of my life?
O memories, O memories,
Won't you ever come to a stop?
Won't you give me some peace?
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Chorus
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Chorus
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Kanavugalae Kanavugalae is a poignant lament from the 1976 Tamil film Uthaman, featuring lyrics by Kannadasan. The protagonist addresses his relentless dreams and sorrowful memories directly, questioning why they refuse to give him peace. He compares his tragic love affair to a beautiful piece of poetry that ultimately turned out to be false, and to an incomplete sculpture destroyed before completion. Using seasonal metaphors of harsh winds in Aadi and life-giving rains in Aippasi, the lyrics express deep sorrow over broken promises and lost happiness, leaving behind enduring scars and an unresolved life narrative.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Apostrophe and Anaphora

“Kanavugalae kanavugalae / Ninaivugalae ninaivugalae”

Directly addressing abstract entities (dreams and memories) with repeated words to emphasize distress.

Simile (Upamai)

“Kaviyuraitha karpanai pol / Poiyuraitha kavidhaiyai pol”

Comparing the relationship and beloved to poetic imagination and an untrue poem using the comparative marker 'pol'.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

“Kai piditha poongodiyaal”

Describing the woman metaphorically as a delicate flowering vine ('poongodi').

Initial Rhyme and Assonance (Moonaai)

“Aadiyilae kaattradithaal / Aayiramaai ilaiyudhirum / Aippasiyil mazhai pozhindhaal”

Rhythmic repetition of starting vowel sounds across lines to heighten poetic flow.

Did you know?

Trivia

The song is from the 1976 movie Uthaman starring Sivaji Ganesan and Jayalalithaa, directed by V. Srinivasan. The music was composed by K. V. Mahadevan, with vocals rendered by T. M. Soundararajan.

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