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Lyrics & meaning

Kanmani Nillu

From Oomai Vizhigal · 1986

Lyricist
Aabavanan
Singers
S. N. Surendar, Sasirekha
Music director
Manoj – Gyan
Details
Oomai Vizhigal1986

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Hmmm..mmm..mmm..mmm..Humming sounds...
Hmmm..mmm..mmm..mmm..Humming sounds...
Male
Kanmani nillu kaaranam solluMy love, stop and tell me the reason
Kanmani nillu kaaranam solluMy love, stop and tell me the reason
Kaadhal kiliyae kobamaaOh beloved parrot, are you angry?
Nadandhathai ninaithu yengum velaiAt a time when I long, thinking about what happened
Kaadhalai maruthaal nyayamaaIs it fair to reject love?
Kangalil valarntha kaadhalai neeyumThe love that grew in the eyes, if you...
Kalaithida ninaithaal marumaa...think of dissolving it, will it change?
Male
Kanmani nillu kaaranam solluMy love, stop and tell me the reason
Kaadhal kiliyae kobamaaOh beloved parrot, are you angry?
Male
Malar ondru eduthuPicking a flower
Saram ondru thoduthuWeaving a garland
Devi un poojaikku naan koduthenOh Goddess, I gave it for your worship
Malar charam pirithuUnraveling the flower garland
Malarvalai thoduthuWeaving a funeral wreath
Ezhai en kaadhalai nee pudhaithaaiYou buried my poor love
Male
Pudhaithadu meendumThat which was buried, again...
Malaraagum...will bloom into a flower
Un poojaiyai ninaithaeThinking of worshipping you...
Saramaagum...it will become a garland again
Male
Kanmani nillu kaaranam solluMy love, stop and tell me the reason
Kaadhal kiliyae kobamaaOh beloved parrot, are you angry?
Male
Idhayathil thondrumAppearing in the heart
Kaadhal nilavaeOh moon of love
Udhayathai nee yen marandhuvittaiWhy did you forget the dawn?
Udhayathai maruthuRejecting the dawn
Idhayathai veruthuHating the heart
Uyirindri ennai yen vaazha vittaaiWhy did you leave me to live without life?
Male
Kaadhalin vidhiyaeIf the fate of love...
Idhuvaanaal...is this
Kallarai thaanaeThen the grave...
Mudivaagum...will be the end
Male
Kanmani nillu kaaranam solluMy love, stop and tell me the reason
Kaadhal kiliyae kobamaaOh beloved parrot, are you angry?
Female
Kanmani nenjamWhen the lover's heart
Kalangiya neramIs distressed and troubled
Kaadhal ninaivum maarumaaWill the memory of love ever change?
Kovathil oodal seitha nenjamThe heart that had a lovers' quarrel in anger
Kallarai mudivai thaangumaaCan it bear a tragic end in the grave?
Kaadhalai vendra kaadhalan uyiraiThe life of the lover who won love
Pirinthaal iniyum vaazhumaaWill it live on if separated?
Hmmm..mm…mm….hmm….Humming sounds...

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Kanmani Nillu Kaaranam Sollu is a poignant, haunting love ballad from the cult 1986 Tamil film Oomai Vizhigal. The song portrays the intense anguish and heart-wrenching pleas of a lover seeking an explanation from his beloved, who seems to have turned away or fallen silent. He questions whether it is fair to reject a love that blossomed naturally in their eyes and compares his devotion to offering a flower garland in worship, which has tragically been converted into a funeral wreath for his feelings. The song delves deep into themes of heartbreak, fate, and mortality, suggesting that if love is doomed to fail, the grave becomes the ultimate sanctuary. Towards the end, it ponders if a heart that engaged in mere lovers' tiffs can survive the grief of eternal separation, underscoring the tragic depth of true romance.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvam)

Kaadhal kiliyae kobamaa

Addressing the beloved as 'Kaadhal kiliyae' (Love parrot) and 'Kaadhal nilavae' (Moon of love) compares her to sweet and luminous aspects of nature.

Antithesis / Contrast

Malar charam pirithu / Malarvalai thoduthu

Contrasting the worship garland ('poojaikku') with a burial wreath ('malarvalai'), emphasizing how devotion turned into tragedy.

Ethirai (Second letter rhyme)

Udhayathai maruthu / Idhayathai veruthu

The second consonant sound 'dh' in Udhayathai rhymes with 'dh' in Idhayathai.

Monai (First letter rhyme)

Kanmani nillu kaaranam sollu

Repetition of the 'Ka' sound across words in the line creates a pleasing melodic rhythm.

Did you know?

Trivia

Oomai Vizhigal (1986) was a pathbreaking action thriller created by students from the Adyar Film Institute, directed by K. Rangaraj/Aravindraj and produced by Aabavanan (who also penned these soulful lyrics). The music was composed by the duo Manoj-Gyan, and the song remains an evergreen classic known for its iconic saxophone interludes and emotional renditions by K.J. Yesudas and S. Janaki.

Keep listening

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