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Vanjagar Ulagam album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Kannadi Nenjan

From Vanjagar Ulagam · 2018

Lyricist
Madhan Karky
Singer
Santhosh Narayanan
Music director
Sam C. S
Movie name
Vanjagar Ulagam
Movie release year
2018
Lyrics added on
10 Jul 2018

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Naano kannadi nenjan
Kallae ennai yeno rasikkiraai
Naano katroodhum paiyaai
Mullae ennil yeno vasikkirai
………………………………
Irulo irulaai karaigindren ingae
Ozhiyae ozhiyae kollathae ennai
Aravam ethuvum vara vendam pinnae
Ozhiyae ozhiyae
Pothum pothum pothum pothum pothum
Thalaiyin mugamum
Manadhin mugamum
Orupol irukka koodathae
Mugamum izhanthen
Manadhum izhanthen
Vizhiyaal edai nee podathae
Nee oru dhinam
Oru ganam eriyumae
En thalaiyilae irunthu paar
Puriyumae
Naan pizhai ena thavar ena
Thiruntha
Nee naduvana thalaivana
Iraivana madaiyana
Virumbum ethuvum
Kidaikkaa ulagil
Kidaikkum ethaiyum yetrenae
Thirumbum vazhiyum
Azhiyum pozhuthil
Viriyum paathai yetrenae
Naan mirugamai thirigiren
Unakku yen vidaigalai alikkiren
Etharkku nee kelvigal adukkinai
Enakku nee naduvana thalaivana
Iraivana madaiyana
Irulo irulaai karaigindren ingae
Ozhiyae ozhiyae kollathae ennai
Aravam ethuvum vara vendam pinnae
Ozhiyae ozhiyae
Pothum pothum pothum
Pothum pothum pothum…
I am a man with a heart of glass,
O stone, why do you take delight in me?
I am like a bag filled with air,
O thorn, why do you live inside me?
...
I am dissolving here into pitch-black darkness,
O light, O light, do not kill me.
Let no sound follow behind me,
O light, O light,
Enough, enough, enough, enough, enough.
The face on the outside
And the face of the heart
Cannot be the same.
I lost my face,
I lost my heart too,
Do not judge me with your eyes.
For just one day,
It will burn for a moment,
Try living inside my head,
And you will understand.
Am I a flaw, am I a mistake,
For me to change and reform?
Are you a judge? Are you a leader?
Are you God? Or are you a fool?
In a world where nothing
I desire can be gained,
I accepted whatever I received.
When the way back
Was destroyed and gone,
I took the path that opened ahead.
I roam around like a beast,
Why should I give you answers?
Why did you pile up all these questions?
To me, are you a judge? Are you a leader?
Are you God? Or are you a fool?
I am dissolving here into pitch-black darkness,
O light, O light, do not kill me.
Let no sound follow behind me,
O light, O light,
Enough, enough, enough,
Enough, enough, enough...
Male
Chorus
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song delves into existential anguish, psychological dark space, and moral ambiguity. The protagonist portrays themselves as fragile and lost—comparing their heart to glass and their body to a leaf or bag caught in the wind—while seeking refuge in darkness and pleading for intrusive 'light' or judgment to stay away. The lyricist explores the dissonance between external presentation and internal reality, asserting that one's outer mask and inner self can rarely be identical. Throughout the track, the speaker challenges those who attempt to judge or reform them, questioning whether the observer holds any real authority or wisdom. Faced with a world that denies desires and destroys retreat paths, the narrator accepts their transformation into a animalistic, survivalist state. Ultimately, it is a haunting soliloquy of self-acceptance, guilt, and defiance against societal morality.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamai / Uruvagam)

Naano kannadi nenjan / Naano katroodhum paiyaai

Comparing the fragile human heart to glass ('Kannadi nenjan') and a helpless drifting life to a windblown bag ('Katroodhum pai').

Apostrophe / Direct Address

Kallae ennai yeno rasikkiraai / Ozhiyae ozhiyae kollathae ennai

Directly addressing abstract or non-human entities like stone ('Kallae'), thorn ('Mullae'), and light ('Ozhiyae') to express inner conflict.

Contrast / Antithesis (Muran)

Irulo irulaai karaigindren ingae / Ozhiyae ozhiyae kollathae ennai

Juxtaposing darkness ('Irulo') with light ('Ozhiyae') to show the character's comfort in shadows and fear of illumination/exposure.

Repetition / Anaphora (Edukku / Anupirasam)

Pothum pothum pothum pothum pothum

Repeated emphasis of 'Pothum' (Enough) and 'Ozhiyae' to heighten the emotional intensity and plea for relief.

Rhetorical Question (Vinaa)

Nee naduvana thalaivana / Iraivana madaiyana

Questioning the moral status of the listener ('Are you a mediator, leader, god, or fool?'), challenging external judgment.

Did you know?

Trivia

Featured in the 2018 Tamil neo-noir crime thriller film 'Vanjagar Ulagam', this track features music composed by Sam C.S. with lyrics penned by Madhan Karky. The lyrics uniquely capture the dark, gritty, and psychological mood of the film's underworld setting.

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