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Lyrics & meaning

Kannillaiyo Manamillaiyo

From Paasavalai · 1956

Lyricist
A. Maruthakasi
Singer
C. S. Jayaraman
Music director
Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
Details
Paasavalai1956

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Yaarukku theengu seidhenWhom did I harm?
Yaar kudiyai keduthaenWhose family did I ruin?
Yaar porulai abagarithaenWhose property did I usurp?
Seerodu vaazhntha ennaiMe, who lived with prosperity and dignity,
Verrodu azhithathu yaenWhy did you destroy me from the roots?
Dheivamae idhu needhiyooOh God, is this justice?
Male
Kannillaiyoo manamillaiyooDo you not have eyes? Do you not have a heart?
Kannillaiyoo manamillaiyooDo you not have eyes? Do you not have a heart?
Kalangum en nilai maara vazhiillaiyoIs there no way for my distressed condition to change?
Kalangum en nilai maara vazhiillaiyoIs there no way for my distressed condition to change?
Karunai kadal enbathellam poiyooIs it all a lie that you are an ocean of mercy?
Kalangum en nilai maara vazhi illaiyooIs there no way for my distressed condition to change?
Male
Kannillaiyoo manamillaiyooDo you not have eyes? Do you not have a heart?
Iraivaa kannillaiyoo manamillaiyooOh Lord, do you not have eyes? Do you not have a heart?
Male
{Ennamum kanavagiMy thoughts became mere dreams,
Idi minnal mazhaiyaagiBecoming thunder, lightning, and heavy rain,
Kanngalum kanneer kadal aanadhaeMy eyes became an ocean of tears,
Mangala vaazhvum pariponadhae} (2)And my blessed life was completely lost.
Thuyar soozhndhaSurrounded by sorrow,
En vaazhvil puyal veesalaaamoShould a storm blow into my life?
Uyirodu enai veithu vadhai seiyalaamoShould you torture me while keeping me alive?
Male
Kannillaiyoo manamillaiyooDo you not have eyes? Do you not have a heart?
Kalangum en nilai maara vazhi illaiyooIs there no way for my distressed condition to change?
Male
Ennai padaithathum yenWhy did you create me?
Inbam koduthathum yenWhy did you give me happiness?
Ennai padaithathum yenWhy did you create me?
Inbam koduthathum yenWhy did you give me happiness?
Idhu pola paadhiyilaeMidway like this,
Thatti parithathum yenWhy did you snatch it away?
Idhu pola paadhiyilaeMidway like this,
Thatti parithathum yenWhy did you snatch it away?
Male
Anbai valarthathumNurturing love,
Aasaiyai thanthaum yenWhy did you give desire?
Anbai valarthathumNurturing love,
Aasaiyai thanthaum yenWhy did you give desire?
Thunbamenum neruppaattrilInto the river of fire called suffering,
Enai thooki erinthathum yenWhy did you throw me in?
Thunbamenum neruppaattrilInto the river of fire called suffering,
Enai thooki erinthathum yenWhy did you throw me in?
Male
Kannillaiyoo manamillaiyooDo you not have eyes? Do you not have a heart?
Kalangum en nilai maara vazhi illaiyooIs there no way for my distressed condition to change?
Male
Seidha pizhai ennaWhat mistake did I commit?
Dhegam irundhennaWhat is the use of having this body?
Uiyyum vazhi ennaWhat is the way to salvation?
Unadhu theerppennaWhat is your ultimate judgment?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This soul-stirring song from Paasavalai (1956) is a desperate lament addressed directly to the Almighty. The speaker cries out against tragic misfortune, questioning why a person who lived righteously without harming anyone or stealing another's property should be uprooted and subjected to intolerable agony.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvam)

Thunbamenum neruppaattril

Suffering is vividly conceptualized as a river of fire ('Thunbamenum neruppaattril') and tears as an ocean ('Kanneer kadal').

Rhetorical Question (Vinaa)

Kannillaiyoo manamillaiyoo

Continuous questioning of God ('Kannillaiyoo manamillaiyoo') highlights total despair, moral indignation, and helpless helplessness.

Contrast (Muran)

Seerodu vaazhntha ennai / Verrodu azhithathu yaen

Juxtaposes prosperous rooted life ('Seerodu vaazhntha') with complete destruction ('Verrodu azhithathu').

Did you know?

Trivia

Paasavalai (1956) featured music composed by the legendary Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy duo, with lyricist A. Maruthakasi penning evocative lines that captured tragic distress in early Tamil cinema.

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