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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Karuvatheva

From Nedunalvaadai · 2017

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Deepak
Music director
Jose Franklin
Movie name
Nedunalvaadai
Movie release year
2017
Lyrics added on
9 Aug 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Karuvatheva
Ada karuvatheva
Ongkannellam kanneera
Karuvatheva
Un nelama sonna
Kulam neruppa povum
Ongkadhaiya oru karumayam
Karuvatheva
Pottappulla pozhuthapochu
Karuvatheva
Petha pulla pagaiyapochu
Vidhithanae yaarvelva
Sonthamellam somaiyapochu
Karuvatheva..aa….
Annan thambi pagaiyaana
Maga enga povaa…
Karuvatheva
Ada karuvatheva
Ongkannellam kanneera
Karuvatheva
Un nelama sonna
Kulam neruppa povum
Ongkadhaiya oru karumayam
Karuvatheva
Mullumela oru sondhamo
Entha pakkam ethu kiliyumo
Maanam kaakka oru kovam kaatta
Indha vaazhkkaiyil edamilla
Vaetti onnuthaan michamo
Nee kaattum paasam
Adhu uchchamo
Vaanam paathu intha boomi
Polanthirukku
Megam thuliyilla
Dheganthaan theyum
Seruppellam theyum
Nee kaattum peranbu
Theyathaiyyaa
Nilam kooda theerum
Kadal kooda theerum
Nee petha kadan mattum
Theerathaiyyaa
Oru pasuvin thiyagamthan
Usuraa ozhuguthu paalaaga
Oru manusanin thiyagamthan
Ovvoru kudumbamum aalaga
Karuvatheva
Ada karuvatheva
Ongkannellam kanneera
Karuvatheva
Un nelama sonna
Kulam neruppa povum
Ongkadhaiya oru karumayam
Karuvatheva
……………………………..
Soththu irunthalum thollaiyae
Adhu iththu vizhunthalum thollaiyae
Paasamulla oru paavi manasu
Adhu padutha thoongaathu
Baaram erangum oru vayasula
Pudhu baaram yeruvathu nyaayama
Paavam vaazhamaram
Ayyo yezhamaram
Idiya thaangathu
Narai konda kesam
Thirai konda dhegam
Thidamaana un nenju
Naraikkathaiyyaa
Uravellaam maarum
Varavellaam theerum
Usuraana onpaasam
Velukkathaiyyaa
Oru kizhavanin kanneero
Tharaiyil oduthu nadhiyaaga
Nadhiyodiya thadamellam
Kudumbam valaruthu payiraaga
Karuvatheva
Ada karuvatheva
Ongkannellam kanneera
Karuvatheva
Un nelama sonna
Kulam neruppa povum
Ongkadhaiya oru karumayam
Karuvatheva
Oh Karuvaadeva
Ah, Karuvaadeva
Are your eyes brimming with tears?
Oh Karuvaadeva
If we speak of your plight,
Even a cool pond would turn to fire
Your story is deep, dark sorrow
Oh Karuvaadeva
Your daughter's life has turned to twilight
Oh Karuvaadeva
The son you raised has become an enemy
It is only fate, who can overcome it?
Every relative has become a burden
Oh Karuvaadeva...
If brothers turn against each other,
Where will the daughter go?
Oh Karuvaadeva
Ah, Karuvaadeva
Are your eyes brimming with tears?
Oh Karuvaadeva
If we speak of your plight,
Even a cool pond would turn to fire
Your story is deep, dark sorrow
Oh Karuvaadeva
Is this kinship caught on thorns?
Whichever way it pulls, something will tear
To guard your dignity or show your anger,
There is no room left in this life
Is a single waistcloth all you have left?
The deep affection you show,
Has it reached the very peak?
Looking up at the open sky,
This earth has cracked apart
Yet the clouds offer not a single drop
The body will wear down,
Even your slippers will wear out,
But the immense love you give
Will never wear away, elder
Even the land may be lost,
Even the wide sea may dry up,
But the debt born from raising your children
Will never be paid off, elder
It is the sacrifice of a mother cow
That flows like life-giving milk
It is the selfless sacrifice of a man
That helps a whole family grow and stand tall
Oh Karuvaadeva
Ah, Karuvaadeva
Are your eyes brimming with tears?
Oh Karuvaadeva
If we speak of your plight,
Even a cool pond would turn to fire
Your story is deep, dark sorrow
Oh Karuvaadeva
...
Having wealth brings only trouble,
And if it rots away, that too brings trouble
This wretched, loving heart,
Cannot sleep when it lies down
At an age when burdens should be set down,
Is it fair that new burdens pile up?
Pity the poor banana tree,
Alas, a fragile plant,
It cannot bear the strike of thunder
With your hair turned grey,
And your body wrinkled with age,
Your steadfast heart
Never grows old, elder!
All relationships may change,
All wealth and fortunes may run out,
But your soul-deep love
Will never fade, elder!
An old man's tears
Flow upon the ground like a river
Wherever that river has run,
The family flourishes like green crops
Oh Karuvaadeva
Ah, Karuvaadeva
Are your eyes brimming with tears?
Oh Karuvaadeva
If we speak of your plight,
Even a cool pond would turn to fire
Your story is deep, dark sorrow
Oh Karuvaadeva
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

The song 'Karuvatheva' from the film Nedunalvaadai is a heart-wrenching ode to selfless fatherhood and grandfathers who sacrifice their whole lives for their families. It portrays Karuvathevan, an aged patriarch carrying enormous emotional and financial burdens due to family feuds and ill fortune. Despite his physical body decaying with age and hardship, his boundlessly affectionate heart remains untarnished. Through vivid imagery of rural hardship—cracked earth, wearing footwear, and weeping old age—lyricist Vairamuthu highlights how an elder's tears and quiet sacrifices act as a river that nourishes subsequent generations like crops, even while they receive little gratitude in return.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamaani)

“Oru kizhavanin kanneero / Tharaiyil oduthu nadhiyaaga”

Compares an old man's tears to a river that flows and irrigates crops, symbolizing how his grief and sacrifices sustain his family's growth.

Contrast / Antithesis (Muran)

“Narai konda kesam / Thirai konda dhegam / Thidamaana un nenju / Naraikkathaiyyaa”

Contrasts physical decay (grey hair, wrinkled body) with the immortal strength of his inner love that never fades or turns grey.

Initial Rhyme (Monai)

“Vaetti onnuthaan michamo / Nee kaattum paasam”

Repetition of initial consonant and vowel sounds across adjacent words to create a rhythmic, elegiac cadence.

Did you know?

Trivia

Nedunalvaadai (2019) was directed by debutant B. Selvakannan. The emotional musical score was composed by Jose Franklin, and this flagship song was written by National Award-winning lyricist Vairamuthu, sung powerfully by Master Minnal Raja to portray the central elderly character played by late actor Poo Ramu.

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