Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kaththi Koovudhu Kadhal

From Complex · 2022

Lyricist
S. Gnanakaravel
Singers
G. V. Prakash, Saindhavi
Music director
Karthik Raja
Details
Complex2022

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Kaththi koovudhu kaadhalLove shouts out loud
Unai katti thazhuvudhu kangalEyes embrace you tightly
Male
Oraandu oththigai paarthenI rehearsed for a year
Kaadhal naan sollaTo express my love
Or nodiyil kanavaai kalaindhadhuIn a single second, it dissolved like a dream
Engo nee sellaAs you went somewhere away
Male
Kanneeril kooda andru eeram illaiEven in tears that day, there was no moisture
Kaalathin thozhanaaga naanillaiI was not a friend of time
Hoo oo oo ho ooooHoo oo oo ho oooo
Hoo oo oo oo ho o..(2)Hoo oo oo oo ho o..(2)
Male
Engae naan povadhuWhere will I go?
Nenjodu kelivigalQuestions in my heart
Nanjaagi ponadhaeTurned into poison
Naan kanda kanvugalThe dreams I dreamt
Male
Mannil or bommai seidhaeI made a doll out of mud
Kaadhal per soottinenAnd named it 'Love'
Andha bommaiku needhaanTo that very doll, it was you
Vandhu uyiroottinaaiWho came and breathed life into it
Male
Kaalam thavariya pinnaalaeAfter missing the time
Kaadhalai solla vandhenaeI came to express my love
Neeram thavariya rayilaagaLike a train that missed its schedule
Neeyo sendraayaeYou departed away
Male
Pirivin thuyarathil valiyoduWith pain in the sorrow of separation
Thiruvizha nerisalil kuzhandhai polLike a child lost in a festival crowd
Neengaa ninaivil tholaindhenaeI was lost in unforgettable memories
Unnaal vaazhndhenaeI lived because of you
Male
Paarkkaadha podhumEven when we don't see each other
Pesaadha podhumEven when we don't speak
Nam kaadhal nenjai thaalaattumOur love will cradle the heart
Hoo oo hoo oo ho oo ooHoo oo hoo oo ho oo oo
Hoo oo oo hooHoo oo oo hoo
Female
Paaraiku adiyilaeBeneath the rocks
Theraigal vaazhumaeToads manage to live
Baarathai baaramaaiDo not consider the burden as heavy
Ennaadhae thozhanaeMy friend
Female
Puyalil saaindhaalum naanalEven if it bends in the storm, the reed
Meelum odiyaamalaeWill bounce back without breaking
Nadhiyin vellaththil meengalIn the river's flood, the fish
Neendhum oyaamalaeWill swim relentlessly without stopping
Female
Otrai siragaai nindrenaeI stood as a single wing
Innoru siragaai serndhaayaeYou joined as the other wing
Yeno parandhidum munnaalaeYet why, before we could fly
Vittu chendraayaeDid you leave me behind?
Female
Kaalam veesiya kallaalaeBy the stone thrown by time
Kalangiya kulamena aanenaeI became like a muddy pond
Meendum un mugam paarthenaeSeeing your face once again
Nadhiyaai thelindhenaeI cleared up like a flowing river

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This soulful track captures the agony of unexpressed love, longing, and the pain of lost time between two lovers. The protagonist reflects on the year spent preparing to confess feelings, only to lose the chance as time moved past them like a missed train. Amidst the heartbreak, metaphors of nature—reeds surviving storms and fish swimming in floods—offer hope and emotional resilience. Ultimately, seeing the beloved's face brings clarity and peace back into the speaker's life.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

Neeram thavariya rayilaaga / Neeyo sendraayae

Compares the sudden departure of the beloved to a train that has missed its schedule.

Simile (Upamai)

Thiruvizha nerisalil kuzhandhai pol / Neengaa ninaivil tholaindhenae

Compares the speaker lost in memory to a child getting lost in a crowded festival.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Otrai siragaai nindrenae / Innoru siragaai serndhaayae

Compares the couple to two wings needed together to fly.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Kaalam veesiya kallaalae / Kalangiya kulamena aanenae

Compares the state of mind troubled by fate to a pond muddied by a thrown stone.

Rhyme / Alliteration (Edhukai / Monai)

Puyalil saaindhaalum naanal / Meelum odiyaamalae

Use of matching sounds in words like 'Mannil' and 'Andha' or 'Puyalil' and 'Nadhiyin' to create rhythm.

Did you know?

Trivia

This track marks a musical collaboration under Karthik Raja's composition with G. V. Prakash Kumar and Saindhavi lending their vocals together. Lyricist S. Gnanakaravel used natural imagery such as reeds in a storm and fish in river floods to symbolize resilience in love.

Keep listening

More from Complex