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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kottampatti Karuppayi

From Sabash (1984) · 1984

Lyricist
Vaali
Singer
S. P. Sailaja
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Details
Sabash (1984)1984

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Adiyae….alamelu aduththavoottu aandaaluHey Alamelu, and Andal from the next house!
Down aalu vanthirukkaandiA guy from the city has come down!
Drousar-oda ninnurukkaandiHe's standing there wearing shorts!
Naduvaala vuttukittu naalu peru suththikittuLeaving space in the middle, four people surround him,
Kottungadi kummiyaththaan thattungadi kaigalathaanBeat the Kummi rhythm, clap your hands!
Female
Kottaampatti karuppaayiO Karuppayi of Kottaampatti!
Pattanaththu potti mavan paaruLook at this son of a city shopkeeper,
A B C D PadichchirukkaanHe has studied A B C D,
Cigarette kaiyila pudichchurukkaanHe is holding a cigarette in his hand,
Vellaikkaaran kollu peranAs if he is the great-grandson of a white man!
Female
Kottaampatti karuppaayiO Karuppayi of Kottaampatti!
Pattanaththu potti mavan paaruLook at this son of a city shopkeeper,
A B C D PadichchirukkaanHe has studied A B C D,
Cigarette kaiyila pudichchurukkaanHe is holding a cigarette in his hand,
Vellaikkaaran kollu peranAs if he is the great-grandson of a white man!
Female
Kottaampatti karuppaayiO Karuppayi of Kottaampatti!
Female
Machchaan moonjithaan manthi polaththaanMy cousin's face looks like a monkey,
Palla kaattuthu paarththaaShowing his teeth when he looks,
Retta vaaluthaan romba neelanthaanHe has a double tail that is very long,
Vetti podanum aaththaaO mother, we need to cut it off!
Female
Machchaan moonjithaan manthi polaththaanMy cousin's face looks like a monkey,
Palla kaattuthu paarththaaShowing his teeth when he looks,
Retta vaaluthaan romba neelanthaanHe has a double tail that is very long,
Vetti podanum aaththaaO mother, we need to cut it off!
Female
Illaatti paanjidum nammakittaOtherwise, he will pounce on us,
Haan yaemanthu pogumaa naattukattaHaha, will this rustic beauty ever get fooled?
Vanthaaru maappillaithaanHere comes the groom,
Ooraanin thoppulathaanIn someone else's orchard!
Vanthaaru maappillaithaanHere comes the groom,
Ooraanin thoppulathaanIn someone else's orchard!
Female
Kottaampatti karuppaayiO Karuppayi of Kottaampatti!
Pattanaththu potti mavan paaruLook at this son of a city shopkeeper,
A B C D PadichchirukkaanHe has studied A B C D,
Cigarette kaiyila pudichchurukkaanHe is holding a cigarette in his hand,
Vellaikkaaran kollu peranAs if he is the great-grandson of a white man!
Female
Kottaampatti karuppaayiO Karuppayi of Kottaampatti!
Chorus
……………....
Female
Aaththumettula aadu meikkiraGrazing sheep by the riverbank,
Kanni pullathaan naanumI am just a young maiden,
Kalla parvaiyai kaatti pesinaaIf someone speaks with sly glances,
Thulli paayura aaluI am one who leaps away instantly!
Female
Aaththumettula aadu meikkiraGrazing sheep by the riverbank,
Kanni pullathaan naanumI am just a young maiden,
Kalla parvaiyai kaatti pesinaaIf someone speaks with sly glances,
Thulli paayura aaluI am one who leaps away instantly!
Female
Sonnaalum kekkala sikkikittaEven when told, he didn't listen, and got trapped,
Viththaaram podura chittukittaWith this fancy, playful little chick,
Pollaappu aachchuthaiyyaaTrouble has brewed, oh sir!
Maruvaatha pochchuthaiyyaaRespect is gone, oh sir!
Pollaappu aachchuthaiyyaaTrouble has brewed, oh sir!
Maruvaatha pochchuthaiyyaaRespect is gone, oh sir!
Female
Kottaampatti karuppaayiO Karuppayi of Kottaampatti!
Pattanaththu potti mavan paaruLook at this son of a city shopkeeper,
A B C D PadichchirukkaanHe has studied A B C D,
Cigarette kaiyila pudichchurukkaanHe is holding a cigarette in his hand,
Vellaikkaaran kollu peranAs if he is the great-grandson of a white man!
Female
Kottaampatti karuppaayiO Karuppayi of Kottaampatti!
Pattanaththu potti mavan paaruLook at this son of a city shopkeeper,
Pattanaththu potti mavan paaruLook at this son of a city shopkeeper!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This energetic folk dance song 'Kottaampatti Karuppaayi' from the film 'Sabash' (1984) playfully mocks a city-bred youth who arrives in a rural village putting on westernized airs. The singer, a bold rural girl, gathers her village companions to tease the man who wears shorts, smokes cigarettes, and flaunts his basic English education ('A B C D') as if he were a descendant of the British colonialists.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Upamai)

Machchaan moonjithaan manthi polaththaan

Compares the guy's facial expressions to a monkey ('manthi polaththaan').

Metaphor / Hyperbole

Vellaikkaaran kollu peran

Exaggerates the guy's westernized pretension by calling him a white man's great-grandson ('Vellaikkaaran kollu peran').

Monorhyme / Assonance (Edukki / Monai)

Kottungadi kummiyaththaan thattungadi kaigalathaan

Use of matching internal rhyming and rhythmic cadence suitable for folk 'Kummi' style.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Shankar-Ganesh and sung by S. P. Sailaja, this track is a classic 1980s Tamil folk-pop fusion that highlights Vaali's knack for humorous, colloquial rural lyrics capturing village dynamics vs. city pretense.

Keep listening

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