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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kudikkathe Thambi Kudikkathe

From Naan Kudithukonde Iruppen · 1982

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
M. S. Vishwanathan
Details
Naan Kudithukonde Iruppen1982

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Kudikkaathae thambi kudikkaathae neeDon't drink, my younger brother, don't drink.
Thambi thambi thambi thambi thambiyoBrother, brother, brother, brother, brother!
Male
Kudikkaathae thambi kudikkaathae neeDon't drink, my younger brother, don't drink.
Kudichcchupputtu kodalu kodalu kettu thudikkaathaeDon't drink and writhe in pain with ruined intestines.
Nee kudichchirunthaa oorulagam mathikaathaeIf you drink, the world around you won't respect you.
Un veetta kazhutha kooda mithikkaathaeEven a donkey won't step into your house.
Kudichchirunthaa oorulagam mathikaathaeIf you drink, the world around you won't respect you.
Un veetta kazhutha kooda mithikkaathaeEven a donkey won't step into your house.
Male
Kudikkaathae thambi kudikkaathae neeDon't drink, my younger brother, don't drink.
Kudichchupputtu kodalu kodalu kettu thudikkaathaeDon't drink and writhe in pain with ruined intestines.
Male
Nalla manushan saarayaththa thottathumillaA good man has never even touched liquor,
Adhu thottavana lessulathaan vittathumillaAnd liquor has never easily spared anyone who touched it.
Manushanoda raththathaan atta kudikkum aanaaA leech only drinks a human's blood, but...
Manaivi makkal kudumbaththaiyae pattai kudikkumArrack consumes the wife, children, and the entire family.
Manaivi makkal kudumbaththaiyae pattai kudikkumArrack consumes the wife, children, and the entire family.
Male
Paadupattu panaththa serththu kudiyil vidaathaeDon't waste hard-earned money on alcohol,
Un pullakkutti ellaaraiyum theruvil vidaathaeDon't abandon your wife and children on the streets.
Paiya paiya karainji pogum sillarathaampaaYour loose change will slowly dissolve away,
Un paramparaikku minjurathu kallaraithaampaaAnd nothing will remain for your lineage except the graveyard.
Un paramparaikku minjurathu kallaraithaampaaAnd nothing will remain for your lineage except the graveyard.
Male
KudikkaathaeDon't drink!
Thambi thambi thambi thambi thambiyoBrother, brother, brother, brother, brother!
Male
Kudikkaathae thambi kudikkaathae neeDon't drink, my younger brother, don't drink.
Kudichchupputtu kodalu kodalu kettu thudikkaathaeDon't drink and writhe in pain with ruined intestines.
Male
Velakku vachchaa aanum pennum sernthu kudikkuthuOnce lamps are lit, men and women drink together,
Idhu vasathiyulla periya idaththil naalum nadakkuthuThis happens daily in affluent high-class places.
Paal kudikkaththaan kodukkum thaaimaiyin jaadhiWomankind is meant to offer motherly milk,
Adhuthaan kudichchaa enna aagum iyarkkaiyin needhiIf she drinks alcohol instead, what becomes of nature's law?
Male
KudikkaathaeDon't drink!
Thambi thambi thambi thambi thambiyoBrother, brother, brother, brother, brother!
Male
Kudikkaathae thambi kudikkaathae neeDon't drink, my younger brother, don't drink.
Kudichchupputtu kodalu kodalu kettu thudikkaathaeDon't drink and writhe in pain with ruined intestines.
Kudichchirunthaa oorulagam mathikaathaeIf you drink, the world around you won't respect you.
Un veetta kazhutha kooda mithikkaathaeEven a donkey won't step into your house.
Male
Kudikkaathae thambi kudikkaathae neeDon't drink, my younger brother, don't drink.
Kudichchupputtu kodalu kodalu kettu thudikkaathaeDon't drink and writhe in pain with ruined intestines.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This social reform song serves as an earnest warning against the perils of alcoholism. Expressed as a passionate plea from an elder brother to a younger one, the lyrics detail how addiction destroys bodily health, ruins family prosperity, and strips away social respect.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor and Contrast

Manushanoda raththathaan atta kudikkum aanaa / Manaivi makkal kudumbaththaiyae pattai kudikkum

Compares a leech drinking human blood to arrack ('pattai') consuming an entire family, emphasizing the severe destructiveness of addiction.

Hyperbole / Folk Idiom

Un veetta kazhutha kooda mithikkaathae

Uses dramatic hyperbole ('even a donkey won't step into your house') to convey the total loss of dignity and societal respect resulting from alcoholism.

Edugai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Kudikkaathae thambi kudikkaathae nee / Kudichchupputtu kodalu kodalu kettu thudikkaathae

Employs Tamil poetic second-letter rhyme with 'Kudikkaathae' and 'Kudichchupputtu' to create a rhythmic, catchy cadence.

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Trivia

The song features legendary singer T. M. Soundararajan delivering Kannadasan's punchy socio-moral lyrics set to music by M. S. Viswanathan, a classic trope in 1970s and 1980s Tamil cinema used to advocate temperance.

Keep listening

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