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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Kuppai Vandiyil

From Oru Kuppai Kadhai · 2015

Lyricist
Sulaiman Fazil
Singer
Saisharan
Music director
Deepan Chakravarthy
Details
Oru Kuppai Kadhai2015

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Kuppai vandiyil selgirom payanamWe travel in a garbage vehicle
Allum kaigalil illaiyae salanamThere is no hesitation in the hands that scoop waste
Saalai orangalAlong the roadsides
Kuviyum kuppai koolangalPatterns of accumulating garbage
Engalin vaazhkaiOur lives
Engal ullangalOur hearts
Suththam oorai athu polaWe will make the town clean
Seivom naangalJust like that, we will do it
Male
Ada adada adadaAh, adada adada
Drainage danger paarkkaamalWithout fearing the danger of drainages
Saakkadayil sewage allaTo scoop up sewage from the gutters
Uyirai tharuvomaeWe would even give up our lives
Male
Indha boomiyin kuppai manithanThe human trash of this earth
Kadavul innum allalaiyaeGod has not yet swept away
Manithan podum plastic kuppaiyaiThe plastic waste dumped by humans
Indha boomi thaangalaiyaeThis earth cannot bear it
Male
Everestil garbage-uGarbage even on Mount Everest
Iyarkai aaguthae damage-uNature is getting damaged
Anukkazhiva kootturaanMan increases nuclear waste
Adha ketta thitturaanIf questioned about it, he scolds back
Nagara nachukkaatrinaalWith toxic urban air
Andha ozone thiraiyaThat ozone layer
Ozhichukatta paarkiraanHe tries to destroy completely
Male
Kuppai vandiyil selgirom payanamWe travel in a garbage vehicle
Allum kaigalil illaiyae salanamThere is no hesitation in the hands that scoop waste
Saalai orangalAlong the roadsides
Kuviyum kuppai koolangalPatterns of accumulating garbage
Engalin vaazhkaiOur lives
Engalin vaazhkaiOur lives
Engal ullangalOur hearts
Suththam oorai athu polaWe will make the town clean
Seivom naangalJust like that, we will do it
Seivom naangalWe will do it
Male
Ada adada adadaAh, adada adada
Drainage danger paarkkaamalWithout fearing the danger of drainages
Saakkadayil sewage allaTo scoop up sewage from the gutters
Uyirai tharuvomaeWe would even give up our lives
Male
Indha boomiyin kuppai manithanThe human trash of this earth
Kadavul innum allalaiyaeGod has not yet swept away
Manithan podum plastic kuppaiyaiThe plastic waste dumped by humans
Indha boomi thaangalaiyaeThis earth cannot bear it
Thaangalaiyae thaangalaiyaeCannot bear it, cannot bear it
Male
Nana nanananaaaNana nanananaaa
Nana naana naa nana naanaaNana naana naa nana naanaa

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song highlights the selfless labor and hardship of sanitation workers who clean streets and sewer drains without hesitation, risking their health and lives daily. It uses the concept of garbage as a metaphor to criticize human greed, environmental degradation, plastic pollution, and nuclear waste that threaten the entire planet.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Indha boomiyin kuppai manithan / Kadavul innum allalaiyae

Compares corrupt or destructive human beings to garbage on Earth that God has not yet cleaned away.

Rhyme / Tanglish Coupling

Everestil garbage-u / Iyarkai aaguthae damage-u

Uses end-rhyme blending English loan words into Tamil poetic meters (Garbage-u / Damage-u).

Alliteration (Monai)

Saakkadayil sewage alla / Suththam oorai athu pola

Repetition of the initial 'S' sound across consecutive lines.

Did you know?

Trivia

The film 'Oru Kuppai Kadhai' (2018) tells the story of a Chennai-based municipal sanitation worker. Although credited to composer Joshua Sridhar for the overall soundtrack, the song focuses heavily on environmental awareness and social realism regarding waste management.

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