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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Love is Torture

From Duet · 1994

Lyricist
A. R. Rahman
Singer
Noel James
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Details
Duet1994

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Love is tortureLove is a form of torture.
Words cant just expressWords simply cannot express its torment.
Love is gambleLove is a risky gamble.
With tears of painFilled with tears of deep pain.
In Life distressCaught in the distress of life.
Male
Love makes your lifeLove turns your existence into...
A strain...a continuous strain.
Where money standWhere even wealth and money stand...
To lose the game...only to lose the game.
Male
Love has this crazy nameLove carries this chaotic reputation.
The pain and sorrowWhere all the pain and sorrow...
Died down in shame...eventually die down in shame.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poem explores the dark, agonizing, and unpredictable nature of love, framing it as a gamble that frequently results in emotional distress and suffering. It highlights the powerlessness of material wealth against love's trials, asserting that financial status cannot secure success in matters of the heart. Ultimately, the lines depict love as a chaotic force where overwhelming grief and heartache eventually subside under the sheer weight of life's harsh realities.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Love is torture

Compares love directly to torture to emphasize the emotional distress it inflicts.

Metaphor

Love is gamble

Compares love to a game of chance where the outcome is unpredictable and risky.

End Rhyme

A strain / To lose the game / Love has this crazy name / Died down in shame

The words strain, game, name, and shame create an end-rhyme scheme connecting the lines structurally.

Personification

Died down in shame

Attributes human behaviors (dying down in shame) to abstract emotions like pain and sorrow.

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Trivia

Duet (1994) is a celebrated Tamil musical romantic drama directed by K. Balachander with music composed by A.R. Rahman. The soundtrack is famous for incorporating extensive saxophone instrumentation played by the legendary maestro Kadri Gopalnath.

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