Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Machchi Un Mugatthil Meesaiyai Kaanom

From Raja Mukthi · 1948

Lyricist
Papanasam Sivan
Singers
P. G. Venkatesan, P. Bhanumathi
Music director
C. R. Subbaraman
Details
Raja Mukthi1948

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Machi unn mugathilHey friend, on your face
Meesayai kaanomThe mustache is missing!
Unga aiyaa unnaiyaeDid your father give birth
Aanaathaan pettraanaaTo you as a male?
Female
Mugathai paartthaeJust looking at a face
Uyiraiyae vidugiraayaeYou give your life away!
Uyiraiyae vidugiraayae andhaGiving your life away, to fool
Muttaal pasangalai nee yaeikkaThose foolish boys
Vaendaamaa nammaShouldn't we deceive them?
Yaeikka vaendaamaaShouldn't we deceive them?
Athaan unn mugathilThat is why on your face
Meesayai kaanomThe mustache is missing!
Ungammaa unnaiyaeDid your mother give birth
Pennaathaan pettraalaaTo you as a female?
Male
Naan paarthadhumillaiI have never seen
Unnai pola samathuSomeone as smart as you
Unnai pola samathu kozhiAs clever as a smart bird/hen;
Koodaiyai moodaapponaalIf one goes to cover the cage,
Vittu povaanaWill it leave and go away?
Nammai vittu povaanaWill it leave us and go away?
Male
Machi unn mugathilHey friend, on your face
Meesayai kaanomThe mustache is missing!
Unga aiyaa unnaiyaeDid your father give birth
Aanaathaan pettraanaaTo you as a male?
Female
Pattai naamakkaara aal paavamThe man with religious forehead markings is poor and innocent,
Andha pattai naamaIn that pious man's
Kattuchottril neePacked rice meal, should you
Kaiyai vaikkalaamaaLay your hands on it?
Kaiyai vaikkalaamaaShould you lay your hands on it?
Male
Arubadhu sippikku aasaippadaadhaeDo not crave for sixty small shells/coins
Ellaan theriyundeeI know everything, girl!
Adiyae sokkammaaHey Sokkamma!
Female
Yaar enna seiyalaamWho can do what?
Aasai thaan aasai thaanDesire is desire, after all
Mosam seiya ponaalIf one resorts to deceit,
Pizhaippaedhathaan vayittruHow can one earn a living? For basic survival,
PizhaippaedhathaanHow can one earn a living?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This playful folk song from 'Raja Mukthi' (1948) uses lighthearted banter and satire to discuss disguise, trickery, and moral boundaries. The singer teases a companion about their clean-shaven or feminine appearance, jokingly asking whether their parents raised them as a boy or a girl while acknowledging their cunning ability to fool gullible young men.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Rhetorical Question (Vinaa)

Unga aiyaa unnaiyae Aanaathaan pettraanaa

Questions like 'Aanaathaan pettraanaa' and 'Kaiyai vaikkalaamaa' are used not to seek answers but to express sarcasm and moral reprimand.

Metaphor (Uvamai)

Unnai pola samathu kozhi

Comparing the subject's behavior and quickness to a smart bird or hen ('samathu kozhi').

Repetition (Anaphora/Epistrophe)

Kaiyai vaikkalaamaa

Phrases like 'Uyiraiyae vidugiraayae' and 'Kaiyai vaikkalaamaa' are repeated for rhythmic emphasize in traditional folk song structure.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Raja Mukthi' (1948) featured legendary singer-actor M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar (MKT) and P. Bhanumathi. The lyrics were penned by the famed Carnatic musical maestro Papanasam Sivan, who blended classical purity with accessible folk idioms for cinema.

Keep listening

More from Raja Mukthi