- Lyricist
- Kambadasan
- Singers
- T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela
- Music director
- O. P. Nayyar
- Movie name
- Paattaliyin Sabatham
- Movie release year
- 1958
- Lyrics added on
- 14 Apr 2024
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song celebrates the dignity of human labor while questioning the economic oppression faced by the working class. It emphasizes that the entire world keeps moving due to the sweat and strength of laborers who mine diamonds from high mountains and dive deep into oceans for pearls. Despite their monumental contributions to human civilization, workers are tragically bound by the shackles of poverty and financial dominance. The song concludes with an inspiring call to action, urging workers to unite, hold hands, and triumph over their harsh destiny together.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Imagery
“மலைதனிலே நாம் வைரந்தான் எடுத்தோம் / முத்தினை கடல்தனில் எடுத்தோம் Working to mine diamonds from mountains and harvest pearls from the ocean creates striking visual imagery of hard manual labor. Both land and sea are depicted as arenas of intense human toil.”
Metaphor
“பணத்தின் விலங்கது பாதத்தின் மேல் The line metaphorically describes economic exploitation and capitalist control as heavy fetters or shackles bound to the worker's feet.”
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Trivia
Paattaliyin Sabatham (1958) is the Tamil dubbed version of the landmark Hindi film Naya Daur (1957), featuring O. P. Nayyar's iconic soundtrack adapted with Tamil lyrics by Kambadasan.
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