Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Merasalaayiten

From I · 2015

Lyricist
Kabilan
Singers
Anirudh Ravichander, Neeti Mohan
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Details
I2015

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
ohh.yeahhOh yeah
Male
Modha dhaaba paathen unnaThe first time I saw you
Bejaar aayi poyi ninnen ninnenI stood there completely baffled and stunned
Krishnoil oothama patha vachiyaeWithout pouring kerosene, you set me ablaze
Kola thanni ennaLike igniting cold water
Male
{Naaaa merasalaayiten merasalaayitenI became totally stunned, I became totally stunned
merasalaayiten merasalaayiten merasalaayiten}(2)I became totally stunned, I became totally stunned, I became totally stunned
Male
Modha dhaaba paathen unnaThe first time I saw you
Bejaar aayi poyi ninnen ninnenI stood there completely baffled and stunned
Krishnoil oothama patha vachiyaeWithout pouring kerosene, you set me ablaze
Kola thanni ennaLike igniting cold water
Naaaa merasalaayiten..I became totally stunned..
Female
Merasalaayiten merasalaayitenI became totally stunned, I became totally stunned
merasalaayiten merasalaayiten merasalaayitenI became totally stunned, I became totally stunned, I became totally stunned
Male
Hey dosa kallu melHey, on top of a hot dosa griddle
Vella omellette ahLike a bright white omelette
Oru kutty nila nenjukulla kunthikittaalaeA tiny moon came and sat inside my heart!
Vaanavillu neeYou are a rainbow
Binni millu naanI am Binni Mills
Enna ezhu color lungi aaga madichu puttaalaeShe folded me into a seven-colored lungi!
Maatu kombu mela.. ava pattamboochi polaLike a butterfly perching on a bull's horn..
Male
Naa merasalaayiten naa merasalaayitenI became totally stunned, I became totally stunned
Naa merasalaayitenI became totally stunned
Female
Merasalaayiten merasalaayiten merasalaayiten merasalaayitenI became totally stunned, I became totally stunned, I became totally stunned, I became totally stunned
Merasalaayiten merasalaayiten merasalaayiten manasalayitenI became totally stunned, I became totally stunned, I became totally stunned, my heart melted
MerasalaayitenI became totally stunned
Male
Hey thenga batha pol oru vella pallaalaHey, with white teeth like a coconut slice
Oru manga batha pola enna mennu thinnaalaeShe chewed and ate me up like a raw mango slice!
Maanja kannaala aruthu puttaaleShe cut me down with her glass-coated thread-like eyes
Naan current kambi kaathaadiya maati kittanaeI got tangled like a kite on power electric lines!
Nee vennila mootaYou are a sack of moonlight
Evan vannaarapettaWho is from Vannarapettai?
Male
Modha dhaaba paathen unnaThe first time I saw you
Bejaar aayi poyi ninnen ninnenI stood there completely baffled and stunned
Krishnoil oothama patha vachiyaeWithout pouring kerosene, you set me ablaze
Kola thanni ennaLike igniting cold water
Naaaa merasalaayiten..I became totally stunned..
Male
Merasalaayiten merasalaayitenI became totally stunned, I became totally stunned
merasalaayiten merasalaayitenI became totally stunned, I became totally stunned

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Merasalaayiten is a high-energy romantic track from the film I (2015), composed by A. R. Rahman and written by Kabilan. Sung in local Madras Baashai (North Chennai dialect), the song portrays a local youth who is overwhelmingly captivated and dazed by the beauty of the woman he loves. He describes his bewilderment using vivid, quirky everyday metaphors ranging from street food to local urban landmarks.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamaani)

Vaanavillu nee / Binni millu naan

Compares the girl to a colorful rainbow and the boy to the historic Binni textile mill, implying she transformed him completely.

Simile (Uvamai Ani)

Maatu kombu mela.. ava pattamboochi pola

Uses 'pola' (like) to compare her delicate beauty contrasting his ruggedness to a butterfly resting on a bull's horn.

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navitshi Ani)

Krishnoil oothama patha vachiyae / Kola thanni enna

Exaggerates setting cold water on fire without kerosene to emphasize the sudden spark of love.

Did you know?

Trivia

This track features music composer Anirudh Ravichander providing lead vocals for an A. R. Rahman composition. Lyricist Kabilan used authentic North Chennai (Madras Baashai) street slang to capture the local flavor of the protagonist's character.

Keep listening

More from I