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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Naanum Neeyum (Sad)

From Thandikkapatta Nyayangal · 1983

Lyricist
Pulamaipithan
Singer
S. Janaki
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Details
Thandikkapatta Nyayangal1983

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Aa….aa….aa….aa…aa….aa…aa…aa…Aa....aa....aa....aa...aa....aa...aa...aa...
Naanum neeyum saernthuWhen you and I join together,
Ezhil vaanam pola vaazhnthuLiving like the beautiful sky,
Varum sontham athai endrum ninaiththaeAlways remembering that bond that arises,
Naan unnai paaduvaen….I will sing of you....
Female
Naanum neeyum saernthuWhen you and I join together,
Ezhil vaanam pola vaazhnthuLiving like the beautiful sky,
Varum sontham athai endrum ninaiththaeAlways remembering that bond that arises,
Naan unnai paaduvaenI will sing of you.
Female
Thanneerum theeyaagum pothuWhen even water turns into fire,
Nenjin thaagangal theerkkindrathaethu ennaiWhat can quench the thirsts of the heart? Who,
Yanendru ketpaarum illaiIs there to ask why I am suffering?
Sontham naanendru solvaarum illaiThere is no one to claim me as their own.
Female
Naan kooda ennai yaerkatha pothuWhen even I am unable to accept myself,
Enai andru yaerkkum oru ullam yaedhuWhere is the heart that will accept me then?
Thunbangal thaalaatta thoongaathu maathuLulled by sorrows, this woman cannot sleep.
Aa….aa….aa….aa…aa….aa…aa…aa…Aa....aa....aa....aa...aa....aa...aa...aa...
Female
Naanum neeyum saernthuWhen you and I join together,
Ezhil vaanam pola vaazhnthuLiving like the beautiful sky,
Varum sontham athai endrum ninaiththaeAlways remembering that bond that arises,
Naan unnai paaduvaenI will sing of you.
Female
Ennaamal naan seitha theenguThe wrongdoing I committed unintentionally,
Indru en kangal pesaatha oomaiToday makes my eyes a silent mute.
Mana kann kondu naan unnai paarththaenI gazed at you through my mind's eye,
Ingu naalthorum naal enni vaazhnthaenHere, counting days, I lived every day.
Female
Naalondru ingae yugamaaga sellumA single day passes like an era here,
En nenjam ennai kollaamal kollumMy heart kills me slowly without killing me outright.
Niyaayangal verenna naan sollai koodumWhat other justifications/truths could I possibly speak?
Aa….aa….aa….aa…aa….aa…aa…aa…Aa....aa....aa....aa...aa....aa...aa...aa...
Female
Naanum neeyum saernthuWhen you and I join together,
Ezhil vaanam pola vaazhnthuLiving like the beautiful sky,
Varum sontham athai endrum ninaiththaeAlways remembering that bond that arises,
Naan unnai paaduvaenI will sing of you.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant song expresses the deep anguish, loneliness, and remorse of a woman who feels abandoned and tormented by guilt. She reminisces about a harmonious past where she and her partner lived beautifully like the expansive sky, pledging to always sing his praises. However, her present reality is filled with tragic isolation where even basic comfort feels like fire, and no one remains to offer solace or affection. She reflects on an unintentional mistake that has rendered her heartbroken and mute with sorrow. As time stretches torturously—where a single day feels like an entire epoch—her inner guilt continually torments her spirit. Through powerful imagery of internal sight and emotional thirst, the song conveys a bittersweet balance between cherished memories of love and the unbearable weight of her present suffering.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Uvamaai)

Ezhil vaanam pola vaazhnthu

Compares the life shared between lovers to the vast beauty of the sky ('Ezhil vaanam pola vaazhnthu').

Oxymoron / Paradox

Thanneerum theeyaagum pothu

Contrasts water—which usually quenches fire—turning into fire itself to highlight severe emotional distress ('Thanneerum theeyaagum pothu').

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Indru en kangal pesaatha oomai

Describes the eyes as 'pesaatha oomai' (a mute person unable to speak) to represent silent, indescribable grief.

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navortchi)

Naalondru ingae yugamaaga sellum

Exaggerates the agonizing passage of time by comparing a single day to an era ('yugam').

Idiom / Oxymoronic Phrasing

En nenjam ennai kollaamal kollum

Uses 'kollaamal kollum' (killing without killing) to denote agonizing mental torture.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Thandikkapatta Nyayangal' (1983) features music composed by the veteran duo Shankar-Ganesh with lyrics by Pulamaipithan. Sung by S. Janaki, this track highlights her expressive range in delivering emotional, pain-filled classic Tamil melodies during the 1980s.

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