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Nanban album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Nalla Nanban

From Nanban · 2012

Lyricist
Na. Muthu Kumar
Singer
Ramakrishnan Murthy
Music director
Harris Jayaraj
Movie name
Nanban
Movie release year
2012
Lyrics added on
6 Apr 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Nalla nanban vendum endru
Antha maranamum ninaikkindradha
Sirandhavan nee thaan endru
Unnai kootti chella thudikkindratha
Iraivanae iraivanae
Ivan uyir vendumaa
Engal uyir eduthukkol
Unakkadhu podhumaa
Ivan engal roja chedi
Adhai maranam thinbadha
Ivan sirithu pesum oli
Adhai vendinom meendum thaa ..
Unn ninaivin thaazh vaarathil
Engal kural konjam ketka villaiya
Manam ennum mel vaanathil
Engal nyaabagangal pookka villaiyaa
Aaaa…aaaa….aaaa…oohooo…
Vaa nanba vaa nanba
Tholgalil saaya vaa
Vaazhndhidum naal ellaam
Naan unnai thaanga vaa ..
Thinking that it needs a good friend,
is even death longing for one?
Seeing that you are the best,
is it desperate to take you away?
Oh God, Oh God,
do you want his life?
Take our lives instead,
will that be enough for you?
He is our rose plant,
should death devour it?
The sound of him laughing and talking,
we beg of you, give it back to us...
Along the corridor of your memories,
can't you hear our voices even a little?
In the high sky of your mind,
haven't memories of us bloomed?
Aaaa… aaaa… aaaa… oh-ho…
Come, my friend, come, my friend,
come lean upon my shoulders,
For all the days we live,
come, let me support you...
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This emotional song from Nanban captures the raw grief and despair of friends fighting to save their beloved companion's life. They desperately bargain with God and personified Death, offering their own lives in exchange for his. Through tender metaphors, they recall his joyful presence and beg him to wake up, re-affirming their commitment to support him through all of life's struggles.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Personification

Nalla nanban vendum endru / Antha maranamum ninaikkindradha

Death is personified as an entity seeking a good friend to take away.

Metaphor (Uruvagaimai)

Ivan engal roja chedi

The friend is lovingly compared to a tender rose plant ('roja chedi').

Metaphor (Uruvagaimai)

Manam ennum mel vaanathil

The mind is metaphorically described as the vast high sky ('mel vaanam').

Did you know?

Trivia

This emotional track is composed by Harris Jayaraj with lyrics by Na. Muthukumar for Shankar's Nanban (2012), the official Tamil remake of 3 Idiots. It plays during a crucial hospital sequence where Panchavan Parivendan (Vijay) and Vijay Ramakrishna (Srikanth) desperately try to revive Senthil (Jiiva).

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