Nalla Nanban
From Nanban · 2012
- Lyricist
- Na. Muthu Kumar
- Singer
- Ramakrishnan Murthy
- Music director
- Harris Jayaraj
- Details
- Nanban2012
Lyrics & meaning
| ♫ Tanglish lyrics | ↻ English translation |
|---|---|
| Male | |
| Nalla nanban vendum endru | Does even death think that it needs a good friend? |
| Antha maranamum ninaikkindradha | Is that why it is thinking of taking you away? |
| Sirandhavan nee thaan endru | Deciding that you are the best one, |
| Unnai kootti chella thudikkindratha | Is it yearning to take you along? |
| Male | |
| Iraivanae iraivanae | Oh God, oh God, |
| Ivan uyir vendumaa | Do you need his life? |
| Engal uyir eduthukkol | Take our lives instead, |
| Unakkadhu podhumaa | Will that be enough for you? |
| Male | |
| Ivan engal roja chedi | He is our rose plant, |
| Adhai maranam thinbadha | Shall death devour it? |
| Ivan sirithu pesum oli | The sound of his cheerful speech, |
| Adhai vendinom meendum thaa .. | We beg for it, give it back to us.. |
| Male | |
| Unn ninaivin thaazh vaarathil | On the porch of your memories, |
| Engal kural konjam ketka villaiya | Can you not hear our voice even a little? |
| Manam ennum mel vaanathil | In the high sky named the mind, |
| Engal nyaabagangal pookka villaiyaa | Have our memories not bloomed? |
| Male | |
| Aaaa…aaaa….aaaa…oohooo… | Aaaa…aaaa….aaaa…oohooo… |
| Male | |
| Vaa nanba vaa nanba | Come, friend, come, friend, |
| Tholgalil saaya vaa | Come lean on my shoulders, |
| Vaazhndhidum naal ellaam | For all the days we live, |
| Naan unnai thaanga vaa .. | Shall I hold and support you.. |
நல்ல நண்பன்
வேண்டும் என்று அந்த
மரணமும் நினைகின்றதா
சிறந்தவன் நீதான் என்று
உன்னை கூட்டி செல்ல
துடிக்கின்றதா
Does even death think that it needs a good friend?
Is that why it is thinking of taking you away?
Deciding that you are the best one,
Is it yearning to take you along?
இறைவனே
இறைவனே இவன்
உயிர் வேண்டுமா
எங்கள் உயிர் எடுத்துகொள்
உனக்கது போதுமா
Oh God, oh God,
Do you need his life?
Take our lives instead,
Will that be enough for you?
இவன் எங்கள்
ரோஜா செடி அதை
மரணம் தின்பதா
இவன் சிரித்து பேசும்
ஒலி அதை வேண்டினோம்
மீண்டும் தா
He is our rose plant,
Shall death devour it?
The sound of his cheerful speech,
We beg for it, give it back to us..
உன் நினைவின்
தாழ்வாரத்தில் எங்கள்
குரல் கொஞ்சம் கேட்க
வில்லையா மனமென்னும்
மேல் வானத்தில் எங்கள்
நியாபகங்கள் பூக்கவில்லையா
On the porch of your memories,
Can you not hear our voice even a little?
In the high sky named the mind,
Have our memories not bloomed?
ஆ ஆ ஆ ஓ ஹோ
Aaaa…aaaa….aaaa…oohooo…
இறைவனே
இறைவனே உனக்கில்லை
இரக்கமா தாய் இவள்
அழுகுரல் கேட்ட பின்பும்
உறக்கமா
Come, friend, come, friend,
Come lean on my shoulders,
For all the days we live,
Shall I hold and support you..
வா நண்பன்
வா நண்பா தோள்களில்
சாயவா வாழ்ந்திடும்
நாள் எல்லாம் நான்
உன்னை தாங்கவா
Nalla nanban vendum endru
Does even death think that it needs a good friend?
Antha maranamum ninaikkindradha
Is that why it is thinking of taking you away?
Sirandhavan nee thaan endru
Deciding that you are the best one,
Unnai kootti chella thudikkindratha
Is it yearning to take you along?
Iraivanae iraivanae
Oh God, oh God,
Ivan uyir vendumaa
Do you need his life?
Engal uyir eduthukkol
Take our lives instead,
Unakkadhu podhumaa
Will that be enough for you?
Ivan engal roja chedi
He is our rose plant,
Adhai maranam thinbadha
Shall death devour it?
Ivan sirithu pesum oli
The sound of his cheerful speech,
Adhai vendinom meendum thaa ..
We beg for it, give it back to us..
Unn ninaivin thaazh vaarathil
On the porch of your memories,
Engal kural konjam ketka villaiya
Can you not hear our voice even a little?
Manam ennum mel vaanathil
In the high sky named the mind,
Engal nyaabagangal pookka villaiyaa
Have our memories not bloomed?
Aaaa…aaaa….aaaa…oohooo…
Aaaa…aaaa….aaaa…oohooo…
Vaa nanba vaa nanba
Come, friend, come, friend,
Tholgalil saaya vaa
Come lean on my shoulders,
Vaazhndhidum naal ellaam
For all the days we live,
Naan unnai thaanga vaa ..
Shall I hold and support you..
Beyond the translation
Song interpretation
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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