Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Enkeyo Ketta Kural album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Nee Paadum Paadal

From Enkeyo Ketta Kural · 1982

Lyricist
Panchu Arunachalam
Singer
S. Janaki
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Enkeyo Ketta Kural
Movie release year
1982
Lyrics added on
15 Dec 2019

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Nee paadum paadal yedhu
Nee paadum paadal yedhu
Thaalathil seraadha paadal undaa
Raagathil illaadha geetham undaa
Baavangal illaadha vaazhvil
Nee paadum paadal yedhu
Nee paadum paadal yedhu
Panpaadu saeraadha
Ennangal paazhaagum
Anbodu seraadha
Aasaigal veenaagum
Dharmathil adangaadha ullam endrum
Thallaadi thallaadi thunbam kollum
Oru kaaval yaedhu kanavanai pirindhaal
Kovil yaedhu iraivanai marandhaal
Nee paadum paadal yedhu
Nee paadum paadal yedhu
Kaalangal nooraaga
Kaangindra panbaadu
Vaedhangal naalodu
Vilaigindra nal vaazhvu
Vaelikkul naam kanda poonthottamae
Thaalikku naam thandha thaathpariyamae
Ini kaasiyodu gangaiyum illai
Aasi koorum karunaiyum illai
Nee paadum paadal yedhu
Nee paadum paadal yedhu
Thaalathil seraadha paadal undaa
Raagathil illaadha geetham undaa
Baavangal illaadha vaazhvil
What kind of song are you singing?
What kind of song are you singing?
Is there any song that does not follow rhythm?
Is there any melody that does not belong to a raga?
In a life without true feelings,
what kind of song are you singing?
What kind of song are you singing?
Thoughts not guided by good character
will only go to ruin.
Desires that are not rooted in love
will simply go to waste.
A heart that refuses to follow the right path
will continually stumble and suffer.
What protection is left when separated from a husband?
What is a temple if God is forgotten?
What kind of song are you singing?
What kind of song are you singing?
Across hundreds of generations,
this is the culture we have lived by,
where guided by sacred wisdom each day,
a noble life flourishes.
You were the flower garden I protected within a fence,
the true meaning I gave to the thaali (sacred marriage thread).
Now there is no holy Kasi or Ganga left for me,
nor any grace to offer a blessing.
What kind of song are you singing?
What kind of song are you singing?
Is there any song that does not follow rhythm?
Is there any melody that does not belong to a raga?
In a life without true feelings...
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This poignant track questioning the moral compass of life uses musical metaphors like rhythm (thaalam), melody (raagam), and emotion (baavam) to illustrate human relationships and ethics. The protagonist questions how one can live a meaningful life when fundamental values such as love, righteousness, and cultural tradition are abandoned. The lyrics emphasize that just as a song requires rhythm and tune, a home and marriage require devotion, commitment, and virtue. It reflects the pain of separation, loss of sacred bonds, and the collapse of traditional family values.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Thaalathil seraadha paadal undaa / Raagathil illaadha geetham undaa

Compares human life and marital virtue to musical elements such as thaalam (rhythm), raagam (melody), and baavam (expressions).

Ethugai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Panpaadu saeraadha / Anbodu seraadha

The second consonant 'n' is repeated across lines 'Panpaadu' and 'Anbodu' to create rhythmic unity.

Iyaibu (End Rhyme)

Ennangal paazhaagum / Aasaigal veenaagum

Lines end with the rhyming words 'paazhaagum' and 'veenaagum'.

Anaphora / Rhetorical Questioning

Oru kaaval yaedhu kanavanai pirindhaal / Kovil yaedhu iraivanai marandhaal

Repeated structural questioning starting with 'yaedhu' ('what/where') to emphasize loss and moral crisis.

Keep listening

Songs with a similar feeling

From the same album

More songs from Enkeyo Ketta Kural

View album

Spot an issue?

Help us improve the lyrics or English translation.