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Nanban Oruvan Vantha Piragu album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Nee Yen

From Nanban Oruvan Vantha Piragu · 2023

Lyricist
Mohan Rajan
Singers
A. H. Kaashif, Amina Rafiq, Yuvan Shankar Raja
Music director
A. H. Kaashif
Movie name
Nanban Oruvan Vantha Piragu
Movie release year
2023
Lyrics added on
17 Dec 2023

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Nee yen nee yen
Thooram irukiraai
Nan yen nan yen
Thaniye thavikiren
Nee yen
Nee yen
Nee yen nee yen
Thooram irukiraai
Nan yen nan yen
Thaniye thavikiren
Nee yen nee yen
Thooram irukiraai
Nan yen nan yen
Thaniye thavikiren
Po podhum kalaiyudhadi
Naan kanda kanavellam
Po podhum karaiyudhadi
Nee sonna nijamellam
Ippothae naan unnai
Parthaale podhume
Nam kaadhal kanneeril
Alugirathe
Unnodum illamal
Ennodum illamal
Naan ingu theevaagi ponene
Nee yen nee yen
Thooram irukiraai
Nan yen nan yen
Thaniye thavikiren
Vizhiyil thondrum kadhal ellam
Valiyil thane purigirathe
Nee yen nee yen
Thooram irukiraai
Nan yen nan yen
Thaniye thavikiren
Nee yen nee yen
Thooram irukiraai
Nan yen nan yen
Thaniye thavikiren
Humming….
Ninaivum valiye
Nijamum valiye
Thananthaniye
Thavikiren di
Un kannai polae
Kannadi illai
Ennai kaana
Thudikiren di
Paarvaigal engum
Un mugame
En paadhaigal
Elam unnidame
Unakena endrum
Vaazhanume
Both :Unnodu kai korthu
Pesanume
Why are you, why are you
staying so far away?
Why am I, why am I
aching all alone?
Why are you?
Why are you?
Why are you, why are you
staying so far away?
Why am I, why am I
aching all alone?
Why are you, why are you
staying so far away?
Why am I, why am I
aching all alone?
Let it be, enough, they are shattering,
all the dreams that I had.
Let it be, enough, they are melting away,
all the truths that you spoke.
Right now, if I could just
see you, that would be enough.
Drowned in tears,
our love is weeping.
Neither with you,
nor with myself,
I have become an isolated island here.
Why are you, why are you
staying so far away?
Why am I, why am I
aching all alone?
The love that is born in the eyes
is understood only through pain.
Why are you, why are you
staying so far away?
Why am I, why am I
aching all alone?
Why are you, why are you
staying so far away?
Why am I, why am I
aching all alone?
(Humming...)
Memories are painful,
reality is painful too.
All completely alone,
I am aching in longing.
Like your eyes,
there is no mirror.
To see myself in them,
I am longing desperately.
Everywhere I look,
there is your face.
All my paths
lead only to you.
Forever, just for you,
I want to live.
Both: Holding hands with you,
I want to talk.
Male
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Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
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Female
Male
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Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song portrays the deep emotional anguish and longing of a lover separated from their partner. The protagonist repeatedly questions the distance between them and laments the isolation and pain of being left alone. Dreams feel shattered, and the promises once shared seem to dissolve in tears. The lyricist highlights how true love is often understood only through suffering, comparing the protagonist's emotional state to an isolated island separated from the world. As the song progresses, the speaker reflects on how both memories and reality bring grief. Yet, the longing remains intense, with every path leading back to the beloved, expressing a desire to hold hands, talk, and live for them forever.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Anaphora / Repetition

Nee yen nee yen / Nan yen nan yen

The phrase 'Nee yen' and 'Nan yen' is repeated constantly to emphasize the tormenting questions of separation.

Metaphor (Uruvagakani)

Naan ingu theevaagi ponene

The speaker compares their feeling of solitude and isolation to an island ('theevaagi').

Simile (Uvamai)

Un kannai polae / Kannadi illai

The lover's eyes are compared to a mirror in which the speaker sees themselves.

Ethiray / Anaphora

Ninaivum valiye / Nijamum valiye

Parallel structures with 'valiye' at the end of consecutive lines emphasizing pervasive pain.

Did you know?

Trivia

The song is composed by A. H. Kaashif (nephew of A. R. Rahman) for the 2023 Tamil film 'Nanban Oruvan Vantha Piragu'. It features playback singing by Yuvan Shankar Raja along with A. H. Kaashif and Amina Rafiq, bringing a signature melancholy vocal texture to Mohan Rajan's poignant lyrics.

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