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Isaimozhi
Athaimadi Methaiyadi album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Oh My Dear

From Athaimadi Methaiyadi · 1989

Lyricist
Vaali
Singer
S. P. Shailaja
Music director
S. R. Vasu
Movie name
Athaimadi Methaiyadi
Movie release year
1989
Lyrics added on
19 Apr 2021

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Oh my dear look me here
Yellow flower lovely figure
Ennalumae naanthaan poovallavo
En nenjilae yaenthaan mull thaiththatho
Oh my dear look me here
Yellow flower lovely figure…..
Medai thorum ival nadamattamthaan
Maalai velai dhinam arangaettramthaan
Aadai paadhi ival udal kondathu
Aasai kodi ila manam kondathu
Poo meniyalla pon veenai endru
Yaar vanthu ingae
Yaar vanthu ingae…..
Irulil enai meetinaaro
Ennalumae naanthaan poovallavo
En nenjilae yaenthaan mull thaiththatho
Oh my dear look me here
Yellow flower lovely figure…..
Poovum pennum oru inamallavaa
Penmai menmai adhan manamallavaa
Mella alla varum uravallavaa
Killa villa adhu pagaiyallavaa
Sollaamal vanthu sugam kondathaaro
Yaarendru ingae
Yaarendru ingae…..
Yaarthaan solvaaro
Ennalumae naanthaan poovallavo
En nenjilae yaenthaan mull thaiththatho
Oh my dear look me here
Yellow flower lovely figure
Ennalumae naanthaan poovallavo
En nenjilae yaenthaan mull thaiththatho…
Oh my dear, look at me here,
A yellow flower, a lovely figure,
Am I not always a flower?
Why then has a thorn pierced my heart?
Oh my dear, look at me here,
A yellow flower, a lovely figure...
Across every stage, she only dances,
Every evening brings a new performance.
Clothes cover only half her body,
While a million desires fill her young heart.
Saying, "This is not a flower-soft body, but a golden veena,"
Who came here...
Who came here...
...and strummed me in the dark?
Am I not always a flower?
Why then has a thorn pierced my heart?
Oh my dear, look at me here,
A yellow flower, a lovely figure...
Aren't flowers and women one and the same?
Isn't gentle womanhood their sweet fragrance?
Isn't love meant to embrace tenderly?
To pinch and pluck, isn't that cruelty?
Who came silently and took his pleasure?
Who is it here...
Who is it here...
...who will tell me who it was?
Am I not always a flower?
Why then has a thorn pierced my heart?
Oh my dear, look at me here,
A yellow flower, a lovely figure,
Am I not always a flower?
Why then has a thorn pierced my heart?...
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

The song portrays the inner anguish and sadness of a female stage performer who feels objectified by society. She views herself as a tender flower meant to embody love and delicacy, yet laments why her life has instead brought the sharp pain of a thorn piercing her heart. Behind the glamorous, nightly stage shows and revealing attire lies a young woman longing for genuine affection and respect. She questions the cruel treatment of women, drawing a poignant parallel between women and flowers, emphasizing that femininity deserves gentle warmth rather than forced exploitation. Through poetic imagery like being strummed like a veena in the dark, she expresses her deep pain over betrayal and loss, wondering who will ever understand her plight.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Muran (Contrast)

Ennalumae naanthaan poovallavo / En nenjilae yaenthaan mull thaiththatho

Contrasts the softness of a flower ('poo') with the sharp pain caused by a thorn ('mull') piercing the heart.

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Poo meniyalla pon veenai endru

Compares the performer's delicate body to a golden music instrument (veena).

Ethugai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Mella alla varum uravallavaa / Killa villa adhu pagaiyallavaa

Rhyming of the second consonant 'll' in 'Mella' and 'Killa'.

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

Poovum pennum oru inamallavaa / Penmai menmai adhan manamallavaa

Repeated line endings with the word 'allavaa' to create musical harmony.

Did you know?

Trivia

Written by lyricist Vaali for the 1989 film Athaimadi Methaiyadi, the song uniquely blends catchy English catchphrases ('Oh my dear look me here') with emotive Tamil poetry that criticizes the societal objectification of female stage performers.

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