- Lyricist
- Ilayakamban
- Singers
- Swarnalatha, Arun Mozhi
- Music director
- S. A. Rajkumar
- Movie name
- Maayi
- Movie release year
- 2000
- Lyrics added on
- 16 May 2023
Lyrics & meaning
♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Olai olai olai
Olai kudisaiyil
Oosi oosi oosi
Oosi munaiyila
Olai olai olai
Olai kudisaiyil
Oosi oosi oosi
Oosi munaiyila
Olai olai olai
Olai kudisaiyil
Ottagam vanthiruchhcaa
Chorus :Ada ottagam vanthiruchchaa
Oosi oosi oosi
Oosi munaiyila
Kappalum vanthiruchaa
Chorus :Ada kappalum vanthiruchhcaa
Meesai irukkuthu mama
Yaen aasai irukkaathaa
Pooththu kidakkuthu rosaa
Yaen vaasam adikkaathaa
Paththikkiruchchu
Yaei paththikkiruchchu
Un pattu sattaiyila
Nenju thoranthu oththikiduchchu
Olai olai olai
Female :Yaei
Chorus :Olai kudisaiyil
Female :Haan
Chorus :Oosi oosi oosi
Female :Haan
Chorus :Oosi munaiyila
Olai olai olai
Olai kudisaiyil
Ottagam vanthiruchchaa
Oosi oosi oosi
Oosi munaiyila
Kappalum vanthiruchaa
Palliyarai pola irukkaen
Paadam padichikkuyaa
Panthi vachchi kaaththu kidakkaen
Pasi edukkaiyaa
Kundumalli poova veesi
Malaiya saaikkiriyaa
Kosuvaththil ulaga thalli
Maraikka paakkuriyaa
Oththu uzhaikkuraen naanthaan
Ada oththukka vendum neethaan
Kanakka mudikkum varaikkum
Nee kattikkum vetti naanthaan
Kattilmael
Oththaiyilae saagathaiyaa
Kaasikku ponaalum
Vidamaataenyaa
En iduppa minnalum
Idam pudikkuthu eduththukkaiyaa
Paththikkiruchchu
Yaei paththikkiruchchu
Un pattu sattaiyila
Nenja thoranthu oththikiduchchu
Olai olai olai
Olai kudisaiyil
Ottagam vanthirummaa
Female :Aamaa
Oosi oosi oosi
Oosi munaiyila
Kappalum vanthirumaa oi
Vetkkam vittu vidiya vidiya
Vivaram sollattumaa
Veththalai pol unnaakkula
Sevanthukirattumaa
Ekkuthappu ninaipellaam
Enkittae nadakkumaa
Yaendiyammaa karumbikitta
Irumbu urugumaa
Alli edukkanum mama
Ulla analadikkuthu aamaa
Avarakodi pola mama
Enna vettiyil suththanum aamaa
Senthaenae enmelathaan
Sinthaathammaa
Selaikkul adangidaatha
Puyal naanammaa
On oosi pattaasula
Usantha vaanam udanthidumaa
Paththikkiruchchu
Aiyyo paththikkiruchchu
Un pattu sattaiyila
Nenja thoranthu oththikiduchchu
Olai olai olai
Olai kudisaiyil
Ottagam vanthiruchchaa
Chorus :Ada ottagam vanthiruchchaa
Oosi oosi oosi
Oosi munaiyila
Kappalum vanthiruchaa
Chorus :Ada kappalum vanthiruchaa
Manmath kadalil vizhuga
Naan indhiran illaiyammaa
Female :Haan haan
Male :Manthiram pottu mayakka
Naan chandhiran illaiyammaa
Female :Yaei
Paththikkirumaa
Yaei paththikkirumaa
Intha pachcha thannithaan
Theeppori vizhunthu paththikirumaa
Olai olai olai
Olai kudisaiyil
Oosi oosi oosi
Oosi munaiyila
Palm-leaf, palm-leaf, palm-leaf,
Inside a thatched hut,
Needle, needle, needle,
On the tip of a needle,
Palm-leaf, palm-leaf, palm-leaf,
Inside a thatched hut,
Needle, needle, needle,
On the tip of a needle,
Palm-leaf, palm-leaf, palm-leaf,
Inside a thatched hut,
Has a camel arrived?
Chorus: Hey, has a camel arrived?
Needle, needle, needle,
On the tip of a needle,
Has a ship also arrived?
Chorus: Hey, has a ship also arrived?
You have a moustache, mister,
Wouldn't you have desire too?
A rose has bloomed here,
Won't its sweet fragrance spread?
It caught fire,
Hey, it caught fire!
Against your silk shirt,
Opening its heart, it pressed close!
Palm-leaf, palm-leaf, palm-leaf,
Female: Hey!
Chorus: Inside a thatched hut,
Female: Haan!
Chorus: Needle, needle, needle,
Female: Haan!
Chorus: On the tip of a needle,
Palm-leaf, palm-leaf, palm-leaf,
Inside a thatched hut,
Has a camel arrived?
Needle, needle, needle,
On the tip of a needle,
Has a ship also arrived?
I am waiting like a bridal chamber,
Come learn your lesson, my man!
I have laid out a feast and I'm waiting,
Aren't you hungry yet?
By tossing round jasmine flowers,
Are you trying to topple a mountain?
Tucking the world into your saree pleats,
Are you trying to hide it?
I am putting in all the effort,
So you must give in to me!
Until we settle this score,
I will be the dhoti wrapped around you!
On the bed,
Do not suffer all alone, my man!
Even if you run off to Kasi,
I will not let you go!
Even lightning is claiming my waist,
Come and take it for yourself!
It caught fire,
Hey, it caught fire!
Against your silk shirt,
Opening its heart, it pressed close!
Palm-leaf, palm-leaf, palm-leaf,
Inside a thatched hut,
A camel will surely arrive, girl!
Female: Yes!
Needle, needle, needle,
On the tip of a needle,
A ship will surely land, hey!
Leaving all shyness behind until dawn,
Shall I explain everything to you?
Like betel leaf on your tongue,
Shall I leave a deep red stain?
Will all these cheeky ideas of yours,
Ever work with me?
Tell me, girl, before a stone-hearted man,
Will tough iron ever melt?
You must scoop me up in your arms, mister,
A heat is blazing inside me, yes!
Like a climbing bean vine, mister,
Wrap me around your dhoti, yes!
My sweet honey, on me,
Do not spill yourself, girl!
Uncontained by any saree,
I am a wild storm, girl!
With your tiny little firecracker,
Will the vast open sky ever shatter?
It caught fire,
Oh, it caught fire!
Against your silk shirt,
Opening its heart, it pressed close!
Palm-leaf, palm-leaf, palm-leaf,
Inside a thatched hut,
Has a camel arrived?
Chorus: Hey, has a camel arrived?
Needle, needle, needle,
On the tip of a needle,
Has a ship also arrived?
Chorus: Hey, has a ship also arrived?
To drown in the ocean of love,
I am not Indra (king of the gods), girl!
Female: Haan, haan!
Male: To cast a spell and charm you,
I am not Chandran (the moon god), girl!
Female: Hey!
Will it catch fire?
Hey, will it catch fire?
This plain cold water,
If a spark falls on it, will it catch fire?
Palm-leaf, palm-leaf, palm-leaf,
Inside a thatched hut,
Needle, needle, needle,
On the tip of a needle.
Chorus
Chorus
Female
Female
Female
Female
Chorus
Female
Female
Female
Male
Female
Female
Female
Female
Male
Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
Male
Chorus
Female
Female
Male
Male
Chorus
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
Olai Olai is a lively, rhythmic folk duet from the movie Maayi (2000), composed by S. A. Rajkumar and written by Ilayakamban. The song features a playful flirtatious banter between the lead characters, filled with riddles, metaphors, and traditional Tamil folk sayings. The female singer entices her lover with affectionate taunts and expressions of romance, while the male singer responds with cheeky humility and cautious wit.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Anaaphora / Repetition (Mohnai)
“Olai olai olai / Olai kudisaiyil”
Repetition of initial words like Olai olai olai and Oosi oosi oosi creates a rhythmic folk cadence.
Rhyme (Edhukai)
“Meesai irukkuthu mama / Yaen aasai irukkaathaa”
Second-letter rhyming across lines enhancing musicality.
Metaphor
“Selaikkul adangidaatha puyal naanammaa”
Describing herself as an uncontainable storm draped inside a saree.
Did you know?
Trivia
The opening refrain plays on traditional Tamil riddle concepts—asking hyperbolically if impossible objects like camels or ships could fit inside a palm-leaf hut or on the tip of a needle.
Keep listening
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Summa Summa Enna Paathu1988
En Thangachi PadichavaAttractionPlayful Romance
Sengarumbu Thangakatti1978
Athaivida RagasiyamPlayful RomanceDesire
Manjal Poosi Varum1957
AaravalliDesireBeauty
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