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Lyrics & meaning

Onnum Thonalaiye

From Paartha Gnabagam Illayo · 1985

Lyricist
Vaali
Singer
S. Janaki
Music director
M. S. Vishwanathan
Movie name
Paartha Gnabagam Illayo
Movie release year
1985
Lyrics added on
5 Aug 2022

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Thanni kettaen colour-nnu sonnaaga
Madakkunnu kudichchuputtaen
Yov yov yov yov
Onnum thonalaiyae
Naanum naanalaiyae
Onnum thonalaiyae
Naanum naanalaiyae
Vaarannu solli ponavanthaanae
Vaaraamal ponaal vaaduthu maanae
Onnum thonalaiyae
Naanum naanalaiyae
Chee…maaraappu pottu maasangal pochchu
Padhinaaru thaandi padhinaezhu aachchu
Maaraappu pottu maasangal pochchu
Padhinaaru thaandi padhinaezhu aachchu
Kalyaanam kaatchi kanaatha pulla
Poomaalai poda mamavum illa
Onnum thonalaiyae
Naanum naanalaiyae
Kaveri meenai kadan kettu vaangi
Kann konda naanthaan naalaachchu thoongi
Kaveri meenai kadan kettu vaangi
Kann konda naanthaan naalaachchu thoongi
Yaenunnu ketta aalingu illai
Yaroda solla naan konda thollai
Onnum thonalaiyae
Naanum naanalaiyae
Ellaarum vaangum pollaachchi santhai
En pola penthaan vellaattu manthai
Ellaarum vaangum pollaachchi santhai
En pola penthaan vellaattu manthai
Naan podum maalai yaar tholai serum
Edhirkaalamthaanae padhil solla vendum
Onnum thonalaiyae
Naanum naanalaiyae
Vaarannu solli ponavanthaanae
Vaaraamal ponaal vaaduthu maanae
Onnum thonalaiyae
Thonalaiyae thonalaiyae thonalaiyae
I asked for water, they told me it was sweet soda
And I gulped it down in a single drink
Hey, hey, hey, hey...
I can't think straight at all
And I don't feel shy at all
I can't think straight at all
And I don't feel shy at all
He was the one who left saying he would return
If he doesn't come back, this girl wilts away
I can't think straight at all
And I don't feel shy at all
Chi... months have passed since I started draping a sari
I crossed sixteen and turned seventeen
Months have passed since I started draping a sari
I crossed sixteen and turned seventeen
I am a girl who hasn't seen a wedding of her own
There is no lover to place a flower garland on me
I can't think straight at all
And I don't feel shy at all
With eyes shaped like fish borrowed from the Kaveri
It has been so many days since I last slept
With eyes shaped like fish borrowed from the Kaveri
It has been so many days since I last slept
There is no one here to ask what is wrong
To whom can I tell the troubles I carry?
I can't think straight at all
And I don't feel shy at all
Like the Pollachi market where everyone shops
A girl like me is just like a herd of goats
Like the Pollachi market where everyone shops
A girl like me is just like a herd of goats
Whose shoulders will my garland rest upon?
Only the future will have to give the answer
I can't think straight at all
And I don't feel shy at all
He was the one who left saying he would return
If he doesn't come back, this girl wilts away
I can't think straight at all
Can't think at all, can't think at all, can't think at all
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This playful yet poignant Tamil folk song expresses the raw emotions of a young woman coming of age and longing for her lover. In an innocent opening, she describes consuming alcohol mistaking it for water, yet feeling unaffected and devoid of expected bashfulness. Through vivid rural imagery, she contemplates turning seventeen, her unmarried status, and the agony of waiting for a beloved who promised to return.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Uvamai Ani)

Kaveri meenai kadan kettu vaangi

Compares the beauty and movement of her eyes to fish from the Kaveri river.

Simile (Uvamai Ani)

En pola penthaan vellaattu manthai

Compares young women in society to a herd of goats in the busy Pollachi market.

Monai (Initial Rhyme)

Ellaarum vaangum pollaachchi santhai / En pola penthaan vellaattu manthai

Repetition of the initial vowel sound 'E' in 'Ellaarum' and 'En pola'.

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

Vaarannu solli ponavanthaanae / Vaaraamal ponaal vaaduthu maanae

Rhyming ending words 'ponavanthaanae' and 'maanae'.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by M. S. Viswanathan with lyrics by Vaali, this song highlights S. Janaki's masterful vocal modulation, seamlessly blending playful innocence with subtle emotional yearning.

Keep listening

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