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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Oonjala Oonjala

From Kanaa · 2018

Lyricist
Mohan Rajan
Singers
Sid Sriram, Niranjana Ramanan
Music director
Dhibu Ninan Thomas
Details
Kanaa2018

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Hey eyyy eyyyHey eyyy eyyy
Hey ahaa…aaa…..Hey ahaa...aaa...
Thikku thikku thikku thikku thaaThikku thikku thikku thikku thaa
Male
Oonjala oonjala oonjala puraSwinging pigeon, swinging pigeon, swinging pigeon
Oonjala oonjala oonjala puraSwinging pigeon, swinging pigeon, swinging pigeon
Oonjala oonjala oonjala puraSwinging pigeon, swinging pigeon, swinging pigeon
Oonjal pura….Swinging pigeon...
Male
Unnai vittal unnai vellaBesides yourself, to conquer you,
Yaarum intha mannil illaThere is no one else on this earth;
Endru solla nee indru vaaCome today to prove and declare that!
Male
Abdul kalam sonnar ondruAbdul Kalam once said this:
Kanaa kaana vendum endruThat one must dream big dreams;
Unmai aaga nee vendru vaaMake it reality and come out victorious!
Chorus
Thedalukku thevaiWhat is needed for a quest
Nalla kanaaIs a good dream.
Male :Thedi vidu aalam ulla kanaaMale: Seek out a dream that runs deep!
Chorus :Thethigalai varalaaruChorus: A dream that turns dates
Aakum kanaaInto history!
Male :Vendum vendumaeMale: We need, we truly need
Male
Tholvigalil karkaA dream that makes us learn
Seiyum kanaaFrom our failures!
Chorus :Vetrigalil nirkaChorus: A dream that makes us stand
Seiyum kanaaTall in victories!
Male :Kaanalam vaa vaa vaa neeMale: Come, come, come, let us see it, for you
Ellai illaiyaeHave no boundaries!
Chorus
Nee nee nee neeyaga iruYou, you, you—be uniquely yourself!
Thee thee thee theeyaga sooduBlaze like fire, fire, fire!
Naan naan naan naalodu yezhuRise with each passing day!
Acham maruForget all fear!
Chorus
Oonjala oonjala oonjala puraSwinging pigeon, swinging pigeon, swinging pigeon
Oonjala oonjala oonjala puraSwinging pigeon, swinging pigeon, swinging pigeon
Oonjala oonjala oonjala puraSwinging pigeon, swinging pigeon, swinging pigeon
Oonjal pura…aa..Swinging pigeon... aa..
Female
Kanaa…aaa…..aa…….Dream... aaa... aa...
Chorus :{Oye eh oye eh oye eh oooChorus: {Oye eh oye eh oye eh ooo
Oye eh oo ooo….aaa….} (2)Oye eh oo ooo....aaa....} (x2)
Female :Aaaa…kanaaa…..Female: Aaaa... dream...
Male
Thoongi pogum vizhiyodu varuvathuIt comes to eyes that are drifting off to sleep,
Thoongi poga irukkamaal seivathuYet keeps you awake, preventing you from sleeping;
Thooram parthu asaramal irupathuIt gazes at the distant goal without flinching—
Kanaa…Chorus :Kanaa kanaaThat is a dream! Chorus: Dream, dream!
Male
Sagum varayil sagamal varuvathuIt stays alive within you until your last breath,
Saakku solla muyazhndralae adipathuIt strikes back if you try to make excuses;
Saathi thaandi pothuvaga irupathuIt stands universal, transcending all caste barriers—
Kanaa…Chorus :Kanaa kanaaThat is a dream! Chorus: Dream, dream!
Male
Unnai ingu oda seiyumaeIt will make you run here,
Unnul unnai theda seiyumaeIt will make you search within yourself,
Unnai vaati vaairam seiyumaeIt will temper you through fire and turn you into a diamond—
Kanaa…aa… kanaa…Dream... aa... dream...
Male
Unnal ingu matram vendumaDo you want to bring about a change here?
Unnai ingu maatra vendumaDo you need to transform yourself here?
Neeyae sollu unthan kanavilYou tell me—in your dream
Unthan seyalil yaavum maarumaeAnd through your actions, everything will change!
Chorus
Nee nee nee kanneerai thudaiYou, you, you—wipe away your tears!
Poraadu un vervai vithaiFight hard, sow the seeds of your sweat!
Munneru thool aagum thadaiPress forward, every obstacle will turn to dust!
NaiyyapudaiSmash them to pieces!
Male
Unnai vittaal unnai vellaBesides yourself, to conquer you,
Yaarum intha mannil illaThere is no one else on this earth;
Endru solla nee indru vaaCome today to prove and declare that!
Male
Abdul kalam sonnar ondruAbdul Kalam once said this:
Kanaa kaana vendum endruThat one must dream big dreams;
Unmai aaga nee vendru vaaMake it reality and come out victorious!
Chorus
Thedalukku thevaiWhat is needed for a quest
Nalla kanaaIs a good dream.
Male :Thedi vidu aalam ulla kanaaMale: Seek out a dream that runs deep!
Chorus :Thethigalai varalaaruChorus: A dream that turns dates
Aakum kanaaInto history!
Male :Vendum vendumaeMale: We need, we truly need
Male
Tholvigalil karkaA dream that makes us learn
Seiyum kanaaFrom our failures!
Chorus :Vetrigalil nirkaChorus: A dream that makes us stand
Seiyum kanaaTall in victories!
Male :Kaanalam vaa vaa vaa neeMale: Come, come, come, let us see it, for you
Ellai illaiyaeHave no boundaries!
Male
Heyy eyyy…eyy…..Heyy eyyy...eyy...
Female :Aaa….aaa…aaa….aa…Female: Aaa...aaa...aaa...aa...
Chorus
Oonjala oonjala oonjala puraSwinging pigeon, swinging pigeon, swinging pigeon
Oonjala oonjala oonjala puraSwinging pigeon, swinging pigeon, swinging pigeon
Oonjala oonjala oonjala puraSwinging pigeon, swinging pigeon, swinging pigeon
Oonjal pura…aa..Swinging pigeon... aa..

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The title theme track from 'Kanaa' is a powerful motivational anthem that explores the transformative nature of true ambition and self-realization. Drawing upon former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's iconic quotes about dreaming big, the song redefines a 'dream' not as a passive nighttime vision, but as a burning passion that keeps you awake, forces deep introspection, and propels you past societal constraints like caste and doubt. It calls on the individual to view themselves as their only real competitor and to temper themselves through hardships. In the context of the movie, the song echoes the journey of Kousalya, a young girl from a rural farming family striving against social and financial obstacles to fulfill her goal of becoming an international cricketer. Through vivid imagery of sowing sweat as seeds and turning obstacles into dust, the track captures her fierce determination to transform calendar dates into etched moments of sports history.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Allusion

Abdul kalam sonnar ondru / Kanaa kaana vendum endru

Directly quotes and references Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's famous maxim encouraging youth to dream big dreams before they can come true.

Metaphor

Unnai vaati vaairam seiyumae

Compares overcoming hardships and emotional burning to refining raw carbon under heat and pressure into a diamond.

Metaphor

Poraadu un vervai vithai

Metaphorically compares drops of sweat shed during hard work to seeds sown into the ground to yield victory.

Monai (Initial Rhyme / Repetition)

Nee nee nee neeyaga iru / Thee thee thee theeyaga soodu

Uses rhythmic repetition of single-syllable Tamil words ('Nee', 'Thee', 'Naan') at the beginning of consecutive lines to create dramatic emphasis and cadence.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Kanaa' (2018) marked the directorial debut of lyricist and singer Arunraja Kamaraj and was the maiden production venture of actor Sivakarthikeyan under Sivakarthikeyan Productions. The film stars Aishwarya Rajesh as a farmer's daughter aiming to excel in cricket, alongside Sathyaraj. The music for the film was composed by Dibu Ninan Thomas, whose soundtrack, featuring motivational songs like this title track, received wide acclaim for its emotional intensity and uplifting arrangements.

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