- Lyricist
- Vaali
- Singers
- Ilayaraja, K. S. Chithra
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Geethanjali
- Movie release year
- 1985
- Lyrics added on
- 3 Aug 2017
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
'Oru Jeevan Azhaithadhu' is a deeply emotional Tamil song centered around heartbreak, helplessness, and resignation to destiny. The lyrics present a poignant inner monologue of a soul enduring immense sorrow while pleading with the beloved not to cry. Metaphors like a doll caught in a storm, a flower unable to revert to a bud, and a nest turning into a cage highlight the tragic irreversibility of lost love and the overpowering force of fate.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Monai (Initial Rhyme/Alliteration)
“Oru jeevan azhaithadhu / Oru jeevan thudithadhu”
Repetition of the opening word 'Oru' across consecutive lines creates a rhythmic and haunting refrain.
Metaphor
“Pachchai kili ingu... Koodae goondaanathu”
Compares the innocent, helpless protagonist to a green parrot whose safe home/nest has tragically turned into a restrictive cage.
Rhetorical Question
“Alai meendum thirumbumaa / Malar meendum arubumaa”
Uses impossible natural phenomena (waves reversing direction, flowers becoming buds again) to question whether past happiness can ever be reclaimed.
Ethugai (Second-letter Assonance)
“Nenavagu vanthu / kanavagi ponaal”
The second letter sound ('na') matches in 'Nenavagu' and 'kanavagi', adding lyrical harmony to the distress expressed.
Did you know?
Trivia
'Oru Jeevan Azhaithadhu' is one of the classic emotional melodies from the 1985 Tamil film 'Geethanjali'. Composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja with lyrics penned by Vaali, the song was rendered in memorable solo versions by K.J. Yesudas and S. Janaki, as well as a duet. The song's melancholy and evocative orchestrations made it a timeless hit in 1980s Tamil cinema.
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