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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Oru Kelvi Unnai Ketkiraen

From Priyam · 1996

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singers
P. Unnikrishnan, Sujatha
Music director
Vidyasagar
Details
Priyam1996

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Aa….aa…..aa….aa…..aa….Aa….aa…..aa….aa…..aa….
Aah…..aah…..aah….aa….aa….Aah…..aah…..aah….aa….aa….
Female
Oru kelvi unnai ketkiraenI am asking you a question,
Nee sol anbeTell me, my love.
Udal uyirai thalli vaazhumaaCan a body live by pushing its soul away?
Nee sol anbeTell me, my love.
Vaal kondu aruththaalumEven if cut with a sword,
Piriyaathu antha vaanamThat sky will never split apart.
Male
Nee ennai veruththaalumEven if you hate me,
Vilagaathu intha nesamThis love will never fade.
Female
Oru kelvi unnai ketkiraenI am asking you a question,
Nee sol anbeTell me, my love.
Udal uyirai thalli vaazhumaaCan a body live by pushing its soul away?
Nee sol anbeTell me, my love.
Female
………………..
Male
Gangai indri dhesam vaazhalaam ooo….A country might survive without the Ganges river, oh...
Kaatrillaamal jeevan vaazhumaaBut can a life survive without air?
Female :Netrillaamal indru thondralaam ooo….Female: Today can appear without yesterday, oh...
Nee illamal vaazhvu thondrumaaCan life exist without you?
Male
Vaanillaamal kizhakkil endrumWithout the sky in the east,
Udhayamillai kadhaliThere is no sunrise, my beloved.
Female :Nee illamal en udambilFemale: Without you in my body,
Idhayamillai kadhalaaThere is no heart, my beloved.
Male :Anbe….anbe….anbe….Male: My love... my love... my love...
Female
Oru kelvi unnai ketkiraenI am asking you a question,
Nee sol anbeTell me, my love.
Udal uyirai thalli vaazhumaaCan a body live by pushing its soul away?
Nee sol anbeTell me, my love.
Female
Rendu kiligal kadhal kolgaiyilWhen two parrots fall in love,
Adhai kandu yaarum pirippathillaiyaeNo one sees them and separates them.
Male :Aanum pennum kadhal kolgaiyilMale: When a man and a woman fall in love,
Indha ooril yaarum poruppathillaiyaeNo one in this town tolerates it.
Female
Aanavangal pirihthapothumWhen arrogant forces separate us,
Anaikkavendum devanaeLord, you must embrace and protect us.
Male :Ranuvangal thaduththapothumMale: Even if armies block our way,
Thazhuvi kolvom jeevanaeWe will embrace each other, my life.
Female :Anbe….anbe….anbe….Female: My love... my love... my love...
Female
Oru kelvi unnai ketkiraenI am asking you a question,
Nee sol anbeTell me, my love.
Udal uyirai thalli vaazhumaaCan a body live by pushing its soul away?
Nee sol anbeTell me, my love.
Male
Vaal kondu aruththaalumEven if cut with a sword,
Piriyaathu antha vaanamThat sky will never split apart.
Female :Nee ennai veruththaalumFemale: Even if you hate me,
Vilagaathu intha nesamThis love will never fade.
Male
Oru kelvi unnai ketkiraenI am asking you a question,
Nee sol anbeTell me, my love.
Female :Udal uyirai thalli vaazhumaaFemale: Can a body live by pushing its soul away?
Nee sol anbeNee sol anbe

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

'Oru Kelvi Unnai Ketkiraen' from the film Priyam (1996) is a deeply romantic duet portraying the inseparable bond between two lovers. Through poignant metaphors—comparing their relationship to body and soul, the sky that cannot be sliced by a sword, and living without air—the song establishes love as an essential force of life itself.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamai)

Udal uyirai thalli vaazhumaa

Compares the lovers' relationship to the inseparable dynamic between the physical body (udal) and the life force/soul (uyir).

Hyperbole & Imagery

Vaal kondu aruththaalum piriyaathu antha vaanam

Uses the impossible visual of cutting the sky with a sword to emphasize that no external force can tear their bond apart.

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

Vaal kondu aruththaalum / Nee ennai veruththaalum

The lines end with rhyming suffixes ('aruththaalum' and 'veruththaalum') creating a melodic rhythmic flow.

Monai (First-letter Alliteration)

Udal uyirai thalli vaazhumaa

The repetition of the initial vowel 'U' in 'Udal' and 'Uyirai' adds subtle phonetic harmony.

Did you know?

Trivia

The music for the 1996 film 'Priyam' was composed by Vidyasagar. The track 'Oru Kelvi Unnai Ketkiraen' was written by the acclaimed lyricist Vairamuthu and sung by P. Unnikrishnan and Sujatha Mohan.

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