Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Oru Naal Pazhagiya

From Muthu Chippi · 1968

Lyricist
Vaali
Singers
T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela
Music director
S. M. Subbaiah Naidu
Details
Muthu Chippi1968

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Oru naal pazhagiya pazhakkamallaOurs is not an acquaintance of just a single day,
Marunaal marappathen vazhakkamallaNor is it my habit to forget you the very next day.
Neeyendrum naanendrum iruvarallaYou and I are not two separate entities,
Nizhalthaan udalai pirivathallaJust as a shadow never separates from the body.
Female
Oru naal pazhagiya pazhakkamallaOurs is not an acquaintance of just a single day,
Marunaal marappathen vazhakkamallaNor is it my habit to forget you the very next day.
Neeyendrum naanendrum iruvarallaYou and I are not two separate entities,
Nizhalthaan udalai pirivathallaJust as a shadow never separates from the body.
Male
Kallil ezhuthiya ezhuththaagaLike words etched permanently in stone,
Kaalaththai vendra nilaiyaagaStanding timelessly, having conquered time,
Kallil ezhuthiya ezhuththaagaLike words etched permanently in stone,
Kaalaththai vendra nilaiyaagaStanding timelessly, having conquered time,
Male
Kangalil unnai ezhuthuya vaithaenI have inscribed your image within my eyes,
En kulavilakkaaga yaetri vaithaenI have lit you as the sacred lamp of my lineage.
Female
Kuzhanthai endrirunthaen thaai madiyilI was a child in my mother's lap,
Kumari endrirunthaen ezhil vadivilI was a young maiden adorned in beauty,
Kuzhanthai endrirunthaen thaai madiyilI was a child in my mother's lap,
Kumari endrirunthaen ezhil vadivilI was a young maiden adorned in beauty,
Female
Manaivi Endraanaen un madiyilNow I have become a wife in your lap,
Kalanthuvitaen un uyir vadivilMerging completely into the very form of your soul.
Female
Oru naal pazhagiya pazhakkamallaOurs is not an acquaintance of just a single day,
Male :Marunaal marappathen vazhakkamallaMale: Nor is it my habit to forget you the very next day.
Male
Ilamaiyil thodangiya kadhalidhuThis is a love that blossomed in our youth,
Kadhalidhu….mudhumai vanthaalum maarathathuThis love... will never change even when old age arrives.
Oorena uravenna pesuvathuWhat does it matter what the town or relatives speak?
Yaarukku payanthu vaazhuvathuWhom should we fear to live our lives?
Female
Vaanaththil irunthaai nilavaagaYou resided in the sky like the moon,
Bhoomiyil kidanthaen malaragaI lay on the earth like a flower,
Vaanaththil irunthaai nilavaagaYou resided in the sky like the moon,
Bhoomiyil kidanthaen malaragaI lay on the earth like a flower,
Female
Odi vanthaai en thunaiyaagaYou came running to be my companion,
Oruvarukoruvar inaiyaagaMatching each other perfectly as true equals.
Male
Oru naal pazhagiya pazhakkamallaOurs is not an acquaintance of just a single day,
Marunaal marappathen vazhakkamallaMarunaal marappathen vazhakkamalla
Female :Neeyendrum naanendrum iruvarallaFemale: You and I are not two separate entities,
Nizhalthaan udalai pirivathallaJust as a shadow never separates from the body.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This classic duet celebrates an eternal, unbreakable bond of love that transcends time, social judgment, and the aging process. The female protagonist reflects on the stages of her life—from being a child in her mother's lap to a maiden, and finally becoming a wife whose soul is intertwined with her husband's. She describes their bond as permanent as inscriptions on stone and as inseparable as a body and its shadow. In response, the male protagonist reinforces the depth of their affection, noting that love born in youth remains steadfast into old age. He encourages her to disregard societal gossip or external fears, comparing their relationship to a heavenly moon coming down to unite with an earthly flower. Together, they affirm that their connection is lifelong and indivisible.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

Oru naal pazhagiya pazhakkamalla / Marunaal marappathen vazhakkamalla

The lines end with matching rhyming suffixes ('pazhakkamalla' and 'vazhakkamalla'), giving a rhythmic cadence.

Simile (Upamai)

Nizhalthaan udalai pirivathalla

The unity of lovers is explicitly compared to the inseparable connection between a body and its shadow.

Simile (Upamai)

Kallil ezhuthiya ezhuththaaga

The permanence of their affection is compared to words carved indelibly onto stone.

Monai (Initial Alliteration)

Kuzhanthai endrirunthaen... / Kumari endrirunthaen...

Both consecutive lines begin with the initial consonant sound 'Ku'.

Metaphor / Imagery

Vaanaththil irunthaai nilavaaga / Bhoomiyil kidanthaen malaraga

Paints poetic imagery where the beloved is metaphorically cast as the celestial moon and the self as a blossom blooming on earth.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Oru Naal Pazhagiya Pazhakkamalla' is a memorable duet written by Vaali for the 1968 Tamil movie 'Muthu Chippi', starring Jaishankar and Jayalalithaa. The music was composed by S. M. Subbaiah Naidu, with playback vocals delivered by the iconic duo T. M. Soundararajan and P. Susheela.

Keep listening

More from Muthu Chippi