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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Pallakka Thookki Pakka

From Seerum Singangal · 1983

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
P. Suseela
Music director
Shankar Ganesh
Details
Seerum Singangal1983

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Pallaakkai thookki paakka ellorum vaarungaEveryone come to lift the palanquin and look!
Pattaadai katti kondu nikkuratha paarungaLook at her standing dressed in fine silk attire!
Irupathu vayasu ilagiya manasu haanTwenty years of age, with a soft tender heart, haan!
Irupathu vayasu ilagiya manasu haanTwenty years of age, with a soft tender heart, haan!
Aalaanaa ponnaagi anjaaru varusamaachchungaFive or six years have passed since she came of age, folks!
Chorus
……………….
Female
Pallaakkai thookki paakka ellorum vaarungaEveryone come to lift the palanquin and look!
Pattaadai katti kondu nikkuratha paarungaLook at her standing dressed in fine silk attire!
Irupathu vayasu ilagiya manasu haanTwenty years of age, with a soft tender heart, haan!
Aalaanaa ponnaagi anjaaru varusamaachchungaFive or six years have passed since she came of age, folks!
Chorus
……………….
Female
Vetta vetta naanthaan thanga surangamThe more you dig, I am a gold mine!
Un maarbodu Saernthaadum vellipadhakkamA silver medal swinging close to your chest!
Vetta vetta naanthaan thanga surangamThe more you dig, I am a gold mine!
Un maarbodu Saernthaadum vellipadhakkamA silver medal swinging close to your chest!
Female
Theppam mithakka oru odai irukkaAs there is a stream for the raft to float,
Veppam thanikka kulir vaadai irukkaAs there is a cool northern wind to quench the heat,
Maanaa Semmeenaa naan thaavi kuthikkaAm I a deer or a red fish to leap and jump?
Maanaa Semmeenaa naan thaavi kuthikkaAm I a deer or a red fish to leap and jump?
Female
Pallaakkai thookki paakka ellorum vaarungaEveryone come to lift the palanquin and look!
Pattaadai katti kondu nikkuratha paarungaLook at her standing dressed in fine silk attire!
Irupathu vayasu ilagiya manasu haanTwenty years of age, with a soft tender heart, haan!
Aalaanaa ponnaagi anjaaru varusamaachchunga…ha….Five or six years have passed since she came of age, folks... ha!
Chorus
……………….
Female
Pongi vachcha soru inga irukkuThe cooked rice is right here waiting,
Idhai parimaara thalai vaazhai enga irukkuWhere is the plantain leaf to serve it upon?
Pongi vachcha soru inga irukkuThe cooked rice is right here waiting,
Idhai parimaara thalai vaazhai enga irukkuWhere is the plantain leaf to serve it upon?
Female
Unda piragum pasi uchcham irukkumEven after eating, the peak of hunger will still remain,
Alli koduththum idhu micham irukkumEven after giving away generously, there will still be plenty left,
Paaththaa nee kettaa naan vaari koduppaenIf you look and ask, I will give you in abundance,
Paaththaa nee kettaa naan vaari koduppaenIf you look and ask, I will give you in abundance,
Female
Pallaakkai thookki paakka ellorum vaarungaEveryone come to lift the palanquin and look!
Pattaadai katti kondu nikkuratha paarungaLook at her standing dressed in fine silk attire!
Irupathu vayasu ilagiya manasu haanTwenty years of age, with a soft tender heart, haan!
Aalaanaa ponnaagi anjaaru varusamaachchunga…ha….Five or six years have passed since she came of age, folks... ha!
Chorus
……………….

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This upbeat and seductive folk-style dance track celebrates youthful beauty, vitality, and romance. The song describes a twenty-year-old woman in fine silk attire who invites everyone to admire her elegance. She uses rich metaphors to describe her youthful charms—comparing herself to an endless gold mine, a bounding deer, a jumping red fish, and a warm meal ready to be served.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamai)

Vetta vetta naanthaan thanga surangam

The speaker compares herself to a gold mine ('thanga surangam') that yields endless gold the more one digs.

Allegory / Sexual Innuendo Metaphor

Pongi vachcha soru inga irukku

Youth and love are metaphors for cooked rice waiting on a plantain leaf ('Pongi vachcha soru').

End Rhyme (Iyaibu)

Theppam mithakka oru odai irukka / Veppam thanikka kulir vaadai irukka

Rhyming structure using 'mithakka' and 'thanikka' at the middle/end of parallel lines.

Alliteration (Monaai)

Pallaakkai thookki paakka ellorum vaarunga

Repetition of the 'P' consonant sound in 'Pallaakkai thookki paakka'.

Did you know?

Trivia

This song is featured in the 1983 Tamil action film 'Seerum Singangal', featuring lyrics penned by Vairamuthu.

Keep listening

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