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Isaimozhi
Oppantham album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Pathodu Onnu Seruthu

From Oppantham · 1983

Lyricist
Gangai Amaran
Singer
Malaysia Vasudevan
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Oppantham
Movie release year
1983
Lyrics added on
19 Apr 2020

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Ae… pathoda onnu saerudhu
Indha pattanathula aathaadi onnu koodudhu
Ae… pathoda onnu saerudhu
Indha pattanathula aathaadi onnu koodudhu
Pathinaaru vayasu thaan paathaalum pudhusu thaan
Bathiramaa koodu saerumo
Paadhaiyilae maari pogumo
Pathoda onnu saerudhu
Indha pattanathula aathaadi onnu koodudhu
Arisi paruppu velai ellaam
Yaeri pochu theriyumaa
Maangaa thaengaa velai ellaam
Marathu maela nikkudhammaa
Pozhudhu pularum munnaalae
Nee poyi nikkanum queue vilae
Adichu pudichu ninnaa thaan
Edamum kidaikkum bus lae
Ammammaa ennamma paarammaa kaelammaa
Aei… nee pattanatha therinjukkommaa
Pathoda onnu saerudhu
Indha pattanathula aathaadi onnu koodudhu
Koovam nadhi oramaa
Veedirukku venumaa
Koranjadhu thaan vaadaga
Nooru roobaa thaanammaa
Kazhudhap pulla thoongaadhu
Mootta kadi thaangaadhu
Kadhavu jannal poottaadhu
Poottikkitta therakkaadhu
Thangammaa chellammaa sollammaa mangammaa
Aei… pattanatha paakka venumaa
Pathoda onnu saerudhu
Indha pattanathula aathaadi onnu koodudhu
Lallaa lallae lalala lallae
Lallaa lallae lalala lallae lallaa lallaa laa
Keezhum melum walla post ah
Oru kazhudha paakkudhu
Heroine paeru enna
Maru kazhudha kekkudhu
Akkam pakkam thirumbudhu
Arugil poyi nikkudhu
Aasaiyodu kanaikkudhu
Aiyo mutham kodukkudhu
Thangammaa chellammaa sollammaa mangammaa
Aei… pattanatha paakka venumaa
Pathoda onnu saerudhu
Indha pattanathula aathaadi onnu koodudhu
Pathinaaru vayasu thaan paathaalum pudhusu thaan
Bathiramaa koodu saerumo
Paadhaiyilae maari pogumo
Pathoda onnu saerudhu
Indha pattanathula aathaadi onnu koodudhu
Hey... another one joins the crowd,
in this big city, oh dear, one more has arrived!
Hey... another one joins the crowd,
in this big city, oh dear, one more has arrived!
Just sixteen years of age, and so fresh to the world,
will she safely reach her home?
Or will she lose her way on the road?
Another one joins the crowd,
in this big city, oh dear, one more has arrived!
The prices of rice and lentils,
have shot sky-high, do you know?
The prices of mangoes and coconuts,
are sitting way up in the trees!
Long before the day breaks,
you have to go and wait in line!
Only if you push and shove your way,
will you even get a spot on the bus!
Oh dear, look at this and listen, girl!
Hey... learn what city life is really like!
Another one joins the crowd,
in this big city, oh dear, one more has arrived!
Right beside the Cooum river,
there is a house, do you want it?
The rent is very cheap,
just a hundred rupees, my dear!
Not even a little donkey can sleep there,
you will never bear the bedbug bites!
The doors and windows won't lock shut,
and if they close, they won't open!
Dearest girl, darling girl, tell me, Mangamma,
hey... do you still want to see the city?
Another one joins the crowd,
in this big city, oh dear, one more has arrived!
Lalla lalle lalala lalle,
lalla lalle lalala lalle lalla lalla la!
From top to bottom, at a wall poster,
a donkey keeps staring!
"What is the heroine's name?"
asks another donkey!
It glances all around,
steps right up close,
brays with longing,
and oh my, plants a kiss!
Dearest girl, darling girl, tell me, Mangamma,
hey... do you still want to see the city?
Another one joins the crowd,
in this big city, oh dear, one more has arrived!
Just sixteen years of age, and so fresh to the world,
will she safely reach her home?
Or will she lose her way on the road?
Another one joins the crowd,
in this big city, oh dear, one more has arrived!
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

Pathoda Onnu Saerudhu from the 1983 film Oppantham, written by lyricist Gangai Amaran, is a satirical folk song depicting rural-to-urban migration in Chennai (Madras). The track frames a naive 16-year-old arrival as just another statistic adding to the city's growing population, questioning whether she will survive or lose her way amidst urban chaos. Through witty imagery, the song critiques everyday middle-class struggles of the 1980s—including runaway inflation on essential groceries, dawn queues, chaotic public transportation, squalid housing near the Cooum river infested with bedbugs, and the pervasive cinema culture where even donkeys stare at movie posters. It delivers a humorous yet practical reality check about city living.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Monai (Initial Alliteration)

“Pathinaaru vayasu thaan paathaalum pudhusu thaan”

Repetition of the initial 'P' sound across words creates a rhythmic hook.

Iyaibu (End Rhyme)

“Kazhudhap pulla thoongaadhu / Mootta kadi thaangaadhu / Kadhavu jannal poottaadhu / Poottikkitta therakkaadhu”

Four consecutive lines end with the '-aadhu' suffix, creating a swift, comical cadence.

Hyperbole & Metaphor

“Marathu maela nikkudhammaa”

Exaggerating high food prices by saying they are literally 'standing on top of the trees'.

Personification & Satire

“Heroine paeru enna / Maru kazhudha kekkudhu”

Donkeys are personified as movie-goers conversing about heroines and kissing posters, satirizing modern cinema obsession.

Did you know?

Trivia

Penned by Gangai Amaran, the lyric offers a vivid socio-historical snapshot of 1980s Chennai (Madras), lightheartedly highlighting urban inflation, bus commuting struggles, and low-cost housing dilemmas along the Cooum river.

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