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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Patta Pagalo Kottum

From Pillai Pasam · 1991

Lyricist
Vaali
Singers
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Chorus
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
Pillai Pasam1991

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Chorus
………………………..
Male
Melum melum podaaKeep moving higher and higher, my friend!
Ponaal thaan daa raajaaOnly if you go forward, my king,
Vaazhkkai ennum vaasal inguWill the doorway called life here
ThirakkaadhaaNot open up?
Haei modhum podhu modhuHey, clash when you clash,
Vetri chandham oodhuBlow the rhythm of victory!
Vaalibathil veeram vandhuWill bravery not come and be born
PirakkaadhaaIn your youth?
Chorus
……………………
Male
:Kodai kaala pookkalThe summer season flowers
Koorum vaazhthu paakkalRecite songs of blessings,
Vaalibathil vegam ondruWill a sense of speed in youth
PirakkaadhaaNot be born?
Aei vaengai kooda anjumHey, a heart filled with valor
Veeram konda nenjumThat even a tiger would fear,
Vaanagathai kaigal neettiReaching out its hands to the sky,
ParikkaadhaaWill it not pluck it?
Male
………………………….

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song from 'Pillai Pasam' serves as an inspiring anthem for youth, encouraging perseverance, bravery, and high ambition. The lyricist Vaali uses vibrant imagery to remind the listener that life's opportunities only unfold when one continuously strives forward and boldly faces conflict.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagaim)

Vaazhkkai ennum vaasal ingu Thirakkaadhaa

Life is conceptualized as an entrance/doorway ('Vaazhkkai ennum vaasal') that opens up upon taking action.

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navitchi Ani)

Vaanagathai kaigal neetti Parikkaadhaa

Exaggerating human ambition and valor by speaking of reaching out hands to pluck the sky itself.

Repetition / Anaphora (Adukku Thodar)

Melum melum podaa

Repetition of words like 'Melum melum' (higher and higher) and 'modhum podhu modhu' for rhythmic emphasis.

Rhyme Scheme (Iyaibu)

Pirakkaadhaa

Rhythmic rhyming end-words with rhetorical questioning ('Thirakkaadhaa', 'Pirakkaadhaa', 'Parikkaadhaa').

Did you know?

Trivia

'Pillai Paasam' (1991) stars Ramarajan. Lyricist Vaali penned this uplifting song emphasizing youthful energy and determination, which was a recurring theme in many early 1990s Tamil rural-hero dramas.

Keep listening

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