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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Pennalla Nee

From Sonthamadi Nee Enakku · 1977

Lyricist
Vaali
Singers
P. Jayachandran, P. Susheela
Music director
V. Kumar
Movie name
Sonthamadi Nee Enakku
Movie release year
1977
Lyrics added on
1 Apr 2024

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Pennalla neeyoru bommai
Poiyalla naan solvathunmai
Pennalla neeyoru bommai
Poiyalla naan solvathunmai
Nee aadum aattangal yaavum
Un thaayaarin aanaigal aagum
Naanthaanaa thalaiyaattum bommai
Nee kooda adhuthaanae unmai
Annaalil thaai sonna sollai
Ennaalum nee thaandavillai
Than maeni paadhi pen maeni paathi
Edharkaga sivan nindru kondaan
Ondrodu ondru vilagaamal nindru
Uravaadal nalam endru sonnaan
Yaen intha thegam yaen intha vaatham
Inimaelum pidivaatham pothum
Pennalla neeyoru bommai
Poiyalla naan solvathunmai
Nee aadum aattangal yaavum
Un thaayaarin aanaigal aagum
Munnooru varudam
Munnaadi sonnaal
Un pechai pen ketka koodum
Venn megam thaandi vinmeethu endru
Pen paavai selgindra kaalam
Kaalangal maarum kolangal maarum
Maaraamal vazhanthenna laabam
Naanthaanaa thalaiyaattum bommai
Nee kooda adhuthaanae unmai
Annaalil thaai sonna sollai
Ennaalum nee thaandavillai
Pennalla neeyoru bommai
Poiyalla naan solvathunmai
Nee aadum aattangal yaavum
Un thaayaarin aanaigal aagum
You are not a woman, you are a doll.
It is no lie, what I say is the truth.
You are not a woman, you are a doll.
It is no lie, what I say is the truth.
All the moves you make,
are just your mother's orders.
Am I the only nodding puppet?
Aren't you one too? That is the truth!
The words your mother spoke back then,
you have never once crossed to this day...
Half his body his own, half a woman's body,
why did Lord Shiva stand like that?
Staying inseparable from one another,
he showed that being united is good.
Why this distance, why this argument?
Enough of this stubbornness from now on!
You are not a woman, you are a doll.
It is no lie, what I say is the truth.
All the moves you make,
are just your mother's orders.
Three hundred years
ago, if you had said this,
a woman might have listened to you.
Crossing the white clouds into the sky,
this is an era where women soar high.
Times change, and ways of life change;
what is the point of living without change?
Am I the only nodding puppet?
Aren't you one too? That is the truth!
The words your mother spoke back then,
you have never once crossed to this day...
You are not a woman, you are a doll.
It is no lie, what I say is the truth.
All the moves you make,
are just your mother's orders.
Male
Female
Male
Male
Male
Female
Female
Female
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This classic song features a playful argument between a man and a woman regarding independence, tradition, and modern values. The male protagonist teases the female lead, calling her a puppet who blindly follows her mother's orders rather than living life on her own terms. He references Ardhanarishvara (Lord Shiva's half-man, half-woman form) to emphasize harmony, mutual dependency, and togetherness in love, asking her to drop her stubbornness.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

“Pennalla neeyoru bommai”

Comparing the heroine to a puppet or doll (bommai) controlled by her mother.

Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyming)

“Pennalla neeyoru bommai / Poiyalla naan solvathunmai”

The second consonant sound 'nn' matches across consecutive lines (Pennalla / Poiyalla).

Mythological Allusion

“Than maeni paadhi pen maeni paathi / Edharkaga sivan nindru kondaan”

References the Ardhanarishvara form of Lord Shiva to symbolize equality and unity between man and woman.

Iyaibu (End Rhyme)

“Kaalangal maarum kolangal maarum”

Rhyming endings of lines using words like 'maarum' across pairs.

Did you know?

Trivia

The song is composed by V. Kumar, a prolific music director in the 1960s and 1970s often noted for giving early breakthroughs to legends like K. J. Yesudas and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. The lyrics by Vaali ingeniously blend ancient mythological allegories with modern progressive views on women's empowerment.

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