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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Petha Usuru

From Thulam · 2018

Lyricist
Nadhi. Vijaykumar
Singer
Vijay Prakash
Music director
Alex Premnath
Details
Thulam2018

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Peththa usuruThe soul/life that gave birth to me
Raththa usuru ponadhaeThe blood life has gone away
Pachchai maram thaanThe vibrant green tree
Pattai maramaai aanadhaeHas turned into dry bark/dead wood
Male
Peththa usuruThe soul/life that gave birth to me
Raththa usuru ponadhaeThe blood life has gone away
Pachchai maram thaanThe vibrant green tree
Pattai maramaai aanadhaeHas turned into dry bark/dead wood
Male
Undhan ninaivuYour cherished memories
Nenjukuliyil vaattudhaeTorment me deep inside my heart
Kangal azhudhuMy crying eyes
Undhan ninaivil yengudhaeLong for you in your memory
Male
Kannukkullae unnai veithuHolding you inside my eyes
Vaazhnthavanthaan naanammaI was the one who lived, oh Mother
Kaal kazhi kattililaeOn this wooden funeral cot
Povadhengae sollammmaWhere are you going, tell me Mother?
Male
Enna ninaithaaiyooWhat did you think?
Ennai padaithaaiyooDid you create me?
Ennai maranthaaiyooDid you forget me?
Uyir thuranthaaiyooDid you abandon your life?
Male
Peththa usuruThe soul/life that gave birth to me
Raththa usuru ponadhaeThe blood life has gone away
Pachchai maram thaanThe vibrant green tree
Pattai maramaai aanadhaeHas turned into dry bark/dead wood
Male
Thaai indri uyirgalWithout a mother, lives
Ulagil yedhammaWhere do they exist in this world, Mother?
Neeyindri naanumWithout you, can I
Vaazha koodumaaEven continue to live?
Male
Thottililae thaalatiya thaaiyammaOh Mother who rocked me in the cradle
Kattililae kannuranguvathu yen ammaWhy are you sleeping on the cot (funeral bier), Mother?
Kattililae kann urangum poovammaOh flower-like Mother sleeping on the cot
Vittu vittu ponadhu thaan nyaayamaaIs it fair that you abandoned me and left?
Male
Adi thaangalaiyaeI cannot bear this pain
Kannirandum thoongalaiyaeMy two eyes cannot sleep
Nenjam athu aaralaiyaeMy grieving heart does not heal
Uyir thaan kaanalaiyaeMy life spirit cannot be found
En uyir thaan kaanalaiyae ..aeMy very life spirit cannot be found
Male
Peththa usuruThe soul/life that gave birth to me
Raththa usuru ponadhaeThe blood life has gone away
Pachchai maram thaanThe vibrant green tree
Pattai maramaai aanadhaeHas turned into dry bark/dead wood
Male
Undhan ninaivuYour cherished memories
Nenjukuliyil vaattudhaeTorment me deep inside my heart
Kangal azhudhuMy crying eyes
Undhan ninaivil yengudhaeLong for you in your memory

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This deeply emotional song expresses the profound grief of a child mourning the loss of their mother. The singer reflects on the mother as the creator of their life and blood, contrasting how a once lush green tree has now withered into a lifeless trunk upon her passing. The grief is rendered unbearable as memories torment the heart and sleepless eyes long for the mother's presence. The lyrics contrast the maternal warmth of rocking a cradle with the tragic reality of seeing the mother placed on a funeral bier. Questioning the fairness of fate and the possibility of surviving without maternal love, the song captures the utter devastation and emptiness experienced when losing one's mother.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

Pachchai maram thaan / Pattai maramaai aanadhae

Comparing the loss of life/mother to a green, vibrant tree ('Pachchai maram') drying up into bare bark ('Pattai maram').

Contrast / Antithesis

Thottililae thaalatiya thaaiyamma / Kattililae kannuranguvathu yen amma

Contrasting the mother's role in rocking a baby's cradle ('Thottililae') with her present endless sleep on the funeral cot ('Kattililae').

Anaphora / Rhyme (Iyaibu & Etukai)

Enna ninaithaaiyoo / Ennai padaithaaiyoo / Ennai maranthaaiyoo / Uyir thuranthaaiyoo

Repetition of rhyming line endings ending with '-o' expressing rhetorical grief and questioning.

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Trivia

'Thulam' (2018) features poignant tracks centered around familial loss and emotional turmoil, with lyrics written by Nadhi Vijaykumar that use traditional Tamil mourning imagery (oppari style motifs).

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