Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Porkanda Singam

From Vikram-2022 · 2022

Lyricist
Vishnu Edavan
Singer
Anirudh Ravichander
Music director
Anirudh Ravichander
Details
Vikram-20222022

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Uyirum nadungudhaeMy very soul trembles
Unnaium yenthidavaeEven as I hold you close
Udaindha veeranaeOh broken warrior
Kalangi azhugirenI weep with a shattered heart
Male
Suzhalum ulagame enakku urainthadhaeThe spinning world has frozen still for me
Aduththa nimidamum nagara marukkudhaeEven the very next minute refuses to move forward
Maaril unnai saaithu uranga vaippadhaShould I rest you upon my chest to put you to sleep?
Izhantha uyirukkaaga kolli vaippadhaOr should I light the funeral pyre for the life that was lost?
Male
Por kanda singamA lion that has seen battles
Vali konda nenjamA heart filled with pain
Udainthaalum unakkaaga uyir vaazhgirenThough I am broken, I live on for your sake
Azhugaadhe maganaeDo not cry, my son
En aayul unadhaeMy lifetime belongs to you
Imai pola unai kaakkaTo protect you like an eyelid guards the eye
Naan theigiren jeevanaeI wear myself away, my precious life
Male
Uyirum nadungudhaeMy very soul trembles
Unnaium yenthidavaeEven as I hold you close
Udaindha veeranaeOh broken warrior
Kalangi azhugirenI weep with a shattered heart
Male
Por kanda singamA lion that has seen battles
Vali konda nenjamA heart filled with pain
Udainthaalum unakkaaga uyir vaazhgirenThough I am broken, I live on for your sake
Azhugaadhe maganaeDo not cry, my son
En aayul unadhaeMy lifetime belongs to you
Imai pola unai kaakkaTo protect you like an eyelid guards the eye
Naan theigiren jeevanaeI wear myself away, my precious life

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

Porkanda Singam captures the profound grief and tragic resolve of a battle-hardened man mourning his lost son while taking up the sacred responsibility of protecting his infant grandson. The lyrics express a stark juxtaposition between the tender warmth of a lullaby and the heavy sorrow of death, portraying a father's heart torn between putting a baby to sleep and lighting a funeral pyre.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Uvamai)

Imai pola unai kaakka

Compares protecting the child to an eyelid safeguarding the eye, conveying constant, instinctual protection.

Metaphor (Uruvagamm)

Por kanda singam

Refers to the hardened protagonist as a battle-tested lion bearing a painful heart.

Antithesis / Rhetorical Contrast

Maaril unnai saaithu uranga vaippadha / Izhantha uyirukkaaga kolli vaippadha

Juxtaposes the act of putting a child to sleep on one's chest against lighting a funeral pyre, emphasizing intense grief.

Initial Rhyme (Monai)

Uyirum nadungudhae / Unnaium yenthidavae / Udaindha veeranae

Repetition of the vowel sound 'U' at the beginning of consecutive lines to create a soft, mournful rhythm.

Did you know?

Trivia

Porkanda Singam serves as an emotional centerpiece in Lokesh Kanagaraj's hit action thriller 'Vikram' (2022). Written by Vishnu Edavan and composed/sung by Anirudh Ravichander, the song highlights the soft, maternal-like grieving side of Kamal Haasan's character (Agent Vikram) as he cradles his orphaned grandson after his son's murder.

Keep listening

More from Vikram-2022