Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Cuckoo album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Potta Pulla

From Cuckoo · 2014

Lyricist
Yugabharathi
Singer
Sean Roldan
Music director
Santhosh Narayanan
Movie name
Cuckoo
Movie release year
2014
Lyrics added on
12 Apr 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Oththa nodiyilathan enakku
Sitham kalangiruchae
Moththa ulagamumae adada
Suththa maranthuruchae
Neththi naduvula
Langaru suthuthu
Nenju kuzhyila
Kavuli kathuthu
Thekgankula paal satiya
Pol pongurenae
Hei potta pulla thottathumae
Kottam adangiruchae
Oru kannukutti pulla kandu
Thulli kuthichiruchae
Ethanaiyo mettugalil
Ilayaraja…
Ennai thottathupol
Thottuvittal azhagu roja
Pethavalum kattugira
Pudavai vaasam
Athai othathuthan
Pennavalin puthiya nesam
Pothi vecha antha pulla
Gundu malli nenjukkulla
Vera sollu illaa naanum solla
Hei potta pulla thottathumae
Kottam adangiruchae
Oru kannukutti pulla kandu
Thulli kuthichiruchae
Sorkalilae vithakaram
Kannadaasan
Aval thottathanaal aagivitten
Vanna daasan
Mukkanyil sakkaraiyam
Avalin pechu
Athu ullathilae seithiduthae
Kodunkol aachi
Ippadi nan innum solla
Sinthanaiyum odavilla
Yaavum antha pulla senja leela..aaa..
Hei potta pulla thottathumae
Kottam adangiruchae
Oru kannukutti pulla kandu
Thulli kuthichiruchae
In just a single second,
my mind went completely spinning!
Oh, the whole wide world,
I forgot it entirely!
Right in the middle of my forehead,
a top is spinning round and round,
and deep in the pit of my chest,
a lizard keeps chirping away.
Like a boiling pot of milk from Thekkankulam,
I am bubbling and spilling over!
Hey, the moment that girl touched me,
all my wild pride was tamed!
Like a young calf seeing fresh green grass,
my heart leaped and danced with joy!
In so many timeless melodies,
as maestro Ilaiyaraaja
touched my soul,
this lovely rose has touched me too!
Just like the comforting scent
of the sari my mother wears,
so gentle and pure
is this girl's newfound love!
Kept safe and sheltered by that girl,
like a round jasmine bud in her heart,
I have no other words left to say!
Hey, the moment that girl touched me,
all my wild pride was tamed!
Like a young calf seeing fresh green grass,
my heart leaped and danced with joy!
A true master of words
was poet Kannadasan,
but because she touched me, I became
Vannadasan (a poet lost in colors)!
Like sugar sprinkled on the three sweet fruits,
her sweet voice
rules inside my heart
with an absolute, ruthless reign!
If I try to say anything more,
even my thoughts cannot run.
It is all the playful magic of that girl!
Hey, the moment that girl touched me,
all my wild pride was tamed!
Like a young calf seeing fresh green grass,
my heart leaped and danced with joy!
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song from the movie 'Cuckoo' (2014) captures the overwhelming bliss and euphoria experienced by a young man upon feeling the gentle, transformative touch of the girl he loves. The sensory overload makes his head spin and his heart leap with childlike innocence, completely turning his world upside down in a fraction of a second. He poetically compares her touch to the immortal, soul-stirring melodies of Maestro Ilaiyaraaja and her comforting presence to the familiar fragrance of a mother's saree. Expressing how her sweet speech rules over his heart like a sweet monarch, he admits that he is rendered speechless and utterly lost in her charm.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Uvamai)

Thekgankula paal satiya Pol pongurenae

Compares the sudden surge of emotions inside his heart to sweet coconut milk boiling and overflowing from a pot.

Cultural Allusion & Metaphor

Ethanaiyo mettugalil Ilayaraja… Ennai thottathupol

Alludes to the legendary composer Ilaiyaraaja, comparing the emotional depth of her touch to the soul-touching power of his music.

Rhyme (Edhukai / End Rhyme)

Kannadaasan / Aval thottathanaal aagivitten Vanna daasan

Uses rhythmic wordplay linking the great poet Kannadasan with 'Vanna daasan' (a slave/servant to vibrant colors of love).

Did you know?

Trivia

This track is from the critically acclaimed Tamil romantic drama 'Cuckoo' (2014), directed by Raju Murugan, which follows the lives of two visually impaired individuals falling in love. The film's musical score was composed by Santhosh Narayanan, with lyricist Yugabharathi penning the lyrics that vividly draw on rural imagery and sensory metaphors.

Keep listening

Songs with a similar feeling

From the same album

More songs from Cuckoo

View album

Spot an issue?

Help us improve the lyrics or English translation.