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Isaimozhi
Red album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Roja Kaadu

From Red · 2002

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Hariharan
Music director
Deva
Movie name
Red
Movie release year
2002
Lyrics added on
12 Mar 2018

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Ho baby ho baby ho baby ho
Ho baby ho baby ho baby ho
Roja kaadu chudithaar pottu
Madurai veedhyil vandhaa
Ada manam kudhikkuthu pandhaa
Konjam madakki podanum kandhaa
Theeyaai irundhenada
Thiriyaai vandhaalada
Kalakkum kaataaru naan
Karaiyae aval thaanada
Roja kaadu chudithaar pottu
Ho baby ho baby ho baby ho
Ho baby ho baby ho baby ho
Ho baby ho baby ho baby ho
Ho baby ho baby ho baby ho
………………………..
Azhagu pennazhagu
Aayiramthaan irukkuthadi
Aana en manasu
Un madiyil vizhundhathadi
Oh bhaiya re
Oh bhaiya re
Oh bhaiya
Oh bhaiya
Oh bhaiya re
Oh..pidichchadu
Munnazhago pinnazhago illayadi
Athukkum mela oru
Thaayazhagum ullathadi
Oh bhaiya re
Oh bhaiya re
Oh bhaiya
Oh bhaiya
Oh bhaiya re
Avala ponnu kettu poda poren thaali
Thiruparan kundrathu koyililae
Mela maasi veedhi vara
Mela chaththam ketkkum
Moonu mudi podum velaiyilae
Veetukullae paai poduven
Pillai peththu veliyeruven
Roja kaadu chudithaar pottu
Madurai veedhyil vandhaa
Ada manam kudhikkuthu pandhaa
Konjam madakki podanum kandhaa
Theeyaai irundhenada
Thiriyaai vandhaalada
Kalakkum kaataaru naan
Karaiyae aval thaanada
………………………..
Avala manam mudichi
Arasar adiyil kudiyiruppen
Verthaa azhaghar malai
Kaatha konjam thiruppi veppen
Oh bhaiya re
Oh bhaiya re
Oh bhaiya
Oh bhaiya
Oh bhaiya re
Madurai malligai poo
Vandi katti vaangi varuven
Mattinikku titanic english padam
Paaka veppen
Oh bhaiya re
Oh bhaiya re
Oh bhaiya
Oh bhaiya
Oh bhaiya re
Sembuvala viral vittu
Nagam vizhundhaalum
Adha oru muthaa vechiruppen
Pattu vanna koondhal vittu
Mudi vizhundhaalum
Parambarai sothaaga vechiruppen
Madiyil seeratuven
Vidindhum vaalatuven
Roja kaadu chudithaar pottu
Madurai veedhyil vandhaa
Ada manam kudhikkuthu pandhaa
Konjam madakki podanum kandhaa
Theeyaai irundhenada
Thiriyaai vandhaalada
Kalakkum kaataaru naan
Karaiyae aval thaanada
Roja kaadu chudithaar pottu
Oh baby, oh baby, oh baby, oh
Oh baby, oh baby, oh baby, oh
Like a garden of roses wearing a salwar suit,
when she walked down the streets of Madurai,
ah, my heart leaps with pride!
I must woo her and win her over, Kantha!
I was just a wild fire, man,
but she arrived like a steady wick!
I was a raging mountain stream,
and she became the riverbank that holds me!
Like a garden of roses wearing a salwar suit...
Oh baby, oh baby, oh baby, oh
Oh baby, oh baby, oh baby, oh
Oh baby, oh baby, oh baby, oh
Oh baby, oh baby, oh baby, oh
...
Beauty, the beauty of women—
a thousand kinds exist, girl.
But this heart of mine
has fallen straight into your lap!
Oh baiya re
Oh baiya re
Oh baiya
Oh baiya
Oh baiya re
Oh, what made me love you
was neither your front beauty nor back beauty, girl!
Far beyond all of that,
you have the tender beauty of a mother!
Oh baiya re
Oh baiya re
Oh baiya
Oh baiya
Oh baiya re
I will ask for her hand and tie the sacred wedding knot,
at the temple of Thirupparankundram!
All the way to West Masi Street,
the wedding drums will be heard,
the moment I tie the three sacred knots!
Inside our home, I will spread the mat,
and step outside only after giving you a child!
Like a garden of roses wearing a salwar suit,
when she walked down the streets of Madurai,
ah, my heart leaps with pride!
I must woo her and win her over, Kantha!
I was just a wild fire, man,
but she arrived like a steady wick!
I was a raging mountain stream,
and she became the riverbank that holds me!
...
Once I marry her,
I will settle down beneath the King's statue!
If she ever sweats,
I will turn the breeze from Alagar Hills towards her!
Oh baiya re
Oh baiya re
Oh baiya
Oh baiya
Oh baiya re
Madurai jasmine flowers—
I will hire a cart and bring cartloads for her!
To the matinee show of the English movie Titanic,
I will take her to watch it!
Oh baiya re
Oh baiya re
Oh baiya
Oh baiya
Oh baiya re
From her coral-toned fingers,
even if a nail chips and falls,
I will treasure it like a precious pearl!
From her silky soft hair,
even if a single strand falls,
I will keep it as an ancestral treasure!
I will cradle her lovingly on my lap,
and playfully pamper her even after dawn breaks!
Like a garden of roses wearing a salwar suit,
when she walked down the streets of Madurai,
ah, my heart leaps with pride!
I must woo her and win her over, Kantha!
I was just a wild fire, man,
but she arrived like a steady wick!
I was a raging mountain stream,
and she became the riverbank that holds me!
Like a garden of roses wearing a salwar suit...
Chorus
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

'Roja Kaadu' from the movie Red (2002) is an energetic Madurai-based romantic track expressing a protagonist's deep affection and reverence for his lover. He metaphorically describes her as a walking garden of roses who brings stability to his chaotic life—comparing himself to a wild fire given direction by a wick and a raging river held together by a bank.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uruvagam)

Kalakkum kaataaru naan / Karaiyae aval thaanada

The protagonist compares himself to a wild, uncontained river ('kaataaru') and his lover to the riverbank ('karai') that gives him boundary and structure.

Metaphor & Contrast

Theeyaai irundhenada / Thiriyaai vandhaalada

He compares his destructive wild nature to uncontrolled fire ('theeyai') and her entry into his life as a wick ('thiri') that transforms fire into useful light.

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navortchi)

Pattu vanna koondhal vittu / Mudi vizhundhaalum / Parambarai sothaaga vechiruppen

An intentional exaggeration stating that even a single strand of her fallen hair will be preserved like cherished ancestral property.

Rhyme & Assonance (Edhugai / Monai)

Ada manam kudhikkuthu pandhaa / Konjam madakki podanum kandhaa

Traditional Tamil poetic meter features second-letter rhyming (Edhugai) seen in words like 'Manam' / 'Konjam' / 'Kandha'.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Red' (2002) starred Ajith Kumar in a intense hero persona set against the backdrop of Madurai. The song 'Roja Kaadu' was composed by Deva, with vocals by Hariharan and Anuradha Sriram, and lyrics by Vairamuthu. The lyrics ingeniously weave local Madurai geography (Thiruparankundram, Mela Maasi Street, Alagar Hills) together with contemporary pop-culture references like the movie Titanic.

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