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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Samba Samba

From Love Birds · 1996

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
Aslam Mustafa
Music director
A. R. Rahman
Details
Love Birds1996

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics↻ English translation
Male
Shanthi shanthi om shanthi oraePeace peace, Om peace
Shanthi shanthi om shanthi oraePeace peace, Om peace
Male
Samba samba oh lamba oraeSamba samba, oh lamba orae
Ga sa ri ri ga pa ga reGa sa ri ri ga pa ga re
Samba samba oh lamba oraeSamba samba, oh lamba orae
Ga sa ri ri ga pa ga reGa sa ri ri ga pa ga re
Male
Oh shanthi om shanthiOh peace, Om peace
Naan paadaattaShall I sing?
Santhosham en desamHappiness is my country
Naan aadattaShall I dance?
Ammani ammaniLady, lady
Un panaththukkum unakkumTo your money and to you
Tata tataBye bye
Male
Oh shanthi om shanthiOh peace, Om peace
Naan paadaattaShall I sing?
Santhosham en desamHappiness is my country
Naan aadattaShall I dance?
Ammani ammaniLady, lady
Un panaththukkum unakkumTo your money and to you
Tata tataBye bye
Male
Samba samba ………..Samba samba...
Ga sa ri ri ………………Ga sa ri ri...
Samba samba oh lamba oraeSamba samba, oh lamba orae
Ga sa ri ri ga pa ga reGa sa ri ri ga pa ga re
Male
En isai kettaalIf anyone hears my music
Nagakannum vizhikkumEven a fingernail/dead entity will wake up
En tamil kettaalIf anyone hears my Tamil
Thandavaalam thulirkkumEven railway tracks will sprout leaves
Male
Iyarkkai azhaginilIn nature's beauty
Enakkoru mayakkamI fall into a trance
Seyarkkai kolgalilEven through artificial satellites
En pugazh manakkumMy fame will spread fragrance
Male
Makkalae makkalaeOh people, my people
Neengal dhaan ninaiththaalIf you decide
Edhuvum nadakkumAnything can happen
Male
Samba samba oh lamba oraeSamba samba, oh lamba orae
Ga sa ri ri ga pa ga reGa sa ri ri ga pa ga re
Samba samba oh lamba oraeSamba samba, oh lamba orae
Ga sa ri ri ga pa ga reGa sa ri ri ga pa ga re
Chorus
Shanthi om shanthiPeace Om peace
Shanthi om shanthiPeace Om peace
Dikdiktharaa thiguthiguthai om shanthi om…(6)Rhythmic vocalization repeat...
Shanthi om shanthiPeace Om peace
Shanthi om shanthiPeace Om peace
Male
Singaara kuyilgalBeautiful cuckoos
Sruthi solla vendumShould tune the pitch
Sangeetha kaattrilIn the musical wind
Jathi solla vendumRhythm beats should be spoken
Male
Vanna malargalinWishes of colorful flowers
Vaazhthukkal vendumAre desired
Vangaala kadalumEven the Bay of Bengal
Kai thatta vendumShould applaud
Male
Vinmeengal amaikkaathoWon't the stars set up
Vennilaavil enkkoru rasigar mandramA fan club for me on the moon?
Chorus
Samba lamba am gonna make you scarySamba lamba, I am gonna make you scary
Big fat ruby lopez hard to carryBig fat ruby lopez hard to carry
Is it ever gonna ever gonna feel so weiryIs it ever gonna ever gonna feel so weary
Chorus
Street and not be stones and fairiesStreet and not be stones and fairies
The fall line the bow and the pisces and the ariesThe fall line the bow and the pisces and the aries
In a gonna in a gonna in a gonna fieryIn a gonna in a gonna in a gonna fiery
Chorus
Caught up in the middleCaught up in the middle
Caught up in the meantimeCaught up in the meantime
Chorus
Caught up in the middle of a nameless worldCaught up in the middle of a nameless world
Had you stop! squeeze stopHad you stop! Squeeze stop
Whole bunch crash town girlWhole bunch crash town girl
You’ve got one big problemYou have got one big problem
Male
Samba samba oh lamba oraeSamba samba, oh lamba orae
Ga sa ri ri ga pa ga reGa sa ri ri ga pa ga re
Samba samba oh lamba oraeSamba samba, oh lamba orae
Ga sa ri ri ga pa ga reGa sa ri ri ga pa ga re
Male
Oh shanthi om shanthiOh peace, Om peace
Naan paadaattaShall I sing?
Santhosham en desamHappiness is my country
Naan aadattaShall I dance?
Ammani ..haanLady.. haan
Ammani…haanLady.. haan
Un panaththukkum unakkumTo your money and to you
Tata tataBye bye
Chorus
Samba lamba am gonna make you scarySamba lamba, I am gonna make you scary
Big fat ruby lopez hard to carryBig fat ruby lopez hard to carry
Is it ever gonna ever gonna feel so waryIs it ever gonna ever gonna feel so wary
Chorus
Street and not be stones and fairiesStreet and not be stones and fairies
The fall line the bow and the pisces and the ariesThe fall line the bow and the pisces and the aries
In a gonna in a gonna in a gonna fieryIn a gonna in a gonna in a gonna fiery
Chorus
Caught up in the middleCaught up in the middle
Caught up in the meantimeCaught up in the meantime
Chorus
Caught up in the middle of a nameless worldCaught up in the middle of a nameless world
Had you stop! Squeeze stopHad you stop! Squeeze stop
Whole bunch crash town girlWhole bunch crash town girl
You’ve got one big problemYou have got one big problem

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song 'Shanthi Shanthi' from Love Birds is a celebratory, energetic track centered around joyous self-expression, music, and freedom from material desires. The singer rejects money and social status, declaring happiness as their true homeland and choosing to spread peace and joy through singing and dancing.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Edhugai (Second letter rhyming)

“En tamil kettaal / Thandavaalam thulirkkum”

The second consonant 'na' matches across consecutive lines, creating rhythmic Tamil rhyme.

Hyperbole (Exaggeration)

“En tamil kettaal / Thandavaalam thulirkkum”

Extravagant poetic exaggeration describing the power of music and language to make inanimate objects sprout or moon stars build fan clubs.

Monorhyme / Anaphora

“Shanthi shanthi om shanthi orae”

Repetition of identical lines and rhythmic refrains like 'Shanthi shanthi om shanthi' to build high energy.

Did you know?

Trivia

Although the prompt states 'Music: Unknown', the soundtrack for Love Birds (1996) was composed by A. R. Rahman. The song features Prabhu Deva's signature energetic dance moves and incorporates fast-paced English rap sections alongside Carnatic swara syllables.

Keep listening

More from Love Birds