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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Samudhaya Veedhiyile

From Raja Naagam · 1974

Lyricist
Vaali
Singer
P. Susheela
Music director
V. Kumar
Details
Raja Naagam1974

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Samuthaaya veedhiyilae naan sigappu vilakkuIn the street of society, I am a red light.
Samuthaaya veedhiyilae naan sigappu vilakkuIn the street of society, I am a red light.
Indru kadhaiyaaga vilaipogum kadai sarakkuToday I am a commodity for sale, reduced to a mere story.
Enna solla yaedhu sollaWhat can I say, how can I express?
Enna solla yaedhu sollaWhat can I say, how can I express?
Vetkkakedu veliyil sollaIt is a shameful tragedy to reveal outside.
Female
Samuthaaya veedhiyilae naan sigappu vilakkuIn the street of society, I am a red light.
Female
Manjalodum manamaalaiyodumAdorned with auspicious turmeric and a wedding garland,
Manaiviyendru naan sendra neramWhen I stepped in as a wedded wife,
Nenjil ninaithaen pudhu veedu endruI believed in my heart that it was a new home,
Nenjil ninaithaen pudhu veedu endruI believed in my heart that it was a new home,
Neril kandaen podhu veedu endruIn reality, I found it to be a public house.
Female
Kelikku porulaanaenI became an object of ridicule,
Avan kelvikku idamaanaanWhile he became subject to suspicion and questioning.
Enna solla yaedhu sollaWhat can I say, how can I express?
Vetkkakkedu veliyil sollaIt is a shameful tragedy to reveal outside.
Female
Samuthaaya veedhiyilae naan sigappu vilakkuIn the street of society, I am a red light.
Female
Vaazhvu thodangum mudhal naalin iravuOn the night of the very first day when life was meant to bloom,
Vasanthamalla naan paarththa uravuThe relationship I witnessed was not a joyous spring.
Muthatham sintha edhirpaarththu nindraenI stood waiting with hope for affectionate kisses to shower,
Muthatham sintha edhirpaarththu nindraenI stood waiting with hope for affectionate kisses to shower,
Madhuvai eduththaan idhazhoram vaarththaanHe brought liquor and poured it at the edge of my lips,
Idhzhoram vaarththaanPoured it at the edge of my lips,
Female
Mayakkaththil aazhththi vittaanHe plunged me into deep intoxication,
Manam pola aatti vaithathaanAnd made me dance according to his whims.
Enna solla yaedhu sollaWhat can I say, how can I express?
Vetkkakkedu veliyil sollaIt is a shameful tragedy to reveal outside.
Female
Samuthaaya veedhiyilae naan sigappu vilakkuIn the street of society, I am a red light.
Female
Ennai eduthaen virunthaaga vaithaenI offered myself as a loving feast,
Virunthai eduthaan vilaikku koduththaanHe took that feast and sold it for money.
Kattiya thaali oruvanukendraenI said the sacred wedding knot is meant for only one man,
Kattiya thaali oruvanukendraenI said the sacred wedding knot is meant for only one man,
Kattil paavai varupavarkendraanHe said the bed-doll belongs to whoever comes paying.
Female
Naalum izhanthu vittaenI lost everything day after day,
Indru nadai pinam aagi vittaenToday I have turned into a walking corpse,
Nadai pinam aagi vittaenI have turned into a walking corpse.
Enna solla yaedhu sollaWhat can I say, how can I express?
Vetkkakkedu veliyil sollaIt is a shameful tragedy to reveal outside.
Female
Samuthaaya veedhiyilae naan sigappu vilakkuIn the street of society, I am a red light.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This heart-wrenching song from Raja Naagam (1974) depicts the tragic plight of a young woman forced into prostitution by her own husband. Stepping into marriage with innocent dreams of building a happy family, she experiences a devastating betrayal when her husband treats her merely as a commercial commodity to be exploited and sold for money.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamaani)

Samuthaaya veedhiyilae naan sigappu vilakku

The speaker compares herself to a 'sigappu vilakku' (red light) and 'nadai pinam' (walking corpse), vividly representing her loss of purity, social dignity, and human soul.

Phonetic Contrast / Wordplay (Edhir-sol)

Nenjil ninaithaen pudhu veedu endru ... Neril kandaen podhu veedu endru

Vaali brilliantly contrasts 'pudhu veedu' (new home) with 'podhu veedu' (public house/brothel), highlighting the extreme shift from her sacred marital dream to a tragic reality with just a single vowel shift.

Irony / Antithesis

Kattiya thaali oruvanukendraen ... Kattil paavai varupavarkendraan

Contrasting the sacredness of 'kattiya thaali' (the sacred marriage thread) with the husband's crude designation of her as a 'kattil paavai' (bed doll for any paying guest).

Did you know?

Trivia

Raja Naagam (1974), directed by K. S. Gopalakrishnan, was the Tamil film adaptation of Puttanna Kanagal's legendary Kannada film Nagarahavu (1972). This song stands out as one of P. Susheela's most emotionally charged rendered solos, composed by V. Kumar with poignant lyrics by Vaali that directly critiqued social cruelty.

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