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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Seithaan Nanban

From Sughamaai Subbulakshmi · 2018

Lyricist
Yuwaji
Singers
Shameshan Mani Maran, Jack
Music director
Shameshan Mani Maran
Details
Sughamaai Subbulakshmi2018

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Chorus
Pap pap pap paba papPap pap pap paba pap
Pap pap pap paba papPap pap pap paba pap
Pap pap pap paba papPap pap pap paba pap
Pap pap pap paba papPap pap pap paba pap
Male
Enna daHey man,
Enna pesa vekkuriyaa….Are you making me talk?
Chorus
Pap pap pap paba papPap pap pap paba pap
Pap pap pap paba pap………………Pap pap pap paba pap
Male
Pennaalae ponaanaeHe left because of a girl,
EnnaavenWhat will happen to me?
Seithaan nanbanMy friend betrayed me.
Engae thaan poovenoWhere will I go?
Nandraaga seithaan nanbanMy friend did me in properly.
Male
Muthugilae kuththavaeJust to stab me in the back,
Pazhaga vanthavanHe became friendly with me.
Kizhinji pona paper-ahLike a torn piece of paper,
Paranthu ponavanHe flew away.
Male
Kedaicha anthaThat piece that was obtained,
Chicken piece-ehThat chicken piece,
Unakku thantha thiyaagi naanI was the sacrificial martyr who gave it to you.
Maranthu pooyiForgetting everything,
Paatha maari poona neeyumYou passed by looking at me like a stranger,
Dhrogi thaanYou are truly a traitor.
Male
Pennaalae ponaanaeHe left because of a girl,
EnnaavenWhat will happen to me?
Seithaan nanbanMy friend betrayed me.
Engae thaan poovenoWhere will I go?
Nandraaga seithaan nanbanMy friend did me in properly.
Chorus
Seithaan seithaanDevil, devil,
Seithaan nanbanDevilish friend.
Seithaan seithaanDevil, devil,
Seithaan nanbanDevilish friend.
Seithaan seithaanDevil, devil,
Seithaan nanbanDevilish friend.
Seithaan seithaanDevil, devil,
Seithaan nanbanDevilish friend.
Male
Raththam sinthinen…senjittaanI shed blood... he ruined me.
Vervai sinthinen…senjittaanI shed sweat... he ruined me.
Love-u vanthathumOnce love came along,
Vittu poonatheen…odiyaeWhy did you abandon me and run away?
Thooram vanthathaal…senjittaanBecause distance grew... he ruined me.
Touch-u ponathae…senjittaanBecause contact was lost... he ruined me.
Sogam mattumae micham aanathaeOnly sorrow remained.
Male
Kaaththu veesiWhen the wind blew,
Saainju poona kudisai pola maarinenI became like a tilted hut.
Udainju pooyi enna ingaeBroken inside right here,
Polamba veche paaviyaeYou sinner, you made me lament!
Dei………………Hey man!
Chorus
Seithaan seithaanDevil, devil,
Seithaan nanbanDevilish friend.
Seithaan seithaanDevil, devil,
Seithaan nanbanDevilish friend.
Seithaan seithaanDevil, devil,
Seithaan nanbanDevilish friend.
Seithaan seithaanDevil, devil,
Seithaan nanbanDevilish friend.
Male
Etti paarkirenI try to look from afar,
Thalli poogiraaiYou move away.
Micham mithiyaai ennai paarkiraaiYou look at me like leftover scraps.
Azhutha kaadhaliOnce the crying girlfriend
Vanthu sernthathumCame and joined you,
Aasai nanbanai thooki veesinaaiYou tossed away your dear friend.
Male
Sirichi pesum ponna nambiTrusting a girl who talks smilingly,
Pirinju pona neeramaeWhen you parted ways,
Sarinji pona paalam polaLike a collapsed bridge,
Udanju pochi nenjamaeMy heart broke into pieces.
Chorus
Seithaan seithaanDevil, devil,
Seithaan nanbanDevilish friend.
Seithaan seithaanDevil, devil,
Seithaan nanbanDevilish friend.
Seithaan seithaanDevil, devil,
Seithaan nanbanDevilish friend.
Seithaan seithaanDevil, devil,
Seithaan nanbanDevilish friend.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song 'Seithaan Nanban' from Sughamaai Subbulakshmi is a humorous yet poignant lament of a young man who feels deeply betrayed by his best friend. The moment his friend enters a romantic relationship, he abandons their lifelong camaraderie, ignores him like a stranger, and throws away their bond like trash. The narrator sarcastically details his sacrifices—from sharing chicken pieces to standing by him through blood and sweat—only to be discarded for love. Through vivid everyday analogies such as a windblown hut and a collapsed bridge, the song conveys the heartbreak of lost male friendship, using a clever play on words where 'Seithaan' functions both as 'he did it/betrayed me' and 'Satan'.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Double Entendre / Pun (Siledai)

Seithaan seithaan / Seithaan nanban

The word 'Seithaan' plays on two meanings in Tamil: 'he did it/tricked me' (seithaan) and 'Satan/Devil' (Saithan).

Simile (Upamai)

Kizhinji pona paper-ah / Paranthu ponavan

Compares the friend's sudden departure to a torn piece of paper blowing away in the wind.

Simile (Upamai)

Kaaththu veesi / Saainju poona kudisai pola maarinen

Compares the speaker's emotional ruin to a fragile hut collapsing when hit by strong winds.

Simile (Upamai)

Sarinji pona paalam pola / Udanju pochi nenjamae

Compares the speaker's broken heart to a bridge that has collapsed.

Did you know?

Trivia

The song uses colloquial youth urban slang ('chicken piece', 'touch-u ponathae', 'love-u vanthathum') to capture the authentic banter and grief of modern college-age friendships in Tamil Nadu.

Keep listening

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