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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Sethey Ponendi

From Mahabalipuram · 2015

Lyricist
O. G. Dass
Singer
O. G. Dass
Music directors
Not listed
Details
Mahabalipuram2015

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Haa…aaa….aaa….aaaa…Haa…aaa….aaa….aaaa…
Haaa…aaaa…aaa….aaa….Haaa…aaaa…aaa….aaa….
Chorus
…………………………….…………………………....
Male
Sethae ponendi unna paakkaiyilaI almost died when I saw you
Bejaar aanendi unna nenakkaiyilaI got restless when I thought of you
Sethae ponendi unna paakkaiyilaI almost died when I saw you
Bejaar aanendi unna nenakkaiyilaI got restless when I thought of you
Male
Aththai magala minji puttaYou surpassed my cross-cousin in beauty
Sathiyama konnuttaSwear on truth, you killed me with your looks
Unna vida endha ponnumNo other girl compared to you
Eedu illa poThere is no match, go on
Male
En scooter vandiyilaOn my scooter bike
Unna yethikkanumI want to give you a ride
Illa carula poganumnaOr if you want to travel by car
Machan car-ah koduppaanMy buddy will lend his car
Male
Sethae ponendi unna paakkaiyilaI almost died when I saw you
Bejaar aanendi unna nenakkaiyilaI got restless when I thought of you
Chorus
Ah ah ah ahAh ah ah ah
Naan paatha ponnu peru meenaThe name of the girl I saw was Meena
Ava iduppa kuzhukki mena minukkiSwaying her waist and shining brightly
Poduraalae scenaShe puts on quite a show
She is the azhakaana gramathu figuruShe is a beautiful village girl
Nee avala love pannathuFalling in love with her
Romba romba thavaruWas a very, very big mistake
Chorus
Naan pera maathiI changed my name
Maarinnu vachenaeAnd called myself Maari
Jeans panta thookki pottuDitching my jeans pants
Vetti sattai potenaeI wore a dhoti and shirt
Kaadhalicha enna vittuLeaving me who loved her
Avangappan pecha ketppaalaeShe listened to her father's words
Bye bye-nu solliputtu mamankitta ponaalaeSaying bye-bye, she went away with her uncle
Chorus
I am sitting under a manga maramI am sitting under a mango tree
Patha oru figure wearing blue sareeSaw a girl wearing a blue saree
Ava pinnala follow panni ponendiI followed behind her
Yei machaan ippathaan en main storyHey buddy, now starts my main story
Chorus
I said hi …ava sonnaal helloI said hi, she said hello
Coffee kudikka polaamaannu kettengoI asked her if we could go drink coffee
En kaathukitta vanthu ippo sonnaangoShe came near my ear and said
Enakku nichayam aayi pala naal aachungaI got engaged many days ago, sir
Male
Adam pudikkaamaWithout throwing a tantrum
Nilumaa nee konchamWait a moment, girl
Aayiram per vantha koodaEven if a thousand people come
Neethaan en chellamYou alone are my darling
Male
Annan thambi ethana peruHow many brothers do you have?
Solli vittu po poTell me and go, go
Ellaarumae machan thaanaeEveryone is a brother-in-law anyway
Sontham aaginomWe have all become relatives
Male
Kaathula kadukkaan pottuWearing an stud in my ear
Unna mayakkida vanthavan naanI came to charm you
Kanavula kanavula paathuSeeing you in my dreams again and again
Unna rasikkiren naan ippoI am admiring you now
Male
En rosa enga adhuWhere is my rose?
Pochi pullaIt is gone, girl
Unna thedi odiRunning in search of you
Naan manda kaanchenMy brain got fried
Chorus
Fruit shoppil paatha oru figuruA girl I saw at a fruit shop
Ava strawberry pola colouruShe had a strawberry-like skin tone
Figurunna figuru thuppaakki figuruWhat a stunner, a deadly stunner girl
Thaakkuthu ava poweruHer charm strikes with power
Chorus
Ava naattu katta ippo dhimsu kattaShe is a solid, shapely local beauty
Iva asathura azhagila maattikittaI got trapped in her dazzling charm
Vellakkaara ponnu ena nenachukittuThinking of myself as a match for a foreign girl
Naanum local ponnukitta maattikittenI ended up getting trapped by a local girl
Chorus
Kadalkara kitta paathen pachakiliI saw a green-parrot-like girl near the beach
Kitta poi naanum pesa ponenadiI went near to talk to her
Kathaiyila ippo vanthathae twistNow comes the twist in the story
Come on everybody listen to thisCome on everybody, listen to this
Chorus
Ava kudumbathudan angu jollyShe was jolly there with her family
Ayyayo ippothaan en vaazhkkai gaaliOh no, my life is ruined now
Enakko kidaithadhu nothing but a goliWhat I got was nothing at all
Yena ava kazhuthila pathen manja thaaliBecause I saw a sacred yellow thread on her neck
Male
Sethae ponendi unna paakkaiyilaI almost died when I saw you
Bejaar aanendi unna nenakkaiyilaI got restless when I thought of you
Sethae ponendi unna paakkaiyilaI almost died when I saw you
Bejaar aanendi unna nenakkaiyilaI got restless when I thought of you
Male
Aththai magala minji puttaYou surpassed my cross-cousin in beauty
Sathiyama konnuttaSwear on truth, you killed me with your looks
Unna vida endha ponnumNo other girl compared to you
Eedu illa poThere is no match, go on
Male
En scooter vandiyilaOn my scooter bike
Unna yethikkanumI want to give you a ride
Illa carula poganumnaOr if you want to travel by car
Machan car-ah koduppaanMy buddy will lend his car
Male
Sethae ponendi unna paakkaiyilaI almost died when I saw you
Bejaar aanendi unna nenakkaiyilaI got restless when I thought of you
Female
Haa…aaa….aaa….aaaa…Haa…aaa….aaa….aaaa…
Haaa…aaaa…aaa….aaa….Haaa…aaaa…aaa….aaa….

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song 'Sethae Ponendi' from the movie Mahabalipuram (2015) is a comedic, light-hearted Tamil Gaana track describing the humorous love misadventures of a local youth. He expresses his overwhelming attraction towards women he encounters in daily life, only to face comedic rejections or unexpected twists each time. From changing his dress style to impress a village girl who leaves him for her uncle, to trying to flirt with a girl who turns out to be engaged, and finally falling for a girl at the beach who is already married, the protagonist narrates his tragicomic romantic failures.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Rhyme / Ethirai (Anaphora)

Sethae ponendi unna paakkaiyila / Bejaar aanendi unna nenakkaiyila

Repetition of initial or internal rhyming sounds across lines, standard in Tamil light music and Gaana lyrics (e.g., 'paakkaiyila' / 'nenakkaiyila').

Simile / Upamai

Ava strawberry pola colouru

Comparing the girl's complexion directly to a strawberry ('strawberry pola colouru').

Hyperbole

Sethae ponendi unna paakkaiyila / Sathiyama konnutta

Exaggerating the emotional impact of seeing the girl as 'dying' or 'getting killed'.

Code-mixing / Tanglish

Fruit shoppil paatha oru figuru / Kathaiyila ippo vanthathae twist

Seamlessly blending English casual words with Chennai local slang to create a contemporary Gaana aesthetic.

Did you know?

Trivia

'Mahabalipuram' (2015) is an Indian Tamil-language drama film starring Vinith, Karunakaran, and Ramesh. The soundtrack features energetic, local Chennai Gaana-pop rhythms that capture youth culture and colloquial humor.

Keep listening

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