- Lyricist
- K. Kalimuthu
- Singer
- Ilayaraja
- Music director
- Ilayaraja
- Movie name
- Kannukku Mai Ezhuthu
- Movie release year
- 1986
- Lyrics added on
- 5 Oct 2019
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This melancholic song reflects on human suffering, impermanence, and the cruel twists of destiny. The narrator questions whether endless pain and grief are meant to be turned into mere melodies or sacred texts, asking who defined such an unfair code of divine justice. Life on earth is poignantly visualised as a decorative pattern (kolam) drawn on water—frail, fleeting, and easily erased. The lyrics further explore the helplessness of love and grief. Tears cannot heal a broken heart, nor can a wounded mind preserve a life. Using vivid imagery of a sweet singing cuckoo being hunted by a hawk, the song questions whether God actually protects the innocent and fragile from looming tragedy.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uruvagam)
“Neeril kolamo..ooo”
Life is compared to a 'Kolam drawn on water' (Neeril Kolam), symbolizing transient and ephemeral existence that disappears instantly.
Rhetorical Question (Vinaa Alangaaram)
“Yaar thaan seidha needhiyo”
The lyrics consist of multiple unanswered rhetorical questions challenging fate, cosmic justice, and divine intervention.
Allegory / Symbolic Imagery
“Parundhu ondru iraiyaai thaedum”
The innocent victim is represented as a 'singing cuckoo' (Paadum kuyil) while looming death/misfortune is portrayed as a hunting 'kite bird' (Parundhu).
Rhyme / Monai & Ethukai (Tamil Prosody)
“Sogangal geethangalo / Vaedhanai vaedhangalo”
Couplet rhyming and assonance seen in 'Sogangal geethangalo / Vaedhanai vaedhangalo' as well as 'Thaedum' and 'Paadum'.
Did you know?
Trivia
The lyrics for this song were penned by Dr. K. Kalimuthu, a noted Tamil scholar, poet, and politician who served as the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. The film 'Kannukku Mai Ezhuthu' (1986) featured a musical score composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja.
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