Skip to content
Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Sogangal Geethangalo

From Kannukku Mai Ezhuthu · 1986

Lyricist
K. Kalimuthu
Singer
Ilayaraja
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
Kannukku Mai Ezhuthu1986

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Sogangal geethangaloAre sorrows turning into songs?
Vaedhanai vaedhangaloAre agonies becoming sacred scriptures?
Sogangal geethangaloAre sorrows turning into songs?
Vaedhanai vaedhangaloAre agonies becoming sacred scriptures?
Kaalam seiyum vanjagamIs this a deception committed by time?
Saavu ennum sanjalamIs death an agonizing distress of life?
Yaar thaan seidha needhiyoWhose justice is this truly?
Male
Sogangal geethangaloAre sorrows turning into songs?
Vaedhanai vaedhangaloAre agonies becoming sacred scriptures?
Male
Thaarani meedhil vaazhkkai ellaamIs all of life upon this earth...
Neeril kolamo..ooo...just a decorative pattern drawn on water?
Thaarani meedhil vaazhkkai ellaamIs all of life upon this earth...
Neeril kolamo...just a decorative pattern drawn on water?
Kanneerinaalae gunamaavadhillaiTears alone cannot heal a grieving heart,
Punnaana nenjam uyir kaappadhillaiA wounded heart cannot preserve a life.
Thaedum selvamaeOh cherished treasure that we seek,
Male
Paadum kuyilaiThe sweet singing cuckoo bird,
Parundhu ondru iraiyaai thaedumA predatory kite searches for it as prey,
Dheivam kaakkumoWill God step in to protect it?
Male
Sogangal geethangaloAre sorrows turning into songs?
Vaedhanai vaedhangaloAre agonies becoming sacred scriptures?
Kaalam seiyum vanjagamIs this a deception committed by time?
Saavu ennum sanjalamIs death an agonizing distress of life?
Yaar thaan seidha needhiyoWhose justice is this truly?
Male
Sogangal geethangaloAre sorrows turning into songs?
Vaedhanai vaedhangaloAre agonies becoming sacred scriptures?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

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.

Keep listening

More from Kannukku Mai Ezhuthu