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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Sorgame Endralum

From Ooru Vittu Ooru Vanthu · 1990

Lyricist
Gangai Amaran
Singers
Ilayaraja, S. Janaki
Music director
Ilayaraja
Details
Ooru Vittu Ooru Vanthu1990

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Hey thanthana thanthana thanthaaHey thanthana thanthana thanthaa
Sorgamae endraalummm….Even if it were heaven itself...
Adhu nam oorai pola varuma…Can it ever equal our own home village?
Ada en naadu endraalummm…Even if it were a foreign land...
Adhu nam naattu eedu aaguma..Can it ever match our own country?
Pala dhesam muzhuthum pesum mozhigalAmong all the languages spoken across many countries
Tamizh pol inithidumaaa…aaaaaaa….Will any sound as sweet as Tamil?
Male
Sorgamae endraalummm….Even if it were heaven itself...
Adhu nam oorai pola varuma…Can it ever equal our own home village?
Ada en naadu endraalummm…Even if it were a foreign land...
Adhu nam naattu eedu aaguma..Can it ever match our own country?
Female
Yerikkarai kaathum yelelo paattumThe breeze from the lake banks and the folk song tunes
Inge yedhum ketkavilaiyaeAre nowhere to be heard here
Male
Paadum kuyil satham aadum mayil nithamThe sound of singing cuckoos and peacocks dancing daily
Paarka oru solai illaiyaeThere is no grove here to see such sights
Female
Vethalaiya madichu maaman adhai kadichiTo fold a betel leaf, chew on it
Thuppa oru vazhiyilaiyaeThere is no place or way to spit it out
Male
Odi vanthu kudhichu mungi mungi kulikkaTo run, jump in, submerge and take a bath
Aada oru odai illaiyaeThere is no stream to swim and play in
Female
Idhu ooru enna ooru… nam ooru romba meluWhat kind of town is this? Our town is far superior!
Male :Ada odum pala carru…veen aadambaram paaruMale: Look at all these running cars... see this vain luxury!
Female :Oru thaagam theerka yedhu moruFemale: Where can one find buttermilk to quench one's thirst here?
Male
Sorgamae endraalummm….Even if it were heaven itself...
Adhu nam oorai pola varuma…Can it ever equal our own home village?
Ada en naadu endraalummm…Even if it were a foreign land...
Adhu nam naattu eedu aaguma..Can it ever match our own country?
Female
Pala dhesam muzhuthum pesum mozhigalAmong all the languages spoken across many countries
Tamizh pol inithidumaaa…aaaaaaa….Will any sound as sweet as Tamil?
Female
Sorgamae endraalummm….Even if it were heaven itself...
Adhu nam oorai pola varuma…Can it ever equal our own home village?
Male
Ada en naadu endraalummm…Even if it were a foreign land...
Adhu nam naattu eedu aaguma..Can it ever match our own country?
Female
Thana thantha thanthana thanthaaThana thantha thanthana thanthaa
Thana thantha thanthana thanthaaThana thantha thanthana thanthaa
Thana thantha thanthana thanthaaThana thantha thanthana thanthaa
Thana thantha thanthana thanthaaThana thantha thanthana thanthaa
Than thaana nana..thana thannan nana..Than thaana nana..thana thannan nana..
Male
Maadu kannu meikka meyirathai paarkaTo graze cattle and calves and watch them feed
Mandhaveli inghae illaiyae..eeehhheyy…There are no open pastures here
Female
Aadu puli aattam pottu vilaiyaaadaTo play the traditional tiger and goat game
Arasamaram medai illaiyae…eeehheyy..There is no platform beneath the sacred fig tree
Male
Kaalai rendu pootti katta vandi ottiTo hitch two bulls, drive a bullock cart
Gaanam paada vazhi illaiyaeAnd sing a song, there is no way here
Female
Thozhigalai alaichu solli solli rasichuTo call friends over, chat, enjoy, and express oneself
Aattam poda mudiyalaiyaeIt is impossible to dance and celebrate freely
Male
Oru endhirathai pola ada ingu ulla vaazhkaiLife here feels just like a machine
Female :Idha enghae poyi solla manam ishtapadavillaiFemale: Whom can I tell this to? My heart does not like this life
Male : Nam oorai pola oorum illai…Male: There is no place quite like our hometown...
Female
Sorgamae endraalummm….Even if it were heaven itself...
Adhu nam oorai pola varuma…Can it ever equal our own home village?
Male
Ada en naadu endraalummm…Even if it were a foreign land...
Adhu nam naattu eedu aaguma..Can it ever match our own country?
Female
Pala dhesam muzhuthum pesum mozhigalAmong all the languages spoken across many countries
Tamizh pol inithidumaaa…aaaaaaa….Will any sound as sweet as Tamil?
Male
Sorgamae endraalummm….Even if it were heaven itself...
Male and Female :Adhu nam oorai pola varuma…Male and Female: Can it ever equal our own home village?
Male :Ada en naadu endraalummm…Male: Even if it were a foreign land...
Male and Female :Adhu nam naattu eedu aaguma..Male and Female: Can it ever match our own country?

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The iconic song 'Sorgamae Endraalum' expresses deep nostalgia, patriotic warmth, and love for one's native rural village and language. The protagonists contrast the artificial, fast-paced, machine-like life of modern urban or foreign places with the simple, joyful, and communal life of their home village. They reminisce about simple pleasures like lake breezes, folk tunes, playing games under the banyan tree, swimming in streams, and drinking buttermilk, concluding that no matter how luxurious or 'heavenly' another place may be, it can never replace home.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Rhetorical Question (Uvamai / Vinaha)

Adhu nam oorai pola varuma… / Adhu nam naattu eedu aaguma.. / Tamizh pol inithidumaaa…aaaaaaa….

Edhugai (Second letter rhyming in Tamil prosody)

Yerikkarai kaathum yelelo paattum / Paadum kuyil satham aadum mayil nitham

Metaphor (Uvagam)

Oru endhirathai pola ada ingu ulla vaazhkai

Alliteration (Monaai)

Pala dhesam muzhuthum pesum mozhigal

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja and written by Gangai Amaran for the film 'Ooru Vittu Ooru Vanthu' (1990) starring Ramarajan and Gautami, this song became an immortal anthem among the Tamil diaspora worldwide, symbolizing love for one's motherland and the Tamil language.

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