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Isaimozhi
Thambi album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Sudum Nilavu Sudatha

From Thambi · 2005

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singers
Unnikrishnan, Harini
Music director
Vidyasagar
Movie name
Thambi
Movie release year
2005
Lyrics added on
12 Feb 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Sudum nilavu sudaatha sooriyan
Odum nimisam uraiyum varusam
{ Ellam ellam ellam venduma } (2)
{ Kaadhalithu paar kaadhalithu paar } (2)
Sudum nilavu sudaatha sooriyan
Odum nimisam uraiyum varusam
Imaiadithaalum idhayam valikum
Valigalil kooda vaasanai irukum
{ Kaadhalithu paar kaadhalithu paar } (2)
Narambuku naduvae nadhigal nagarum
Nadhi irundhaalum naavae ularum
Thapu ellam kadidham aagum
Thavaru ellam punitham aagum
Pachai thanneer vepam aagum
Echil pandam amirdham aagum
Naaku udhadu pesum vaarthai
Mutham aagum
Sudum nilavu sudaatha sooriyan
Odum nimisam uraiyum varusam
………………………………….
……………………………………
Mazhai thuli namaku samudhiram aagum
Samudhiram ellam thuliyaai pogum
{ Kaadhalithu paar kaadhalithu paar } (2)
Sathiya kaadhal ennavum seiyum
Chandhira oliyai aadaiyaai neiyum
Thotta baagam mochamaagum
Mathabaagam kaaichalaagum
Deivam theindhu mirugam aagum
Mirugam thoongi deivam aagum
Thedal ondrae vaazhkai endru therindhu pogum
{ Kaadhalithu paar kaadhalithu paar } (2)
A scorching moon, a sun that doesn't burn
Minutes that race by, years that stand frozen
Do you want to experience all this, all of it?
Try falling in love, just try falling in love
A scorching moon, a sun that doesn't burn
Minutes that race by, years that stand frozen
Even the blink of an eye makes the heart ache
Yet even in that pain, there is a sweet fragrance
Try falling in love, just try falling in love
Rivers will begin to flow through your veins
Yet with a river inside, your tongue will still falter
Every scribble will turn into a love letter
Every mistake will turn sacred
Plain cold water will feel warm
Food once tasted will turn into sweet nectar
The words spoken by your tongue and lips
Will turn into a kiss
A scorching moon, a sun that doesn't burn
Minutes that race by, years that stand frozen
...
...
A single drop of rain will feel like an ocean to us
And whole oceans will shrink into a single drop
Try falling in love, just try falling in love
True love can do anything
It will weave moonlight into clothing
The part that is touched turns into heaven
While the rest of the body burns with fever
The divine wears away to become a wild beast
The beast falls asleep and becomes divine again
You will realize that the search itself is life
Try falling in love, just try falling in love
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

The song 'Sudum Nilavu' from the movie 'Thambi' (2005) is an evocative ode to the paradoxical and transformative nature of love. Through rich, imagery-laden poetry, lyricist Vairamuthu explores how love distorts perception—making cool moonlight burn, hot sunshine cool, minutes sprint, and years stand still. Love converts flaws into sacred beauty, pain into fragrance, and everyday reality into divine bliss. In the second half, the song delves deeper into the psychological and spiritual dimensions of romantic affection. Love strips away self-control and societal constructs, oscillating between animalistic desire and divine transcendency. Ultimately, the song serves as an invitation to experience love, declaring that the unending search for intimacy and meaning is the true essence of human existence.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Oxymoron / Paradox (Muran)

“Sudum nilavu sudaatha sooriyan”

Contradictory concepts placed together to highlight love's paradoxical nature, such as a hot moon and an unburning sun.

Initial Rhyme (Monai)

“Sudum nilavu sudaatha sooriyan”

Repetition of the initial 'Su' sound in 'Sudum' and 'Sudaatha'.

Hyperbole (Uyarvu Navitchi)

“Mazhai thuli namaku samudhiram aagum / Samudhiram ellam thuliyaai pogum”

Exaggeration where a single drop of rain feels like an immense ocean, and the vast ocean shrinks into a drop.

Metaphor (Urvagam)

“Chandhira oliyai aadaiyaai neiyum”

Comparing intangible moonlight to fabric woven into clothing.

Did you know?

Trivia

Composed by Vidyasagar for the 2005 film 'Thambi' starring Madhavan and Pooja, this track showcases Vairamuthu's trademark style of blending sensory paradoxes with philosophical musings on passion and spirituality.

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