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Isaimozhi
Penguin album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Thaai

From Penguin · 2020

Lyricist
Vivek
Singers
Anand Aravindakshan, Santhosh Narayanan
Music director
Santhosh Narayanan
Movie name
Penguin
Movie release year
2020
Lyrics added on
29 Oct 2020

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Meththayaai un vaiyurum
Moththamaai un uyirum
Suththamaai en udhiram
Niththamum nee koduthaai
Maarbum koduthaai
Un manadhum koduthaai
Naan valiyil thudithaal
Un madiyum koduthaai
Maarbum koduthaai
Un manadhum koduthaai
Naan valiyil thudithaal
Un madiyum koduthaai
Garbamaai enai sumandhu
Unnaiyae unavalanthu
Arpamaai kidandha ennai
Sirppamaai mudithu vaithaai
Naan payila nee silirthaai
Naan muyala nee viyarthaai
Naan thuyila nee isaithaai
Naan uyara nee vizhithaai
Hmm mm mm mm…
Male :Maarbum koduthaai
Un manadhum koduthaai
Naan valiyil thudithaal
Un madiyum koduthaai
Thaalae laeloo laeloo laeloo
Thaalae laelaeloo laeloo laelaeloo
Thottilil naan azhuthaal
Thulli vandhu kaadhalithaai
Kitta vandha katterumbai
Katti vaithu nee udhaithaai
Kannukkul ennai vaithu
Kan imaiyil kaaval vaithu
Kangaroo kutty pola
Unnodu otti vaithaai
Nee ennai oottri sutta dhosai
Eppadiyo nei manakkum
Unnai ootri suttathaal thaan
Uyir varai adhu inikkum
Hmm mm mm mm…
Male :Maarbum koduthaai
Un manadhum koduthaai
Naan valiyil thudithaal
Un madiyum koduthaai
Meththayaai un vaiyurum
Moththamaai un uyirum
Suththamaai en udhiram
Niththamum nee koduthaai
Un uyiril paadhi vetti
En uyiril serthu katti
Ulagaththu paasam ellaam
Enakkaai kotti vaithaai
Jenmam ondru enakku irundhaal
Pirandha udan kan vizhippen
Thaai aaga nee illai endraal
Thayangamal uyir thurappen
Yugam pala aanaalum
Un mugam kaana thavam iruppen
Un garbam serum varai
Pirakkaamal kaathiruppen
Hmm mm mm mm…
Male :Maarbum koduthaai
Un manadhum koduthaai
Naan valiyil thudithaal
Un madiyum koduthaai
Hmm mm mm mm…
Male :Maarbum koduthaai
Un manadhum koduthaai
Naan valiyil thudithaal
Un madiyum koduthaai
Meththayaai un vaiyurum
Moththamaai un uyirum
Suththamaai en udhiram
Niththamum nee koduthaai
Your womb as a soft bed,
your whole life,
and pure blood to become mine,
you gave it all to me every day.
You gave me your breast,
you gave me your heart,
whenever I cried in pain,
you gave me your lap.
You gave me your breast,
you gave me your heart,
whenever I cried in pain,
you gave me your lap.
Carrying me in your womb,
giving of yourself to feed me,
I was nothing at all,
yet you shaped me into a sculpture.
When I learned, you beamed with pride,
when I tried, you broke into a sweat,
when I slept, you sang for me,
for me to rise, you stayed awake.
Hmmm mm mm mm…
Male: You gave me your breast,
you gave me your heart,
whenever I cried in pain,
you gave me your lap.
Thaale leloo leloo leloo
Thaale leleloo leloo leleloo
If I cried in the cradle,
you rushed over to shower me with love.
If an ant came anywhere near,
you would tie it up and beat it away.
Keeping me safe inside your eyes,
guarding me with your eyelashes,
just like a baby kangaroo,
you kept me tucked close to you.
The dosas you made with simple oil,
somehow always smelled rich like ghee.
Only because you poured yourself into them,
did they taste sweet right to my soul.
Hmmm mm mm mm…
Male: You gave me your breast,
you gave me your heart,
whenever I cried in pain,
you gave me your lap.
Your womb as a soft bed,
your whole life,
and pure blood to become mine,
you gave it all to me every day.
Cutting away half of your own life,
and binding it with mine,
all the love in the whole world,
you poured out just for me.
If I ever have another life,
I will open my eyes the moment I am born;
if you are not my mother,
I will give up my life without hesitation.
Even if many ages pass,
I will wait in prayer just to see your face.
Until I can enter your womb again,
I will wait without being born.
Hmmm mm mm mm…
Male: You gave me your breast,
you gave me your heart,
whenever I cried in pain,
you gave me your lap.
Hmmm mm mm mm…
Male: You gave me your breast,
you gave me your heart,
whenever I cried in pain,
you gave me your lap.
Your womb as a soft bed,
your whole life,
and pure blood to become mine,
you gave it all to me every day.
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song is a profoundly emotional tribute to maternal love and sacrifice, titled 'Kolame' / 'Pranam' (Dhosai Song) from the mystery thriller movie Penguin (2020), composed by Santhosh Narayanan with lyrics by Vivek. It depicts a child expressing ultimate gratitude towards their mother, describing how she sacrificed her energy, health, comfort, and youth to nourish, raise, and protect her child like a sculptor shaping a piece of stone into art. The lyrics vividly highlight tender childhood memories like sleeping on a mother's lap, her vigilance against any small danger, the magical sweetness of simple homemade food infused with love, and an eternal vow to choose no one else as a mother in future births.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Monorime / Ethekai (Rhyming pattern)

“Naan payila nee silirthaai / Naan muyala nee viyarthaai”

Lines 17-20 feature a rhyming ending structure ('silirthaai', 'viyarthaai', 'isaithaai', 'vizhithaai') creating rhythmic harmony and emotional crescendo.

Simile

“Kangaroo kutty pola / Unnodu otti vaithaai”

Comparing the protective bond between mother and child to a baby kangaroo in its mother's pouch ('Kangaroo kutty pola').

Metaphor

“Arpamaai kidandha ennai / Sirppamaai mudithu vaithaai”

Comparing the unshaped fetus/child to raw stone transformed into a sculpture ('Sirppamaai mudithu vaithaai').

Did you know?

Trivia

The song is popularly known as 'The Dhosai Song' among Tamil music fans due to its endearing reference to a mother's home-cooked food. Penguin (2020) is an OTT-released emotional thriller starring Keerthy Suresh, centered entirely around a mother's relentless search for her missing child.

Keep listening

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From the same album

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