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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Thaila Thaila

From Vaagai Sooda Vaa · 2011

Lyricist
Ve. Ramaswamy
Singer
Rita
Music director
M. Ghibran
Details
Vaagai Sooda Vaa2011

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics↻ English translation
Female
Oh..ohhoo..oh..oh..oh..hoo..ohhoo..Oh..ohhoo..oh..oh..oh..hoo..ohhoo..
Oh..ohhoo..oh..oh..oh..hoo..ohhoo..Oh..ohhoo..oh..oh..oh..hoo..ohhoo..
Female
Thaila thaila thaila thailaThaila thaila thaila thaila
Thaila thaila thaila kiliThaila thaila thaila, little parrot girl
Thaila thaila thaila thailaThaila thaila thaila thaila
Thanthan thaiyaloo…Thanthan thaiyaloo...
Female
Ah thaila thaila thaila thailaAh thaila thaila thaila thaila
Thaila thaila thaila kiliThaila thaila thaila, little parrot girl
Thaila thaila thaila thailaThaila thaila thaila thaila
Thanthan thaiyaloo…Thanthan thaiyaloo...
Female
Pattam poochi rekkaiyilaOn the wings of a butterfly,
Kannadi thaan pakka vachaanHe placed a mirror for us to see.
Vella kaakkaA white crow,
Malakka thaan parakka vachaanHe made it fly upside down in the sky.
Female
Veta veli pottalulaIn the vast open wasteland,
Nondi mazhai paiyaiyilaAs a light, intermittent rain began to fall,
Senga soola poothiruchaeThe red brick kiln bloomed,
SeventhiyadaLike a chrysanthemum flower, my dear!
Female
Oh..ohhoo..oh..oh..oh..hoo..ohhoo..Oh..ohhoo..oh..oh..oh..hoo..ohhoo..
Oh..ohhoo..oh..oh..oh..hoo..ohhoo..Oh..ohhoo..oh..oh..oh..hoo..ohhoo..

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This vibrant Tamil folk track captures surreal rural imagery and celebration within a brick kiln village context. Through poetic exaggerations—such as affixing mirrors to butterfly wings and making a rare white crow fly upside down—the song establishes a sense of magical realism. The central image paints a harsh, open wasteland transforming into a site of beauty as light rain falls and the red brick kiln glows brightly, likened to a chrysanthemum in full bloom.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Surrealism / Hyperbole

“Pattam poochi rekkaiyila Kannadi thaan pakka vachaan”

Uses whimsical and impossible imagery (mirrors on butterfly wings) to evoke folk wonder.

Visual Imagery & Oxymoron

“Vella kaakka Malakka thaan parakka vachaan”

The concept of a 'vella kaakka' (white crow) flying upside down creates vivid, paradoxically surreal visual folklore.

Uvamai (Simile / Metaphor)

“Senga soola poothiruchae Seventhiyada”

Compares the glowing red brick kiln ('senga soola') amidst rain to a blooming chrysanthemum ('seventhi') flower.

Santham (Rhythmic Folk Refrain)

“Thaila thaila thaila kili Thanthan thaiyaloo…”

Traditional rhythmic phonetic sounds ('Thaila thaila', 'Thanthan thaiyaloo') typical of Tamil Nattupura Paatu.

Did you know?

Trivia

Vaagai Sooda Vaa (2011) marked the debut of composer M. Ghibran, whose score heavily incorporated authentic 1960s Tamil rural folk aesthetics and orchestrations. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil and earned widespread acclaim for its period-accurate music.

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