- Lyricist
- Ilayakamban
- Singers
- Shankar Mahadevan, Clinton Cerejo
- Music director
- A. R. Rahman
- Movie name
- Thenali
- Movie release year
- 2000
- Lyrics added on
- 3 Nov 2017
Lyrics & meaning
♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Oooohoooo…yeah
Thenaali.. hooo…
Thenaali yeah yeh
Ivan bayathukku ingedhu veli
Thenaali..yeah … yeh
Ivan bayam thaan palarukku joli
Neruppal panju bayandhaal
Veesum puyalaal poovum bayandhaal
Adhu nyayamdhaan
Chorus :Thenaali.. hooo…
Pagalaal iravu bayandhaal
Parakkum parundhaal kuyilum bayandhaal
Adhu nyayamdhaan
Chorus :Nyayamdhaan nyayamdhaan
Pesaadha oru pennum
Nindru kannaal kaniththu paarthaal
Bayam nyayamdhaan
Chorus :Bayam nyayamdhaan
Naan dhaan
Endraa manidhanai kandu
Gyanam bayandhu naluvinaal
Adhu nyayamdhaan
Chorus :Ohooo..yeah
Thenaalikku elaam bayamdhaan
Thenaalikku elaam bayam
Chorus :Thenaali …
Male :Thenaalikku elaam bayamdhaan
Thenaalikku elaam bayam
Thenaali yeah yeh
Ivan bayathukku ingedhu veli
Thenaali..yeah … yeh
Ivan bayam thaan palarukku joli
Ohooo….
Vaaa…navil thon…drudhae
Vaanavil thondruthae
Vannangal illaiyae
Vaalibam karaindhu pogudhae
Vazhvin vannam maarudhae
Thigil ennum theepori
Thendralai azhaikudhae
Thee anaikka ninaithaal
Deepaavali thondrudhae
Thaaimadi yeppodhadhi
Chorus :Ooo yeah ooo oo
Ow wow wow wow yeah
Ooo yeah ooo oo
Yeah yeah yeah yeh yeh…..
Thenaalikku elaam bayamdhaan
Thenaalikku elaam bayam
Vinn….veli pogudhae
Veesidum katrinil
Vinveli nagarndhu pogudhae
Idi ondru vizhundhaal
Ivan uyir udaiyudhae
Boomi ondru modhi
Imayamum nagarudhae
Bayandhu ivan nadandhaal
Bhoomiyum adhirudhae
Ohh thaaimadi yeppodhadhi
Thenaali yeah yeh
Ivan bayathukku ingedhu veli
Thenaali..yeah … yeh
Ivan bayam thaan palarukku joli
Neruppal panju bayandhaal
Veesum puyalaal poovum bayandhaal
Adhu nyayamdhaan
Chorus :Nyayam nyayam dhaan
Pagalaal iravu bayandhaal
Parakkum parundhaal kuyilum bayandhaal
Adhu nyayamdhaan
Chorus :Nyayamdhaan nyayamdhaan
Pesaadha oru pennum
Nindru kannaal kaniththu paarthaal
Bayam nyayamdhaan..ohoo
Chorus :Nyayamdhaan nyayamdhaan
Bayam nyayam dhaan
Naan dhaan
Endraa manidhanai kandu
Gyanam bayandhu naluvinaal
Adhu nyayamdhaan
Chorus :Ohooo..yeah
Thenaalikku elaam bayamdhaan
Thenaalikku elaam bayam
Thenaalikku elaam bayamdhaan
Thenaalikku elaam bayam
Oh oh oh ho oh... yeah!
Thenali... ho oh...
Thenali, yeah!
Where is the boundary for his fear?
Thenali... yeah!
His fear provides work for so many people!
If cotton is afraid of fire,
If a flower is afraid of a blowing storm,
That makes sense!
Chorus: Thenali... ho oh...
If the night is afraid of daylight,
If the cuckoo is afraid of a soaring hawk,
That makes sense!
Chorus: That makes sense, that makes sense!
When even a silent woman
Stands and sizes you up with her eyes,
Fear makes complete sense!
Chorus: Fear makes complete sense!
"I am supreme,"
Seeing a man who boasts like that,
If wisdom gets scared and slips away,
That makes sense!
Chorus: Oh ho oh... yeah!
For Thenali, everything is fear!
Thenali is afraid of everything!
Chorus: Thenali...
Male: For Thenali, everything is fear!
Thenali is afraid of everything!
Thenali, yeah!
Where is the boundary for his fear?
Thenali... yeah!
His fear provides work for so many people!
Oh ho oh...
A rain...bow appears...
A rainbow appears,
Yet it has no colors!
Youth is melting away,
The colors of life keep changing.
The spark of terror
Invites the breeze to fan the flames,
If you try to put out the fire,
It bursts into a whole Diwali of fireworks!
When will he find a mother's lap?
Chorus: Ooh yeah ooh ooh
Ow wow wow wow yeah
Ooh yeah ooh ooh
Yeah yeah yeah eh eh...
For Thenali, everything is fear!
Thenali is afraid of everything!
Outer space... drifts away,
In the blowing wind,
Outer space drifts away.
If a single thunderbolt strikes,
His very life shatters!
As if another earth collided,
Even the Himalayas seem to shake!
When he walks around in terror,
Even the earth trembles!
Oh, when will he find a mother's lap?
Thenali, yeah!
Where is the boundary for his fear?
Thenali... yeah!
His fear provides work for so many people!
If cotton is afraid of fire,
If a flower is afraid of a blowing storm,
That makes sense!
Chorus: It makes sense, it makes sense!
If the night is afraid of daylight,
If the cuckoo is afraid of a soaring hawk,
That makes sense!
Chorus: That makes sense, that makes sense!
When even a silent woman
Stands and sizes you up with her eyes,
Fear makes complete sense... oh ho!
Chorus: That makes sense, that makes sense!
Fear makes complete sense!
"I am supreme,"
Seeing a man who boasts like that,
If wisdom gets scared and slips away,
That makes sense!
Chorus: Oh ho oh... yeah!
For Thenali, everything is fear!
Thenali is afraid of everything!
For Thenali, everything is fear!
Thenali is afraid of everything!
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Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
The title track 'Thenali' from the movie 'Thenali' introduces the protagonist's extreme phobia and anxiety toward almost everything in existence. Through vivid analogies, the song argues that fear is natural in the universe—just as cotton fears fire, flowers fear storms, and cuckoos fear hawks, Thenali's overwhelming fear is a realistic response to his past trauma.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Edhugai (Monostich / Second-letter Rhyme)
“Neruppal panju bayandhaal / Veesum puyalaal poovum bayandhaal”
The second letter 'ru'/'s' matches across lines: Neruppal / Veesum / Adhu in Tamil metrical structure.
Analogy / Metaphor
“Neruppal panju bayandhaal / Veesum puyalaal poovum bayandhaal”
Compares human fear to natural fears like cotton fearing fire or flowers fearing blowing storms.
Hyperbole
“Bayandhu ivan nadandhaal / Bhoomiyum adhirudhae”
Exaggerates the protagonist's fear to state that when he walks in fear, the Earth itself trembles.
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