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Lyrics & meaning

Thooya Mariye Thaaye

From Karumaiyil Orr Azhahu · 1980

Lyricist
Gnaaniyaar
Singer
Vani Jairam
Music director
Agasthiyar
Details
Karumaiyil Orr Azhahu1980

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Female
Thooya mariye thaayae thooya mariye thaayaeHoly Mother Mary, Holy Mother Mary
Paavi ennai ratchippayaeWill you save me, a sinner?
Paavathin sambalam maranam endraaraeThey said the wages of sin is death
Paavathin sambalam maranam endraaraeThey said the wages of sin is death
Paavi en gadhi enna aagumoo oo oo ooWhat will become of my fate, a sinner?
Thooya mariye thaayae thooya mariye thaayaeHoly Mother Mary, Holy Mother Mary
Female
Yelanam seiyum ivvulagamThis world that mocks and scoffs
Yesu jeeva oli kaana vazhi tharumooWill it show the path to see Jesus, the light of life?
Yelanam seiyum ivvulagamThis world that mocks and scoffs
Yesu jeeva oli kaana vazhi tharumooWill it show the path to see Jesus, the light of life?
Female
Baadhaalam sendraalum vidaathaeEven if one descends into the underworld, it will not leave us
Nam paavam endru unakku theriyumooDo you know that such is the nature of our sin?
Baadhaalam sendraalum vidaathaeEven if one descends into the underworld, it will not leave us
Nam paavam endru unakku theriyumooDo you know that such is the nature of our sin?
Female
Thooya mariye thaayae thooya mariye thaayaeHoly Mother Mary, Holy Mother Mary
Paavi ennai ratchippayaeWill you save me, a sinner?
Paavathin sambalam maranam endraaraeThey said the wages of sin is death
Paavathin sambalam maranam endraaraeThey said the wages of sin is death
Paavi en gadhi enna aagumoo oo oo ooWhat will become of my fate, a sinner?
Thooya mariye thaayae thooya mariye thaayaeHoly Mother Mary, Holy Mother Mary
Female
Kili sollum kadhai poonai ketkkumaWill a cat listen to a story told by a parrot?
Needhi sollum un kadhai aneedhi ketkkumaaWill injustice listen to your story that speaks of justice?
Kili sollum kadhai poonai ketkkumaWill a cat listen to a story told by a parrot?
Needhi sollum un kadhai aneedhi ketkkumaaWill injustice listen to your story that speaks of justice?
Female
Naan sollum kadhai en uyirai ketkkudhaeThe story I tell demands my very life
Naan sollum kadhai en uyirai ketkkudhaeThe story I tell demands my very life
Female
Thooya mariye thaayae thooya mariye thaayaeHoly Mother Mary, Holy Mother Mary
Thooya mariye thaayae ……Holy Mother Mary……

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This emotional Christian devotional song from 'Karumaiyil Orr Azhahu' (1980) is a deeply moving prayer seeking intercession from Mother Mary. The narrator laments their sinful nature, reflecting on the solemn biblical truth that the wages of sin is death. Filled with existential angst, the speaker questions how a hostile and mocking world could ever guide a soul toward Jesus, who is the light of life. The lyricist uses powerful imagery to contrast good and evil, comparing the futile effort of preaching righteousness to an unjust world with telling a story to a predatory cat. Ultimately, the song expresses a profound sense of anguish where the protagonist's tragic life story threatens their very existence, leaving Mother Mary as their sole spiritual refuge.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Biblical Allusion

Paavathin sambalam maranam endraarae

Directly quotes and translates Romans 6:23 ('For the wages of sin is death') into Tamil poetical form.

Metaphor / Analogy (Upamai)

Kili sollum kadhai poonai ketkkuma

Uses the natural enmity between a predator (cat) and prey (parrot) to illustrate how an unjust world refuses to hear messages of righteousness.

Metaphor

Yesu jeeva oli kaana vazhi tharumoo

Describes Jesus using the spiritual metaphor 'Jeeva oli' (Light of Life).

Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Kili sollum kadhai poonai ketkkuma

Employs Tamil second-letter rhyming symmetry with 'Kili' and 'Needhi'.

Did you know?

Trivia

The lyricist Gnaaniyaar incorporated direct Biblical theology into Tamil film music, explicitly quoting Romans 6:23. The film 'Karumaiyil Orr Azhahu' (1980) features this track as a poignant moment of moral and spiritual introspection.

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