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Isaimozhi
Badri album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Travelling Soldier

From Badri · 2001

Lyricist
Pazhani Bharathi
Singer
Ramana Gogula
Music director
Ramana Gogula
Movie name
Badri
Movie release year
2001
Lyrics added on
28 Jan 2018

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Look at my face in the mirror
And I wonder what I see
I’m just a travelling soldier
And I’ll be all I can be
{But right now (right now)
I just want to be free
I want to be all I can be} (2)
Oh they say I’m a failure
Do they know who I can be?
If they wanna know who I am
They just have to wait and see
But right now (right now)
I just want to be free
I want to be all I can be
Look at my face in the mirror
And I wonder what I see
I’m just a travelling soldier
And I’ll be all I can be
{But right now (right now)
I just want to be free
I want to be all I can be} (2)
Hey hey I wanna be
All I can be
Huh… huh…
………………………………….
I’m just a travelling soldier
And I’ll be all I can be
{But right now (right now)
I just want to be free
I want to be all I can be} (2)
………………………………………..
I’m just a travelling soldier
And I’ll be all I can be
{But right now (right now)
I just want to be free
I want to be all I can be} (2)
{Hey hey I wanna be
All I can be} (3)
Look at my face in the mirror
And I wonder what I see
I'm just a traveling soldier
And I'll be all I can be
But right now (right now)
I just want to be free
I want to be all I can be
Oh, they say I'm a failure
Do they know who I can be?
If they wanna know who I am
They just have to wait and see
But right now (right now)
I just want to be free
I want to be all I can be
Look at my face in the mirror
And I wonder what I see
I'm just a traveling soldier
And I'll be all I can be
But right now (right now)
I just want to be free
I want to be all I can be
Hey hey, I wanna be
All I can be
Huh... huh...
...
I'm just a traveling soldier
And I'll be all I can be
But right now (right now)
I just want to be free
I want to be all I can be
...
I'm just a traveling soldier
And I'll be all I can be
But right now (right now)
I just want to be free
I want to be all I can be
Hey hey, I wanna be
All I can be
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Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

The song 'Travelling Soldier' serves as an upbeat, motivational youth anthem in the movie Badri (2001). The protagonist reflects upon his personal journey, looking in the mirror and questioning his current state while brushing off society's perception of him as a failure. He views himself as a lone warrior on a journey who is destined for greatness. The core emotional drive is a desire for current freedom and unwavering confidence in his eventual triumph over doubts.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor

I’m just a travelling soldier

The speaker compares himself to a 'travelling soldier', symbolizing his life as an ongoing fight and journey.

End Rhyme

And I wonder what I see / And I’ll be all I can be / I just want to be free

Consistent end rhyming words ('see', 'be', 'free') create a catchy rhythm and emphasis.

Refrain / Repetition

I just want to be free / I want to be all I can be

Repeated phrasing reinforces the protagonist's determination and underlying desire for personal liberty.

Did you know?

Trivia

This track was composed by Ramana Gogula, who originally created it for the Telugu smash hit 'Thammudu' (1999) starring Pawan Kalyan. When the film was remade in Tamil as 'Badri' (2001) starring Vijay, the popular western-style rock track was retained and became an iconic youth anthem in Tamil Nadu.

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