- Lyricist
- Vaali
- Music director
- A. M. Raja
- Movie name
- Veettu Mappillai
- Movie release year
- 1973
- Lyrics added on
- 30 Oct 2024
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This song from the 1973 movie Veettu Mappillai portrays the selfless duty of night watchmen who stay awake to keep society safe while everyone else sleeps. It describes how they protect the property of tired workers, guide lost drunkards back to their waiting families, and maintain order in the dark. The song draws a touching parallel between soldiers guarding the nation's borders and night watchmen protecting individual homes, concluding with the humble faith that God will look after the watchmen's own families while they protect others.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Ethukai (Second-letter Rhyme)
“Osaigal adangum aasaigal thodangum”
Matching second consonants across words or lines, such as 'Osaigal' and 'Aasaigal' in the phrase 'Osaigal adangum aasaigal thodangum'.
Antithesis / Parallelism
“Thaayagam kaakka avargal undu / Thaniyagam kaakka naangalundu”
Contrasting the macro-duty of soldiers protecting the country with the micro-duty of watchmen protecting homes.
Anaphora (Repetition)
“Ulagam urangum velai”
The rhythmic repetition of the refrain 'Ulagam urangum velai' emphasizes the constant vigilance required every night.
Did you know?
Trivia
Composed by veteran singer-turned-music director A. M. Raja with lyrics by Vaali, this track features a rare duet combination of T. M. Soundararajan and Malaysia Vasudevan during the early phase of Vasudevan's playback singing career.
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