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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Uzhuthane Uzhuthane

From Yer Munai · 1992

Lyricist
Vairamuthu
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
L. Vaithiya Nathan
Details
Yer Munai1992

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Uzhuthanae uzhuthaanae vivasaayi uzhuthaanaeHe ploughed, he ploughed, the farmer ploughed
Yaarukku enna vechchaanWhat did he leave behind, and for whom?
Ada yaarukku enna vechchaanAh, what did he leave behind, and for whom?
Manaivikkum maganukkum magan peththa maganukkumFor his wife, his son, and his son's son,
Kadanthaanae michcham vechchaanHe left only debt behind as remainder.
Verum kadanthaanae michcham vechchaanJust empty debt is what he left behind as remainder.
Male
Uzhuthittu yaer vittu vidhaiyittu payirittuPloughing the field, putting down the plough, sowing seeds, and tending crops,
Adipattu kanneer vittaanHe suffered hardship and shed tears.
Kanneer thudaikka vanthavangaThose who came claiming to wipe away his tears,
Adha kaassu panna paththaangaSought only to make money off his sorrow.
Male
Thunbaththa ellaarum sonnaangaEveryone talked about the suffering,
Adha thudaikkum vazhiyum ennaangaAnd asked how to wipe it away.
Thunbaththa ellaarum sonnaangaEveryone talked about the suffering,
Adha thudaikkum vazhiyum ennaangaAnd asked how to wipe it away.
Male
Moolai uzhaippukku udal uzhaippenna kuraivaaIs physical labor any less worthy than mental labor?
Saeththukulla puzhuvaa sikki kidappathu elithaaIs it easy to remain trapped like a worm in the mud?
Moolai uzhaippukku udal uzhaippenna kuraivaaIs physical labor any less worthy than mental labor?
Saeththukulla puzhuvaa sikki kidappathu elithaaIs it easy to remain trapped like a worm in the mud?
Male
Urpaththi senjavan uppukkum paruppukkumWhy should the producer suffer for basic salt and lentils,
Oodaga theivathennaWasting away through middlemen?
Iadhaththaan ninaikka evarukkum neram illaeNo one has the time to even think about this;
Pozhappu nadaththa bhoomikkil eeram illaeThere is no moisture left in the earth to sustain life.
Vivasaayi thunbam ennaWhat is the true suffering of a farmer?
Antha vivaraththa solla vanthomWe have come to tell you those details.
Vivasaayi thunbam ennaWhat is the true suffering of a farmer?
Antha vivaraththa solla vanthomWe have come to tell you those details.
Male
Uzhuthanae uzhuthaanae vivasaayi uzhuthaanaeHe ploughed, he ploughed, the farmer ploughed
Yaarukku enna vechchaanWhat did he leave behind, and for whom?
Ada yaarukku enna vechchaanAh, what did he leave behind, and for whom?
Manaivikkum maganukkum magan peththa maganukkumFor his wife, his son, and his son's son,
Kadanthaanae michcham vechchaanHe left only debt behind as remainder.
Verum kadanthaanae michcham vechchaanJust empty debt is what he left behind as remainder.
Male
Oomai sanam padumpaaduThe hardship suffered by these voiceless people...
Mozhi illaiyaeThey have no voice or language to express it.
Kalai ilakkaiyam engal thunbamArt and literature never spoke
SollavillaiyaeOf our deep suffering.
Oomai sanam padumpaaduThe hardship suffered by these voiceless people...
Mozhi illaiyaeThey have no voice or language to express it.
Kalai ilakkaiyam engal thunbamArt and literature never spoke
SollavillaiyaeOf our deep suffering.
Male
Veedhi varai vantha cinimaavum dramavumCinema and drama that reached up to the streets
Veettukkul vanthathillaNever entered into our homes.
Veedhi varai vantha cinimaavum dramavumCinema and drama that reached up to the streets
Veettukkul vanthathillaNever entered into our homes.
Sollaththaan nenachchomWe wanted to speak up,
Solla therinjukittomAnd now we have learned how to speak out.
Edhuvum nadakkum enni thuninjuvittomReady for whatever happens, we have found the courage.
Male
Uzhugindra vaazhkkai ennaWhat is the reality of a farming life?
Adhai uzhupavan sonnaalennaWhy shouldn't the one who ploughs explain it himself?
Uzhugindra vaazhkkai ennaWhat is the reality of a farming life?
Adhai uzhupavan sonnaalennaWhy shouldn't the one who ploughs explain it himself?
Male
Uzhuthanae uzhuthaanae vivasaayi uzhuthaanaeHe ploughed, he ploughed, the farmer ploughed
Yaarukku enna vechchaanWhat did he leave behind, and for whom?
Ada yaarukku enna vechchaanAh, what did he leave behind, and for whom?
Manaivikkum maganukkum magan peththa maganukkumFor his wife, his son, and his son's son,
Kadanthaanae michcham vechchaanHe left only debt behind as remainder.
Verum kadanthaanae michcham vechchaanJust empty debt is what he left behind as remainder.
Male
Vellai vetti katti allai thinnugira pozhappaIs this a life of wearing a white veshti while enduring constant pain?
Puzhuthikkula purusana ponjaathi paarththaalum veruppaaEven a wife feels aversion seeing her husband covered in field dust.
Vellai vetti katti allai thinnugira pozhappaIs this a life of wearing a white veshti while enduring constant pain?
Puzhuthikkula purusana ponjaathi paarththaalum veruppaaEven a wife feels aversion seeing her husband covered in field dust.
Male
Veyilukku neer moru koozhukku vengaayamSpiced buttermilk for the heat, onion for rice porridge—
Veraethum inbam illaeThere is no other joy in life.
Veyilukku neer moru koozhukku vengaayamSpiced buttermilk for the heat, onion for rice porridge—
Veraethum inbam illaeThere is no other joy in life.
Male
Uzhaichchu uzhaichchu ulla uyir illaiyaeWorking tirelessly, there is no soul left inside;
Irakkum varakkum nalla kadhi illaiyaeUntil death comes, there is no relief or good fortune.
Yaeru pidichcha inam ini kodi pidikattumaeLet the community that held the plough now raise the flag!
Yaeru pidichcha inam ini kodi pidikattumaeLet the community that held the plough now raise the flag!
Male
Uzhuthanae uzhuthaanae vivasaayi uzhuthaanaeHe ploughed, he ploughed, the farmer ploughed
Yaarukku enna vechchaanWhat did he leave behind, and for whom?
Ada yaarukku enna vechchaanAh, what did he leave behind, and for whom?
Manaivikkum maganukkum magan peththa maganukkumFor his wife, his son, and his son's son,
Kadanthaanae michcham vechchaanHe left only debt behind as remainder.
Verum kadanthaanae michcham vechchaanJust empty debt is what he left behind as remainder.
Male
Uzhuthittu yaer vittu vidhaiyittu payirittuPloughing the field, putting down the plough, sowing seeds, and tending crops,
Adipattu kanneer vittaanHe suffered hardship and shed tears.
Kanneer thudaikka vanthavangaThose who came claiming to wipe away his tears,
Adha kaassu panna paththaangaSought only to make money off his sorrow.
Male
Thunbaththa ellaarum sonnaangaEveryone talked about the suffering,
Adha thudaikkum vazhiyum ennaangaAnd asked how to wipe it away.
Thunbaththa ellaarum sonnaangaEveryone talked about the suffering,
Adha thudaikkum vazhiyum ennaangaAnd asked how to wipe it away.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

The song 'Yer Munai' is a poignant, socio-political critique penned by lyricist Vairamuthu depicting the chronic plight and intergenerational debt cycle of Tamil farmers. It contrasts physical manual labor with intellectual labor, pointing out how the actual food producers are exploited by middlemen, neglected by mainstream media, and ignored by popular art and literature. Despite feeding the nation, the farmer leaves behind nothing but debt for generations to come. In its final movement, the song transforms from a tale of lamentation into a call for social revolution and self-advocacy. It urges the farming community—the 'hands that hold the plough'—to rise, find their collective voice, and 'raise the flag' of empowerment and resistance against exploitation.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Uwamai)

Saeththukulla puzhuvaa sikki kidappathu elithaa

Compares the agrarian physical struggle of working in wet fields to being trapped as a worm in mud.

Metaphor / Symbolism (Uruwagamm)

Yaeru pidichcha inam ini kodi pidikattumae

Uses the transition from holding the plough (yaeru) to holding the flag (kodi) as a symbol of shifting from oppression to political awakening and empowerment.

Rhetorical Question

Moolai uzhaippukku udal uzhaippenna kuraivaa

Questions the societal hierarchy that undervalues hard physical farming labor compared to intellectual office work.

Assonance / Internal Rhyme (Iyaibu / Monai)

Uzhuthittu yaer vittu vidhaiyittu payirittu

Repeated verbal participle endings (-ittu) creating rhythmic momentum that reflects sequential farming tasks.

Did you know?

Trivia

Written by lyricist Vairamuthu, this song uses classical Tamil folk rhythms modeled after street theatre (Therukoothu) and protest songs. It reflects rural themes prevalent in 1990s Tamil parallel cinema and grassroots farmer movements in Tamil Nadu.

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