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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Vaalibam Oru

From Neelagiri Express · 1968

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singers
T. M. Soundararajan, L. R. Eswari
Music director
T. K. Ramamoorthy
Details
Neelagiri Express1968

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Chorus
Humming ……….[Humming]
Male
Vaalibam oru vellithattuYouth is like a silver plate,
Varuvadhai adhil allikottuPour whatever joy comes into it!
Vaazhkai vaazhvadharkkaeLife is meant to be lived!
Female
Kaadhalil iru kannai vittuSurrendering both eyes to love,
Kalandhu poo oru pennai thottuGo mingle after touching a woman,
Kaalam kadhalukkaeTime belongs to romance!
Chorus
Humming ……….[Humming]
Male
Sittraadai katti kondaUpon seeing a young girl
Chinna pennai kandumDraped in a traditional skirt,
Female :Kattadha pakkam mattumFemale: Only towards the unread pages,
Kangal rendum sellumBoth eyes keep wandering.
Chorus
Humming ……….[Humming]
Male
Kattodu katta solliAsking to embrace tightly,
Kaigal rendum thullumBoth hands leap with joy.
Female :Kaadhal ennum vellam vandhuFemale: The flood named love arrives,
Kaalai thottu sellumTouches the feet and flows past.
Chorus
Kottungadi kaiyai kottungadiClap your hands, girls, clap your hands!
Indha kuruttu maattai kattungadiTie up this blind bull, girls!
Koodi thavittai vaari eduthuGather the cattle feed together,
Kozhaichu pottu thattungadiMix it into paste and pat it on him!
Thattungadi thattungadi thattungadi thattungadiPat it, pat it, pat it, pat it!
Kottungadi kaiyai kottungadiClap your hands, girls, clap your hands!
Indha kuruttu maattai kattungadiTie up this blind bull, girls!
Koodi thavittai vaari eduthuGather the cattle feed together,
Kozhaichu pottu thattungadiMix it into paste and pat it on him!
Male
Vaetti kattum maamavukkuFor the uncle wearing a veshti,
Saelai kattungadi nallaDrape a saree properly, girls!
Mooku kuthungadi konjamPierce his nose a little,
Paarthu kuthungadiPierce it carefully, girls!
Female
Kottaikullae poga solliTell him to enter inside the fort,
Kadhavai sathadiShut the door tight, girls!
Ullae vazhiyai maathadiChange the route inside,
Aiyaa muzhiyai paaradiLook at the gentleman's wide-eyed look, girls!
Chorus
Kottungadi kaiyai kottungadiClap your hands, girls, clap your hands!
Indha kuruttu maattai kattungadiTie up this blind bull, girls!
Koodi thavittai vaari eduthuGather the cattle feed together,
Kozhaichu pottu thattungadiMix it into paste and pat it on him!
Thattungadi thattungadi thattungadi thattungadiPat it, pat it, pat it, pat it!
Male
Aathadi ivar mugathai paaruOh my, look at his face!
Aalolangili soShooing away birds in the field!
Chorus :Aaso aasoo aasooChorus: Aaso aasoo aasoo
Male :Aathadi ivar mugathai paaruMale: Oh my, look at his face!
Aalolangili soShooing away birds in the field!
Aiyaa vaettiyai kizhichooThe gentleman tore his veshti,
Potta sattaiyai kizhichooTore the shirt he wore,
Female
Amma kummanguthu vaangi kattikkoOh my, get yourself a thrashing!
Summa rangi pannikichooJust showing off vain pride,
Innum baaki vachikichooStill kept a balance left to settle!
Chorus
Amma kummanguthu vaangi kattikkoOh my, get yourself a thrashing!
Summa rangi pannikichooJust showing off vain pride,
Innum baaki vachikichooStill kept a balance left to settle!
Chorus
………………..[Trailing off/Instrumental]

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This song is a lively and comedic folk-style track from the 1968 film 'Neelagiri Express'. It begins with romantic philosophy, framing youth as a silver plate meant to be filled with life's pleasures and love. As the track progresses, it transitions into a spirited sequence of folk banter where a group of women humorously tease a man, playfully referring to him as a 'blind bull' and making light threats to dress him in a saree, pierce his nose, and lock him up. Written by Kannadasan and composed by T. K. Ramamoorthy, the song relies on rhythmic folk percussion, high energy vocals by T. M. Soundarajan and L. R. Eswari, and playful hyperbole to create a slapstick, festive atmosphere typical of 1960s Tamil cinema dance numbers.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Metaphor (Uvamaani)

Vaalibam oru vellithattu

Youth is explicitly compared to a silver plate ('Vaalibam oru vellithattu') to express its preciousness and readiness to receive joy, while love is metaphorically described as a flood ('Kaadhal ennum vellam').

Monai (Initial Alliteration)

Kottungadi kaiyai kottungadi / Indha kuruttu maattai kattungadi

Matching initial consonants across consecutive lines (e.g., 'Va-a' sound in Vaalibam, Varuvadhai, Vaazhkai; 'Ka-a' sound in Kottungadi, Kuruttu, Koodi, Kozhaichu).

Ethirai (Second-Letter Rhyme)

Kottungadi kaiyai kottungadi / Indha kuruttu maattai kattungadi

Rhyming second letters in adjacent words or lines, such as 'tt' in 'Kottungadi', 'kattungadi', and 'thattungadi'.

Adukku Thodar / Onomatopoeia (Repetition)

Thattungadi thattungadi thattungadi thattungadi

Repetition of words like 'Thattungadi' and vocal sounds like 'Aaso aasoo' mimicking the rhythmic clapping and bird-scaring sounds (Aalolangili).

Did you know?

Trivia

'Neelagiri Express' (1968) is a famous Tamil thrill-mystery starring Jaishankar and Cho Ramaswamy. This song showcases T. K. Ramamoorthy's standalone musical direction following the split of the legendary Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy duo. The high-pitched, energetic female vocal renditions by L. R. Eswari made this track a popular folk-dance staple.

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