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Payanangal Mudivathillai album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Vaigaraiyil Vaigaikaraiyil

From Payanangal Mudivathillai · 1982

Lyricist
Gangai Amaran
Singer
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Music director
Ilayaraja
Movie name
Payanangal Mudivathillai
Movie release year
1982
Lyrics added on
8 Jul 2019

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Vaigaraiyil vaigaikkaraiyil
Vandhaal varuven un arugil
Vaigaraiyil vaigaikkaraiyil
Vandhaal varuven un arugil
Un ninaivil nenjam vaan veliyil
Naalum nadathum oorvalangal
Vaigaraiyil vaigaikkaraiyil
Vandhaal varuven un arugil
Un ninaivae enakkor surudhi
Un kanavae enakkor kirudhi
Un unarvil manamae urugi
Vaadudhammaa malar pol karugi
Pala pala jenmam naan eduppen
Paadalgal kodi naan padippen
Anbae unakkae kaathiruppen…
Aah..aa.. aaah….aa….aaa…aaa…aaa…
Vaigaraiyil vaigaikkaraiyil
Vandhaal varuven un arugil
Aayiram aayiram aasaigalai
Aasaiyil unnidam pesa vandhen
Aaviyil maeviya saedhigalai
Kaelena nenjidam koora vandhen
Ninaivugal engo alaigiradhae
Kanavugal yeno kalaigiradhae
Nizhal pol unnai thodargiradhae…
Aah..aa.. aaah….aa….aaa…aaa…aaa…
Vaigaraiyil vaigaikkaraiyil
Vandhaal varuven un arugil
Un ninaivil nenjam vaan veliyil
Naalum nadathum oorvalangal
Vaigaraiyil vaigaikkaraiyil
Vandhaal… varuven… un arugil….
At dawn, by the banks of the Vaigai river,
If I come, I will come to your side.
At dawn, by the banks of the Vaigai river,
If I come, I will come to your side.
Lost in thoughts of you, across the open skies,
My heart leads a procession every day.
At dawn, by the banks of the Vaigai river,
If I come, I will come to your side.
Your memory is the keynote to my melody,
And dreams of you are my song.
Melting with feeling for you,
My heart withers, scorched like a flower.
I will be born across many lifetimes,
I will sing millions of songs,
And wait only for you, my love.
Aa... aa... aa... aa... aa... aa... aa...
At dawn, by the banks of the Vaigai river,
If I come, I will come to your side.
With thousands upon thousands of desires,
I eagerly came to speak with you.
The messages that dwell within my soul,
I came to tell your heart to hear.
My thoughts wander somewhere far away,
Why do my dreams dissolve and fade?
Yet like a shadow, they follow you.
Aa... aa... aa... aa... aa... aa... aa...
At dawn, by the banks of the Vaigai river,
If I come, I will come to your side.
Lost in thoughts of you, across the open skies,
My heart leads a procession every day.
At dawn, by the banks of the Vaigai river,
If I come, I will come to your side.
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This classic song expresses eternal, profound love through musical metaphors and poignant longing. The singer promises to meet their beloved on the tranquil riverbanks at dawn, describing how their entire world revolves around the thoughts of their lover. The lover's memory is compared to a pitch (surudhi) and dreams to a musical composition (kirudhi), illustrating that love forms the very essence of their musical soul. Even as memories wander and dreams shatter in pain, the singer vows eternal devotion—promising to wait through multiple lifetimes and sing millions of songs just to be near their beloved, following them faithfully like a shadow.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Monaai (Initial Alliteration)

“Vaigaraiyil vaigaikkaraiyil / Vandhaal varuven un arugil”

Repetition of the initial 'Va' sound across words creates melodic rhythm.

Edughai (Second-letter Rhyme)

“Un ninaivae / Un kanavae / Un unarvil”

The second consonant 'na' (ன) is repeated across consecutive line openings.

Metaphor (Uvamaai)

“Un ninaivae enakkor surudhi / Un kanavae enakkor kirudhi”

The lover's memory and dream are directly equated to fundamental elements of Carnatic music: 'surudhi' (pitch/drone) and 'kirudhi' (composition/kriti).

Simile (Uvamanai)

“Vaadudhammaa malar pol karugi”

The heart's agony and wilting are explicitly compared to a burning flower using the comparison word 'pol'.

Did you know?

Trivia

Payanangal Mudivathillai (1982), directed by R. Sundarrajan and starring Mohan and Poornima Jayaram, was a massive blockbuster renowned for its timeless soundtrack composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja. The male version of 'Vaigaraiyil' was sung by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and the female version by S. Janaki, earning iconic status for its classical musical themes.

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