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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Vervai Thuligale

From Nyayam Ketkirom · 1973

Lyricist
Kannadasan
Singer
T. M. Soundararajan
Music director
K. V. Mahadevan
Details
Nyayam Ketkirom1973

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Vervai thuligalae pesungalSweat drops, please speak!
Mannil vizhuntha kadhaigalai koorungalTell the stories of how you fell upon the soil.
Oorai kaakkavum ulagai aakkavaumTo protect the town and to build the world,
Uzhaiththa kaigakala paadungalSing of the hands that labored!
Male
Vervai thuligalae pesungalSweat drops, please speak!
Mannil vizhuntha kadhaigalai koorungalTell the stories of how you fell upon the soil.
Oorai kaakkavum ulagai aakkavaumTo protect the town and to build the world,
Uzhaiththa kaigakala paadungalSing of the hands that labored!
Male
Vayalil ulla manigalThe precious grains standing in the fields,
Engal viyarvai thantha kanigalAre the fruits yielded by our sweat.
Vattamidum nilaththukkum thittamidum thozhilukkumFor the spinning land and the planned industry,
Sattamittu urimaigal peruvomLet us enact laws and claim our rights!
Male
Ulagam muzhuthum thozhilil ullaWorking in labor across the whole world,
Uzhaikkum makkal inaivomLet us, the working people, unite!
Male
Vervai thuligalae pesungalSweat drops, please speak!
Mannil vizhuntha kadhaigalai koorungalTell the stories of how you fell upon the soil.
Male
Arivaal ulagai thiruththuReform the world with intellect,
Illai aruvai sigichchaii nadaththuOtherwise, perform a radical surgery!
Pettigalil panaththai kotti vaiththu kuvippathaiThe act of hoarding wealth piled up in boxes,
Thattivittu varumaiyai thuraththuKnock it down and drive out poverty!
Male
Udamai yaavum pothuvudamaiAll property is common ownership,
Adhai adaivathu engal urimauAchieving that is our inherent right!
Male
Vervai thuligalae pesungalSweat drops, please speak!
Mannil vizhuntha kadhaigalai koorungalTell the stories of how you fell upon the soil.
Oorai kaakkavum ulagai aakkavaumTo protect the town and to build the world,
Uzhaiththa kaigakala paadungalSing of the hands that labored!

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This powerful song serves as an anthem for the working class, celebrating the dignity of manual labor and advocating for social equality. The lyricist addresses sweat drops directly, urging them to narrate the stories of the working people whose labor sustains society and builds the nation. It highlights how agricultural harvest and industrial progress are the fruits of physical labor rather than idle wealth. Emphasizing solidarity, the song calls upon workers across the world to unite, abolish wealth hoarding, fight poverty, and claim their rights to equal ownership of resources under socialist ideals.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Personification

Vervai thuligalae pesungal

Sweat drops are addressed as sentient entities capable of speaking and telling stories.

Metaphor

Engal viyarvai thantha kanigal

The grains produced in the field are directly metaphorized as fruits yielded by human sweat.

Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)

Uzhaiththa kaigakala paadungal / Ulagam muzhuthum thozhilil ulla

Repetition of the initial vowel sound 'U' across words in the line for rhythmic structure.

Edhugai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Arivaal ulagai thiruththu / Illai aruvai sigichchaii nadaththu

Matching of the second consonant sound 'ri' and 'ru' in adjacent lines.

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Trivia

This song powerfully reflects the strong socialist and labor union themes that were prominent in Tamil cinema during the 1970s. Kannadasan's verse 'Udamai yaavum pothuvudamai' directly encapsulates communist and socialist philosophy regarding common ownership of wealth, passionately brought to life by T. M. Soundararajan's commanding vocals.

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