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Lyrics & meaning

Yaadhum Oorae

From Urumeen · 2015

Lyricist
Kaniyan Poongunranar
Singers
Guna, Rohan Prakash, Kamala Rajagopal
Music director
Achu Rajamani
Movie name
Urumeen
Movie release year
2015
Lyrics added on
15 Mar 2017

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Oh yaathum oorae
Yaavarum kaeleer
Theethum nandrum
Pirarthara vaaraa
Oh nothalum thanithalum
Avatror anna
Saaathalum puthuvathu
Andrae vazhthal
Oh oh inithu yena
Magizhthandrum ilamae
Munivin innathu
Endraalum ilamae
Minnodu vaanam
Thanthuli thalaiyee
Yanaathu.. yanaathu..
Yanaathu.. hey
{Kal poruthu miranku
Mallal periyaatru
Neervazhi paduvoom
Punaipol aaruyir} (2)
Murai vazhi paduvoom enbathu
Thiravor kaatchiyil thelinthanam
Nam nam nam..
………………………………
Oh aagalin maatchiyin
Periyorai viyathalum ilamae
Oh oh oh
Siriyorai igazhthal
Athinum ilamae ilamae..
Oh..ho.. yaathum oorae
Yaavarum kaeleer
Theethum nandrum
Pirarthara vaaraa
Oh nothalum thanithalum
Avatror anna
Saaathalum puthuvathu
Andrae vazhthal
{Andrae vazhthal..
Andrae vazhthal..
Andrae vazhthal..
Andrae vazhthal} (3)
{Kal poruthu miranku
Mallal periyaatru
Neervazhi paduvoom
Punaipol aaruyir} (2)
Murai vazhi paduvoom enbathu
Thiravor kaatchiyil thelinthanam
Nam nam nam..
Oh yaathum oorae
Yaavarum kaeleer
Theethum nandrum
Pirarthara vaaraa
Oh, every town is our home,
every person is our kin.
Good and evil
do not come from others.
Oh, pain and relief from pain
are just the same way.
Death is nothing new,
and neither is life.
Oh, thinking life is sweet,
we never rejoiced.
Nor in bitterness, thinking it is sorrow,
did we ever grieve.
From skies with lightning
pouring cool rain ceaselessly,
Yaanadhu... Yaanadhu...
Yaanadhu... hey!
Crashing against rocks with a roar,
down a wide, surging river,
drifting along the water's flow,
our precious life is like a raft.
Following the course of destiny,
we understood this from the vision of the wise.
Nam nam nam...
...
Oh, and therefore,
we do not marvel at the great,
Oh oh oh
and looking down upon the humble,
even less do we do that, never at all!
Oh ho, every town is our home,
every person is our kin.
Good and evil
do not come from others.
Oh, pain and relief from pain
are just the same way.
Death is nothing new,
and neither is life.
And neither is life...
And neither is life...
And neither is life...
And neither is life.
Crashing against rocks with a roar,
down a wide, surging river,
drifting along the water's flow,
our precious life is like a raft.
Following the course of destiny,
we understood this from the vision of the wise.
Nam nam nam...
Oh, every town is our home,
every person is our kin.
Good and evil
do not come from others.
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Chorus
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This track adapts the timeless classical Tamil Sangam poem 'Yaathum Oorae Yaavarum Kaeleer' written by Kaniyan Poongunranar from the ancient anthology Purananuru (Poem 192). The song conveys a universal philosophy of human equality, cosmic order, and detachment. It proclaims that all places on Earth belong to everyone and all human beings are family. Furthermore, it emphasizes that joy and sorrow, good and evil, life and death are natural, self-induced experiences rather than inflicted by external sources.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Simile (Uwamai Ani)

Neervazhi paduvoom Punaipol aaruyir

Compares human life ('aaruyir') to a raft ('punai') drifting along the natural course of a fast-flowing river.

Muran (Antithesis)

Theethum nandrum

Uses contrasting opposites ('Theethum' meaning evil and 'Nandrum' meaning good) side by side to emphasize self-responsibility.

Ethugai (Second-letter Rhyme)

Theethum / Nothalum

Consonance in the second letter of consecutive or structural lines in classical Tamil verse.

Monai (First-letter Alliteration)

Yaathum oorae / Yaavarum kaeleer

Alliteration on the initial letter ('Yaa') establishing rhythm.

Did you know?

Trivia

The lyrics are directly taken from Purananuru 192, one of the most famous poems in Sangam literature composed by Kaniyan Poongunranar around 2000 years ago. The opening phrase 'Yaathum Oorae Yaavarum Kaeleer' serves as the motto of the World Tamil Confederation and was also quoted at the United Nations General Assembly.

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