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Isaimozhi
Lyrics & meaning

Yaavum Needhaane

From Thiri · 2017

Lyricist
Mani Amuthavan
Singer
Ajeesh Ashok
Music director
Ajeesh Ashok
Details
Thiri2017

Lyrics & meaning

Tanglish lyrics English translation
Male
Yaavum neethaanaeYou are everything to me
Nee ponaal ennaavenWhat will become of me if you leave?
Yedhum puriyaamalUnderstanding nothing,
Kanneeril karaindhenaeI dissolved in my tears.
Male
Thaai ennai thol mel sumanthaalaeMy mother carried me on her shoulders;
Thaayum serthae un tholil sumanthaayaeYou carried both my mother and me on your shoulders.
Naal ellaam thunbam nirainthaalumEven if every day is filled with sorrow,
Thanthai nenjai ulagangal ariyaathaeThe world never understands a father's heart.
Male
Uyirae unaiyae unarnthen naanaeOh my life, I have finally understood you.
Uyirae unaiyae unarnthen naanaeOh my life, I have finally understood you.
Male
Vanthen pizhaiyaagaI came into this world like a mistake,
Vazhi engum sumaiyaagaBecoming a burden along every path.
Innaal vali unthan kannilToday, this pain in your eyes—
Ada ingae ithu pogaAh, let it go away right here!
Ivai ellaam sariyaagaFor all of these things to be set right,
Nindren vazhi illai munnilI stood waiting, but there is no way forward.
Male
Kaalamae neeyo maaravae thalayinOh Time, will you change? The fate...
Vithiyai naanum enna seiya...written on my head, what can I do about it?
Kaayamae yeno pothumaeWhy these wounds? Enough!
En thanthai kanda thunbam ingu pothumThe suffering my father endured here is enough.
Male
Uyirae unaiyae unarnthen naanaeOh my life, I have finally understood you.
Uyirae unaiyae unarnthen naanaeOh my life, I have finally understood you.

Beyond the translation

Song interpretation

This poignant track explores the deep reverence, gratitude, and emotional turmoil a son feels toward his self-sacrificing father. The speaker realizes that while a mother carries a child, the father carries the entire family's burden on his shoulders without expecting recognition from the world. Feeling guilty for being a burden and bringing pain to his father, the protagonist prays for his father's suffering to end, lamenting the cruelties of fate and time while expressing a profound awakening to the true value of life and fatherhood.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Ethugai (Second Letter Rhyme)

Kaalamae neeyo maaravae thalayin / Kaayamae yeno pothumae

The second consonant 'ya' matches in 'Kaalamae' and 'Kaayamae' across consecutive stanzas.

Monai (First Letter Alliteration)

Vanthen pizhaiyaaga / Vazhi engum sumaiyaaga

The starting letter 'Va' is repeated in 'Vanthen' and 'Vazhi'.

Personification

Kaalamae neeyo maaravae thalayin

Time ('Kaalamae') is directly addressed as if it were a conscious entity capable of changing human fate.

Anaphora / Repetition

Uyirae unaiyae unarnthen naanae

The line is repeated as a refrain to emphasize the emotional climax and spiritual realization.

Did you know?

Trivia

The song 'Yaavum Neethaanae' is from the 2017 Tamil drama film 'Thiri', starring Ashwin Kakumanu and Swathi Reddy. The film's soundtrack marked the music directorial debut of singer Ajesh (winner of Super Singer Season 2), and the lyrics for this touching father-centric track were written by Mani Amuthavan.

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