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Irumanam Kalanthal Thirumanam album cover
Lyrics & meaning

Yaezhaikal Vaazhvai Maaligai

From Irumanam Kalanthal Thirumanam · 1960

Lyricist
A. Maruthakasi
Singers
Jikki, Chorus
Music director
S. Dakshinamurthi
Movie name
Irumanam Kalanthal Thirumanam
Movie release year
1960
Lyrics added on
18 Aug 2025

Lyrics & meaning

♫ Tanglish lyrics
↻ English translation
Yeazhaigal vaazhvai maaligai melae
Iruppavar ellaarumae
Enni paarkkanum
Oo….inbam searkkanum
Yeazhaigal vaazhvai maaligai melae
Iruppavar ellaarumae
Enni paarkkanum
Oo….inbam searkkanum
……………….
Oo…oo….ooh…aazhkkadal naduvae sendru
Adhan adiyinil mugaththai kandu
Chorus : aazhkkadal naduvae sendru
Adhan adiyinil mugaththai kandu
Oo…oo…oh….Adhai segaram seithae kondu
Varum eena piravigal indru
Dhinam koozhukkaagavae kudisai veettilae
Kunthi azhukkiraanga
Dhinam koozhukkaagavae kudisai veettilae
Kunthi azhukkiraanga
Kodumai idharkae mudivae varaathaa
Yeazhaigal vaazhvai maaligai melae
Iruppavar ellaarumae
Enni paarkkanum
Oo….inbam searkkanum
……………….
Ooo…oo….oo…ooh…
Vervaiyum aaraai paaya
Than maeniyum oodaai thaeya
Vervaiyum aaraai paaya
Than maeniyum oodaai thaeya
Ooo….dhinam yaerai pidippavan veettil
Varumai irukkalaamo intha naattil
Unnum soru thanthavan
Soru soru ena thudiththu vaadalaamaa
Unnum soru thanthavan
Soru soru ena thudiththu vaadalaamaa
Thuyaram idharkae mudivae varaathaa
Yeazhaigal vaazhvai maaligai melae
Iruppavar ellaarumae
Enni paarkkanum
Oo….inbam searkkanum
The lives of the poor—all those
who live in high mansions
must think about them,
oh... and bring joy into their lives!
The lives of the poor—all those
who live in high mansions
must think about them,
oh... and bring joy into their lives!
...
Oh... oh... going out into the deep sea,
and finding pearls at the ocean floor,
Chorus: Going out into the deep sea,
and finding pearls at the ocean floor,
Oh... gathering them and bringing them back,
the poor laborers who do this today,
sit in their thatched huts every day
and weep just for a bowl of porridge!
Every day, inside their thatched huts,
they sit and weep just for a bowl of porridge!
Will there never be an end to this cruelty?
The lives of the poor—all those
who live in high mansions
must think about them,
oh... and bring joy into their lives!
...
Oh, oh... oh... oh...
With their sweat flowing like a river,
and their bodies wearing thin like dry shells,
With their sweat flowing like a river,
and their bodies wearing thin like dry shells,
Oh... in the home of the one who ploughs every day,
should poverty still exist in this land?
The one who gives us food to eat—
should he starve and cry out desperately for rice?
The one who gives us food to eat—
should he starve and cry out desperately for rice?
Will there never be an end to this sorrow?
The lives of the poor—all those
who live in high mansions
must think about them,
oh... and bring joy into their lives!
Female
Chorus
Chorus
Female
Female
Chorus
Female
Chorus
Chorus
Female
Chorus
Female
Chorus
Female
Chorus

Beyond the translation

Overall song meaning

This song is a poignant social commentary addressing class division, social inequality, and economic injustice. It directly addresses the wealthy elites residing in grand mansions, urging them to open their eyes and hearts to the suffering of laborers and working-class families. The lyrics highlight the harsh realities faced by deep-sea divers who risk their lives for meager wages and farmers who feed the entire nation yet starve in poverty. Through emotionally charged rhetoric and vivid imagery of physical toil, the song questions whether such suffering will ever end. The thematic arc transitions from a general plea for empathy to specific examples of exploitation, concluding with a powerful plea to restore dignity and happiness to the working class.

Writing craft

Poetic devices

Iyaipu (End Rhyme)

“Vervaiyum aaraai paaya / Than maeniyum oodaai thaeya”

The line endings 'paaya' (flow) and 'thaeya' (wear down) rhyme, producing a rhythmic musicality.

Simile (Uvamai)

“Vervaiyum aaraai paaya / Than maeniyum oodaai thaeya”

Sweat is compared to a flowing river ('aaraai'), and the body wearing down is compared to a thinning stream ('oodaai').

Rhetorical Question

“Varumai irukkalaamo intha naattil”

Asking whether poverty should exist in a land fed by hardworking farmers emphasizes social injustice.

Anaphora / Repetition

“Soru soru ena thudiththu vaadalaamaa”

The repetition of 'Soru' (food/rice) underlines intense hunger and desperate longing.

Did you know?

Trivia

The lyricist A. Maruthakasi was famed for embedding socialist ideals, agrarian themes, and reformist thought into Tamil cinema during the 1950s and 1960s. Sung by Jikki with music composed by S. Dakshinamurthi for the 1960 film 'Irumanam Kalanthal Thirumanam', the song highlights classic Dravidian cinema themes of economic equality and sympathy for the working class.

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