- Lyricist
- Na. Muthu Kumar
- Singers
- Benny Dayal, Kunal Ganjawala, Naresh Iyer, Solar Sai
- Music director
- Harris Jayaraj
- Movie name
- Vaaranam Aayiram
- Movie release year
- 2008
- Lyrics added on
- 12 May 2017
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
'Yethi Yethi' is an energetic youth anthem from the movie 'Vaaranam Aayiram' that encapsulates the carefree, spirited nature of college life and early adulthood. The song portrays the protagonist Surya and his friends engaging in typical youth antics—bunking classes, sleeping late, writing tall love letters, attempting workouts to build muscles, and comically fleeing from real fights. Through colloquial Chennai Tamil slang and vibrant rhythms, it captures the raw charm and brotherhood of neighborhood youth. Beneath its upbeat, playful exterior, the song carries a subtle underlying theme of self-discovery and maturation. Lines like 'Suttathan nerupu, pattathan porupu' highlight that true maturity and responsibility come through lived personal experience. The song marks an important transition phase in the movie's narrative, celebrating raw youthful confidence before life's deeper challenges unfold.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Ethugai (Second Letter Rhyme)
“Yethi yethi yethi / Maathi maathi maathi”
The second consonant sound 'th' (த்) is repeated across corresponding lines, establishing Tamil Ethugai rhyme.
Iyaipu (End Rhyme)
“Dandallu thinam edupomae / Basskintha pala adipomae”
Both lines end with the matching suffix '-omae', creating a natural rhythmic cadence.
Simile (Uwamai)
“Kaathadi pola..povomda mela..”
The speaker compares their freedom and high spirits to a kite ('kaathadi pola') flying high in the sky.
Allusion / Simile
“Arnold-eh pola yethi arms-ah papom”
Refers explicitly to pop-culture icon Arnold Schwarzenegger to humorously illustrate their bodybuilding ambitions.
Aphorism / Metaphor
“Suttathan nerupu.. pattathan porupu..”
A concise Tamil philosophical maxim stating that fire is only proven by heat, and responsibility only by experiencing life's hard knocks.
Did you know?
Trivia
'Yethi Yethi' was composed by Harris Jayaraj with lyrics by the acclaimed late lyricist Na. Muthukumar, and sung by Benny Dayal, Naresh Iyer, and Solar Sai. In Gautham Vasudev Menon's semi-autobiographical film 'Vaaranam Aayiram', this song captures the early college phase of Surya's character. Na. Muthukumar packed the lyrics with authentic Chennai local slang (such as 'cycle gapil', 'basskintha', 'dandallu', and 'pettai') to reflect the urban youth culture of Chennai in the late 2000s.
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