முத்தம் முத்தம் முத்தமா

This was an interesting listening exercise. Listen closely and you'll hear a few words repeatedly mispronounced.

அன்பே சிவம்

'யார் யார் சிவம்' (Yaar Yaar Sivam) from the movie அன்பெ சிவம் (Anbe Sivam) is heavy on philosophy but very light on lyrics. This song was sung by Kamal Hassan, notably known for his predilection to Tamil and using it accurately. Pay attention to the pronunciation.

The video includes the cinematic version and the audio version. Start at the 3:50 mark to get to the audio version directly. Most people think this movie was directed by Kamal himself. Interesting tidbit; it was directed by Sundar.C.

வீரபாண்டி கோட்டயிலே

There is a difference between hearing and listening. This song is from the Maniratnam movie 'Thiruda Thiruda' which was released in 1993. All these years I thought I knew the lyrics to this song. I found out how far I was only during this little exercise.

அதிசைய திருமணம்

பூக்களே சற்று ஓய்வெடுங்கள்

Without any exceptions this was the best song in the movie; stunning visuals backed by a beautiful melody and imaginative lyrics. The center piece of the song is the use of the word 'ஐ' (ai) in its various forms and meanings. Lyrics by Madan Karky.

மெரிசல்லாயிடேன்

'மெரிசல்லாயிடேன்' is written in a dialect spoken in and around Chennai, Tamil Nadu. This is an informal form of the language that has its own vocabulary and pronunciation.

என்னோடு நீ இருந்தால்

'என்னோடு நீ இருந்தால்' is an orchestral melody but very light on the lyrics. Long sections of the song are instrumental and the chorus takes up about a third of the remaining time. The lyrics are plain but set to tune and express the emotions of the characters in the song. Clearly, the video is inspired by 'The Beauty and the Beast'.

Aila....Aila

This was the big surprise. The first time I listened to 'Aila Aila' it felt like a bunch of words were thrown together to the tune of the song. However, on listening closer I discovered many new words and some interesting usage.

The lead vocals on the song are exemplary but the latter part of the song clearly shows that the female vocalist does not speak Tamil.  With a phonetic language like Tamil subtle changes in intonation can drastically change the meaning of words. I need to keep in mind these songs are not written with the intent of teaching vocabulary :).

The transliteration in the video is mostly correct but there are a few areas that are confusing or spotty.  Don't be confused if the transcription does not match the words in the video.

As usual I'm leaving out the filler lyrics at the beginning of the song. Sections of the transcription marked in red need clarification. If you know what the words, phrases or sentences mean use the comments section to fill in the gaps.

Lady-o

This week I'll post songs from Shankar's new movie 'ஐ'.  When listening for the first time the soundtrack feels very noisy but a good pair of headphones will quickly put this idea to rest.  A couple of the songs also have show interesting use of words.

The lyrics to the song below use a lot of words from the ad-world.  Skipped the filler lyrics at the beginning of the song.

என்னென்ன செய்தோம் இனி

From the movie 'மயக்கம் என்ன'. 

என்னென்ன செய்தொம் இன்று இதுவரை வாழ்விலே
எங்கெங்கு பொனோம் வந்தோம் விதி எனும் பேரிலே
கானாத துயரம் கண்ணிலே
கோயாத சலனம் நெஞ்சிலே   (did i hear the first word correctly?)

உறவுகல் தொடர்கதை

A classic from the late 70's. This song is from the movie 'அவள் அப்படித்தான்'. 

உறவுகல் தொடர்கதை

உணர்வுகல் சிறுகதை

ஒரு கதை என்றும் முடியலாம்

முடிவிலும் ஒன்று தொடரலாம்

இனியெல்லாம் சுகமே

கண்ணன் வருவான்

This song is from the movie பஞ்சவர்ண கிளி. This song has a lot of words that I don't normally use in conversation. Seemed appropriate for a first transcription.

Word Definitions