by Yena เยนา
Note: This song is a spoof of a very famous Carabao song, a beautiful and over-the-top hymn celebrating King Bhumibol. That song is titled, ผู้ปิดทองหลังพระ (Poo Bpid Tong Lang Pra), or “Person Who Applies Gold Leaf to the Back of the Buddha Statue,” which is a saying in Thai about someone who does good deeds without trying to draw attention to themselves. But why would someone apply that description to King Bhumibol, for whom so much public money has been spent guilding his reputation? I am guessing it is because ผู้ปิดทอง (Poo Bpid Tong) kind of rhymnes with Bhumibol (which is pronounced Poo-Mee-Pon). To appreciate this Yena song you MUST see the music video of the Carabao song it is spoofing (included at the bottom of this post). The original song, lists the hard work supposedly done by (the insanely wealthy) King Bhumibol on behalf the Thai people—which always begged the question of how this royal work was special, compared to the ordinary work of so many ordinary people done for ordinary compensation. And the refrain of the original song consists of the king’s full name and title, which is very very long: something like, “His Majesty, the Great King Bhumibol Adulyadej Great King Barom Naat Bor Pit, of the Chakri Dynasty Blah Blah Blah Blah,” followed by, “But the Thai people call him ‘The Heart of Thai People” and other accolades. This spoof song is about two ordinary people with very short names and no special recognition. It was sung at Mob Fest, November 14 at Democracy Monument, as part of the ongoing prodemocracy protests, which include demands for reform of the monarchy.
นายรถขายไอติม เฉาก๊วยผลไม้
A man who pushes a cart to sell ice cream, grass jelly, fruit
เคยเสิร์ฟอาหารเคยสร้างบ้านสร้างสะพาน
Used to be a waiter, [he] once built a house and a bridge
หน้าต่างบานโตมีโลโกรูปเจ้านาย
Big window panels have pictures of the boss
เป็นร้อยๆบาน เขาห้อยตัวลงมาเช็ด
Hundreds of them, which he suspends himself down to wipe
อยู่โรงงานเป็นพ่อบ้านคนขับรถ
At the workplace [he] is the butler, the driver
บริต บอนาด บอพรม
Barit Bonat Baprom
เรียกสั้นๆ ว่าไอ้แดง
Called “Daeng” for short
เรียกเต็มๆ ไอถั่วแดง
The longer version is “Tua Daeng”*
เรียกสั้นๆ ว่าไอ้แดง
Called “Daeng” for short
ทั้งหมู่บ้านเรียกไอห่าแดง
All the villagers call him “That Damn Daeng”
นายรถขายบะหมี่ ลูกชิ้นคนละไม้
A man who pushes a cart to sell noodles and meatballs
คุมเครื่องสูบน้ำ ขัดรองเท้า รับนายพล
Supervises a water pump, shines shoes, goes to pick up the general
บางวันเป็นช่างไฟติดไฟลูกปิงปอง
Somedays he is an electrician, installing light bulbs
เป็นร้อยพันดวง เขาทำโอ เอาให้เสร็จ
in the hundreds and thousands, he works overtime to finish
อยู่หน้าบ้านขายข้าวแกง คนปักษ์ใต้
In front of his house, he makes rice and curry. A person from the South
บริต บอนาด บอพรม
Barit Banat Baprom
เรียกสั้นๆ ว่าไอ้นุ้ย
For short he’s called “Nui”
เรียกเต็มๆ ไอไข่นุ้ย
In full, he’s called “Kai Nui”*
เรียกสั้นๆ ว่าไอ้นุ้ย
For short, he’s called “Nui”
ทั้งหมู่บ้านเรียกไอห่านุ้ย
All the villagers call him “That Damn Nui.”
*FYI, the names Tua Daeng and Kai Nui translate into “Red Bean” and “Plump Eggs,” whereas Bhumipol Adulyadej translates into “Strength of the Land, Incomparable Power.”
Here is the Carabao version. The video is from a live tribute performed for the king’s 84th[?] birthday. Please wait for the part where Add Carabao walks on water, and near the end, the part where white elephants stand on their hind legs and salute the king. Also note, that King Bhumibol himself seems strangely unimpressed with the whole show. I would have been impressed!