ผู้ปิดทองหลังพระ Poo Bpit Tong Lang Pra (Person Who Puts Gold Leaf on the Back of the Buddha Statue)

By ยืนยง โอภากุล Yuenyong Opakul aka แอ๊ด คาราบาว Aed Carabao
Album: กำลังใจคาราบาว Gamlang Jai Carabao (Carabao Strength of Spirit/Moral Support)(2011)

Note: “Phu pit tong lang prae” is the saying “To put gold leaf on the back of the Buddha statue” and it means to do a good deed without drawing attention to yourself. Most people when making merit will want to put gold leaf on the front of the Buddha statue where everyone can see it what they did. This song will give you a good idea of how many Thais felt at the time about their king [EDIT: the late king Bhumibol, not to be confused with his son Vajiralongkorn, the subsequent king about whom people feel the opposite]. Given the extreme sensitivities over the issue, I didn’t want to get into the no-win situation of trying to translate his title, so . . . Partial translation (1 verse).

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Sixty-five years serving on the throne. Thais throughout the country are appropriately proud
[We] have a great king who watches over and cares for us, devotes his royal body for us,
Searches and thinks up new paths and ideas throughout his whole long-lasting reign
In the river there is fish. In the fields there is rice. Over the heads of the Thai people is Your Royal Majesty
However much His Majesty gives up, who will understand and sympathize?
So who, day and night, watches out [for us] and continues his work? He is a person who puts gold [leaf] on the back of Buddha [statue].
A person who puts gold on the back the Buddha. A person who puts gold on the back of the Buddha