Note: This is an informal song by Add Carabao posted to social media in 2023. My main reason for posting it is the insights it gives into other dimensions of Add Carabao’s life and themes in his music. In introducing the song on Facebook, he says, he originally hoped to help shape the urban lanscape of Bangkok, but life took a different course and he ended up in music. It’s a reminder that he is an architect by training. (His identical twin is an art historian). As for musical themes, there are Carabao songs too numerous to list that describe an idylic rural setting, which comes under pressure, with migrants coming into the cities hoping for a better life. Indeed, the origin story of Add Carabao starts exactly this way, with a young man from Suphan taking his guitar and hitching a ride into Bangkok on a postal truck to seek his fortune. This song is open-ended, asking questions rather than giving answers.
The Governor he is describing is presumably Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok, Chadchart Sittipunt who you can read about on Wikipedia.
Add Carabao’s note under the post on YouTube, translated by Google Transate: “Bangkok is a city that truly tests the mettle of anyone who governs it. No matter who takes office as Governor, they inevitably face a daunting array of challenges: flooding, traffic gridlock, clogged drainage systems, street vending on sidewalks—the list goes on. This got me thinking, and I found myself feeling a bit nostalgic; after all, when I finished my studies in the Philippines, my original intention was to head to the United States to pursue further education in urban planning. Back then—perhaps thinking much like the members of the Move Forward Party do today—I harbored a strong desire to return home and help shape the urban landscape of Bangkok. But as it turned out, life took a different path; I have now spent the last 50 years dedicating myself to music.
And so, this—what I am doing right now—is all I am able to contribute.”
[LYRICS]
The capital city is really chaotic, traffic jams stretching in long lines.
White smog floats from early morning, the PM2.5 dust.
City dwellers can’t breathe properly.
But work is money, that’s why people come to the capital.
The capital city is really chaotic, but it has everything people need.
The countryside is truly livable, a simple life, unhurried.
Life is like a vacation, the sunset is so peaceful.
In the countryside, you can breathe deeply.
But agricultural work makes people poorer.
The capital city is truly chaotic because people still come here to make money.
Money is a necessity, everyone needs it.
Money is a bridge to the other side, to live comfortably.
This is the cause and effect… The city is chaotic.
What should we do, Governor? What should we do, Mr. Chatchart?
What should we do, Governor? Let us know if we can handle it or not.
Rural life is truly lovely, a simple life without rushing.
Life is like a vacation, the sunset is so peaceful.
Living in the countryside, you can breathe deeply.
But agricultural work makes people poorer.
The city is really chaotic because people still come here hoping to make money.
Below are my Facebook posts about Carabao and the show #WhiteLotus, season 3. I haven’t edited anything, only added hyperlinks to the songs.
