หัวใจสะออน Hua Jai Sa-on (The Heart that Loves to Love)

Lyrics and melody by ยืนยง โอภากุ Yuenyong Opakul and อัสนี โชติกุล Asanee Chotikul
From the อัสนี-วสันต์ โชติกุล Asanee & Wasan Chotikul album ฟักทอง (Pumpkin) (1989)

Note: Whoo-hoo! I discovered a “new” Add Carabao song from (almost) back in the classic period. I actually knew this song as an Asanee & Wasan (Chotikul) song. I didn’t know until recently that Add Carabao helped write it, along with Asanee Chotikul. The Asanee & Wasan version is great, but below is a music video in which a classic-era Add Carabao sings it himself on a beach with long hair blowing in the wind. Must see!

‘สะออน’ (Sa-awn) is a word from the Issan dialect. An Isaan persons says it means “like,” “interest,” or “care.” In this song, the heart is showing interest in love. So I had to take some liberties with the title.

กว่าจะรู้จักจำ
gwàa jà róo jàk jam
By the time you remember [this pain]
ใจต้องชอกช้ำอีก
jai dtông chôk-chám èek
Your heart must be shattered again
กว่าจะคิดเข้าใจ
gwàa jà kít kâo jai
By the time you think you get it
บางทีมันก็สายเกิน(ไป)
baang tee man gôr săai gern (bpai)
It might be too late
ผ่านมาแล้วผ่านไป
pàan maa láew pàan bpai
It’s come and gone
ยังไม่คิดไม่เข็ด
yang mâi kít mâi kèt
and you still haven’t learned your lesson*
ผ่านมาได้ก็บุญแล้ว
pàan maa dâai gôr bun láew
You got past it, which is a ‘boon.’**
เหลือแต่ตัวเปล่าๆ
lĕua dtàe dtua bplào bplào
All that’s left is an empty body [without a heart, which has been completely destroyed]

รักมีไว้ให้ใส่ใจ
rák mee wái hâi sài jai
Love is for caring
รักมีไว้เคียงคู่
rák mee wái kiang kôo
Love exists for a duo
รักมีไว้ให้เชิดชู
rák mee wái hâi chêrt choo
Love is there to hold up
เคียงคู่คนทุกคน
kiang kôo kon túk kon
Love is a buddy for everyone***

**มีหัวใจไม่จำ
mee hŭa jai mâi jam
[You] have a heart that doesn’t remember
น้ำคำที่เคยหลอกลวง
nám kam têe koie lòk luang
the words that once deceived [you]
ไม่เคยห่วงเคยหวง
mâi koie hùang koie hŭang
[It] never worries, never cares about****
ว่าตัวจะช้ำเท่าไร
wâa dtua jà chám tâo rai
how much it will be bruised
ก็หัวใจเจ้ากรรม
gôr hŭa jai jâo gam
A heart that is nothing but trouble!*****
ชอกช้ำแล้วยังชอบลอง
chôk-chám láew yang chôp long
It gets bruised then still likes to try–
ก็ว่าไปตามทำนอง
gôr wâa bpai dtaam tam-nong
like “oh well!”–just following the way
ของคนหัวใจสะออน
kŏng kon hŭa jai sà on
of the person who loves to love

ผ่านมาแล้วผ่านไป
pàan maa láew pàan bpai
It’s come and gone
ยังไม่คิดไม่เข็ด
yang mâi kít mâi kèt
and you still haven’t learned your lesson*
ผ่านมาได้ก็บุญแล้ว
pàan maa dâai gôr bun láew
You got past it, which is a ‘boon.’**
เหลือแต่ตัวเปล่าๆ
lĕua dtàe dtua bplào bplào
All that’s left is an empty body [without a heart, which has been completely destroyed]

กว่าจะรู้สึกตัว
gwàa jà róo sèuk dtua
Until you realize this,
ตัวก็ชอกช้ำอีก
dtua gôr chôk-chám èek
you will get bruised again
เจ็บมาแล้วไม่จำ
jèp maa láew mâi jam
[It] was hurt already and doesn’t remember
ไม่จำหัวใจสะออน
mâi jam hŭa jai sà on
The heart craving love doesn’t remember [the lesson]

[SPOKEN:]
เหมันต์นี้มี คนเศร้าหมอง
hăy-man née mee kon sâo mŏng
This winter there is a sad and gloomy person
น้ำตานอง เพราะผิดหวัง
nám-dtaa nong prór pìt-wăng
The tears flood because of disappointed
ความคาดหมาย
kwaam kâat măai
expectations
หัวใจสะออน คนหัวใจสะออน
hŭa jai sà-on kon hŭa-jai sà-on
The heart craving love. The person with a heart craving love!
หัวใจสะออน
hŭa-jai sà-on
The heart craves love!!!!

[SHOUTING]
สมน้ำหน้า
sŏm nám-nâa
Serves them right!******

[Then much of the song is repeated]

*”เข็ด” or “kèt” means to be shying away from something, especially after a bad experience with it. The closest English word we have is probably “gun-shy” So the line really says (word for word) “Still not thinking, not kèt.” So with no good direct translation, we go with “you still haven’t learned your lesson.”
**”บุญ” is pronounced “boon” and I just realized it has a similar meaning to the word “boon” in English, so I used that word in the translation. However, there is a distinction. In English, “boon” means “blessing” or “godsend.” In Thai, “boon” is some good, lucky, or fortunate thing that happens, which is attributed to the karma from good deeds in the past.
*** The translation of เคียงคู่ (kiang kôo) is tricky because it means a pair of something close together or just having something close to you. So in one line, Love is for “เคียงคู่” or for a couple or duo. And two lines later, love itself is “เคียงคู่” every person, or “close beside” or “buddies with” every person.
**** ห่วง (hùang) and หวง (hŭang) are very similar words that can both be translated to worry or care about. However the second is a possessive/protective kind of worry, like a dog worries about his bone [that someone will try to take it].
***** “เจ้ากรรม” has the word “เจ้า” (jâo) which is a pronoun and “กรรม” (gam) which is a complicated word meaning both sin and bad karma. Putting “เจ้า” in front of an word implies that someone does the second thing skillfully or all the time. Or that they are that adjective personified. So basically it is an exclamation of frustration shouted at the heart, like, “This heart is Mr. Trouble!”
****** Literally, สมน้ำหน้า sŏm nám-nâa means “suitable or appropriate for [their] face!” but functions exactly like the English-language expression, “Serves them right!”