by แอ๊ด คาราบาว Aed Carabao
Album: ช้างไห้ Chang Hai (Elephant’s Lament) (1993)
This album is highly recommended. Buy it HERE at eThaiCD where you can shop in English.
A SINGABLE ENGLISH VERSION translated by Ann Norman. HERE is the direct translation. We have no English language demo, so you may sing in English over the official Thai version. One caution, this song has only gotten better and better over the years, with many amazing performances in concert, such that this original recording almost doesn’t do justice to the song. I recently saw “Reng Koi” performed concert and it was amazing. There is a moment in the second verse that never fails to raise goosebumps. This translation was recently revised to try to better capture it. (ALBUM REVIEW HERE)Mon Playng Carabao (The Spell of Carabao Songs):
Right now, a vulture quietly waits
To see who falls and who may die
In jungle named “The Lord of Fire”
He views his land and passersby.
A stream flows wide and out of sight
A ridge of cliffs defies the sky
The town beneath a sheet of blue
By rapids my heart waits for you
Near rapids my heart waits for yours
Right where the vulture often waits
Near rapids my heart waits for yours
Right where the vulture waits, I wait.
Right now rain strikes the side of the cliffs
While far away birds sing and drift
The jungle fauna chirp and shout
Who knows how music comes about?
Sing out like streams roll out of sight!
Like cliffs defy sky and sunlight
The town beneath a sheet of blue
Near rapids my heart waits for you.
Near rapids my heart waits for yours
Right where the vulture often waits
Near rapids my heart waits for yours
Right where the vulture waits, I wait.
I wait and wait and wait and wait.
Right where the vulture waits . . . I still wait .. .