Ruea Lek Khuan Ok Chak Fang (เรือเล็กควรออกจากฝั่ง): meaning and key lines
Bodyslamบอดี้สแลม
What the song is about
เรือเล็กควรออกจากฝั่งruea lék kuan àwk jàak fàng, “Ruea Lek Khuan Ok Chak Fang (Small Boats Should Leave the Shore)”, is a Thai rock song by Bodyslam (2013). Thai storm warnings tell small boats to stay ashore; this rock anthem says the opposite: you don't grow in a calm harbour, so sail out into the storm and learn. Its lines teach what am I afraid of, to touch the horizon, danger, to give in, to keep going and to insist, the language of every Thai pep talk.
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Song facts
- Artist
- Bodyslam
- Released
- 2013
- Style
- Thai rock
- Level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Mood
- stormy, defiant, hopeful
- Views
- about 156M (Oct 2026)
- Video
- Genierock (Genie Records, the band's label)
- Lyrics
- Key lines quoted; the full song is in the video
Key lines, explained
Tap a line to hear it. Once the video is playing, lines jump to their moment in the song.
- หัวใจ hǔa-jaiสั่นระรัว sàn rá-ruaฉัน chǎnกลัว gluaอะไร à-rai
My heart is trembling. What am I afraid of?
The song opens with a storm rolling in: the wind roars and the blue sky suddenly turns dark. หัวใจhǔa-jai = heart, like ใจjai. สั่นระรัวsàn rá-rua = to quiver, to flutter fast: สั่นsàn = to shake, and ระรัวrá-rua adds a quick, rapid beat. กลัวglua = to be afraid (of). In a question, อะไรà-rai (what) sits where the answer would go: ฉันกลัวอะไรchǎn glua à-rai = what am I afraid of?, ฉันกลัวหมาchǎn glua mǎa = I'm afraid of dogs. In songs men say ฉันchǎn too. - จะ jàออก àwkไป bpaiแตะ dtàeขอบฟ้า kàwp-fáa
I'm going out there to touch the horizon
The first chorus. ออกไปàwk bpai = to go out, away from here: ออกไปข้างนอกàwk bpai kâang nâwk = to go outside. แตะdtàe = to touch lightly. ขอบฟ้าkàwp-fáa = the horizon, literally 'the edge of the sky' (ขอบkàwp = edge, rim; ฟ้าfáa = sky). The chorus goes on: but fate doesn't seem to understand. - ทะเล tá-leeจะ jàสร้าง sâangคน konด้วย dûayอันตราย an-dtà-raai
The sea will make a person of you, through its dangers
The line before: a calm blue sky never made anyone. สร้างsâang = to build, to create: สร้างบ้านsâang bâan = to build a house; สร้างคนsâang kon = to make someone who they are, to build character. ด้วยdûay = with, by means of (after a request it means 'please'). อันตรายan-dtà-raai = danger; dangerous: อันตรายมากan-dtà-raai mâak = very dangerous. - จะ jàไม่ mâiยอมแพ้ yawm-páeคำขู่ kam-kùu
I won't give in to its threats
ยอมแพ้yawm-páe = to give up, to admit defeat: ไม่ยอมแพ้mâi yawm-páe = I won't give up; ยอมแพ้yawm-páe + something = to give in to it. คำขู่kam-kùu = a threat (ขู่kùu = to threaten, คำkam = words). He goes on: he'll learn, and fight on, สู้sûu, the word Thais shout to cheer each other on: สู้สู้sûu sûu = keep going! - แต่ dtàeรู้ rúuว่า wâaฉัน chǎnต้อง dtâwngไป bpaiต่อไป dtàw-bpai
But I know I have to keep going
In the second chorus he still sees no way through, but this time… รู้ว่าrúu wâa = to know that. ต้องdtâwng = must, to have to. ไปต่อไปbpai dtàw-bpai = to go on, to keep going: after a verb ต่อไปdtàw-bpai means 'on, onward' (ทำต่อไปtam dtàw-bpai = to keep doing it); after a noun it's 'next' (คนต่อไปkon dtàw-bpai = the next person). - แต่ dtàeฉัน chǎnก็ gâwยัง yangยืนยัน yuuen-yanที่ tîiจะ jàไป bpai
But I still insist on going
The end of the chorus, after the answer lies out in the wind and the waves, and life may sink anywhere. ยืนยันyuuen-yan = to insist; to confirm: ยืนยันรหัสyuuen-yan rá-hàt = to confirm a password. ยืนยันที่จะyuuen-yan tîi jà + verb = to insist on doing it: ที่จะtîi jà + verb is the thing you insist on, decide on or are ready for: พร้อมที่จะไปpráwm tîi jà bpai = ready to go. ก็ยังgâw yang = (even so) still.
Words you'll learn
- กลัว glua
to be afraid (of), scared
What you're afraid of comes straight after it, with no word for of: กลัวทะเลglua tá-lee (scared of the sea).
- สั่นระรัว sàn rá-rua
to quiver, to flutter rapidly
- ขอบฟ้า kàwp-fáa
the horizon
- แตะ dtàe
to touch lightly, to tap
- สร้าง sâang
to build, to create
- อันตราย an-dtà-raai
dangerous; danger
- คำขู่ kam-kùu
a threat
- ยอมแพ้ yawm-páe
to give up, to surrender
- รู้ rúu
to know
You've already heard its cousin in ยินดีที่ได้รู้จักyin-dii tîi dâi rúu-jàk: รู้จักrúu-jàk is to know a person.
- ต้อง dtâwng
must, have to, need to
It goes before the verb; you already know it from ต้องไปแล้วdtâwng bpai láew (I have to go) and ไม่ต้องmâi dtâwng (no need).
- ยืนยัน yuuen-yan
to confirm; to insist
- ฝั่ง fàng
side; bank, shore
ริมฝั่งrim fàng = the shore, the bank; ฝั่งโน้นfàng nóon = the other side, over there.
Grammar in this song
Question words stay where the answer would go: ฉันกลัวอะไรchǎn glua à-rai (what am I afraid of?), เธอไปไหนtoe bpai nǎi (where are you going?). ยอมyawm = to give in, and words built on it: ยอมแพ้yawm-páe (to give up), ยอมรับyawm-ráp (to accept), ไม่ยอมmâi yawm + verb (to refuse to): ไม่ยอมกินmâi yawm gin (refuses to eat).
Verb + ต่อไปdtàw-bpai = keep on …ing: ไปต่อไปbpai dtàw-bpai, สู้ต่อไปsûu dtàw-bpai (keep fighting). ที่จะtîi jà + verb after a verb or adjective of will: ยืนยันที่จะไปyuuen-yan tîi jà bpai (insist on going), พร้อมที่จะเริ่มpráwm tîi jà rôem (ready to start).
The culture behind it
Bodyslam is one of Thailand's most successful rock bands, fronted by singer Toon (Artiwara Kongmalai). "เรือเล็กควรออกจากฝั่งruea lék kuan àwk jàak fàng" was the first single from their sixth album, dharmajāti (Sanskrit for 'nature'), and came out on 11 November 2013; its video passed a million views in fifteen hours. Toon wrote the music, Mango Team, a group of songwriters that includes Off, Kob and Moo of Big Ass, wrote the words, and Off, the album's producer, came up with the title. The songwriters said it's about testing yourself: it's fine to go out and lose sometimes, rather than never leaving because someone warned you it's hard and dangerous. Toon put it this way: to be a whole person, you need a few scars.
The title sounds like the opposite of a sentence every Thai knows. When the Thai Meteorological Department warns of high waves, its announcements tell เรือเล็กควรงดออกจากฝั่งruea lék kuan ngót àwk jàak fàng: small boats should refrain from leaving the shore (งดngót = to refrain from). The video follows two brothers, young boxers from a real boxing camp who fight to support their families: the younger keeps losing, like a small boat in a storm, and his brother helps him back up.
Learn “Ruea Lek Khuan Ok Chak Fang” in about 7 minutes
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
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