Kularb (กุหลาบ): meaning and key lines

Official video · plays from YouTube: Kularb (กุหลาบ) by F.HERO ft. Kantong Tungngern x SARAN

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Key lines, explained

Tap a line to hear it. Once the video is playing, lines jump to their moment in the song.

1. อยาก yàakจะ jàเจอ joeเนื้อคู่ núea-kûuแต่ dtàeดัน danไป bpaiเจอ joeเนื้อ núeaตุ๋น dtǔn

   I wanted to meet my soulmate, but I went and met stewed beef instead.

   The song's first joke, sung by Kantong. เนื้อคู่núea-kûu = soulmate, literally 'paired flesh', the partner fate has made for you; เนื้อตุ๋นnúea dtǔn is stewed beef. ดันdan + verb = to go and do something, unluckily: ดันลืมdan luuem = went and forgot. อยากจะyàak jà + verb = to want to. The cooking goes on in the next line, where she is boiled until she almost falls apart: ต้มdtôm (to boil) is also slang for 'to con', and ต้มตุ๋นdtôm-dtǔn, 'to boil and stew', means to swindle.

   Watch from 0:27
2. อยาก yàakจะ jàบิน binตอม dtawmดอกไม้ dàwk-máaiกับ gàpเขา kǎoแมงเม่า maeng-mâoดัน danบิน binเข้า kâoกองไฟ gawng-fai

   I wanted to flit around the flowers like everyone else, but like a moth I flew straight into the fire.

   F.HERO's verse. ตอมdtawm = to swarm around something, as flies and bees do. กับเขาgàp kǎo after a verb = like other people, along with everyone else: อยากมีแฟนกับเขาบ้างyàak mii faen gàp kǎo bâang = I'd like a partner too, like everybody. แมงเม่าmaeng-mâo (in careful Thai แมลงเม่าmá-laeng-mâo) are the winged termites that swarm around lights after the first rains, and แมลงเม่าบินเข้ากองไฟmá-laeng-mâo bin kâo gawng-fai is the Thai 'moth to a flame': rushing into what will hurt you.

   Watch from 0:46
3. น้ำตา náam-dtaaเรา raoต้อง dtâwngไป bpaiเช็ด chétหัวเข่า hǔa-kàoเพราะ práwเขา kǎoให้ hâiเรา raoกิน ginน้ำ náamใต้ dtâiศอก sàwk

   I end up crying into my knees, because he only ever makes me his second choice.

   Two old sayings in one line. น้ำตาเช็ดหัวเข่าnáam-dtaa chét hǔa-kào, 'wiping your tears on your knees', is crying your heart out alone, hugging your knees, after a bitter disappointment. กินน้ำใต้ศอกgin náam dtâi sàwk, 'drinking the water below the elbow', is having to accept second place, said above all of a minor wife who must give way to the first. เราrao (we) here means 'I'. ให้hâi + person + verb = to make someone do something.

   Watch from 0:54
4. น้อง náwngโดน doonสวมเขา sǔam-kǎoแต่ dtàeว่า wâaเขา kǎoได้ dâiสวมกอด sǔam-gàwt

   I'm the one who got cheated on, while he gets to hold someone in his arms.

   A pun on เขาkǎo, which means 'horn' as well as 'he'. สวมเขาsǔam-kǎo, 'to put horns on' someone (the same image as the horned cuckold of old European jokes), is to make a fool of them by cheating, so โดนสวมเขาdoon sǔam-kǎo = to be cheated on, while สวมกอดsǔam-gàwt is a formal 'to embrace'. โดนdoon + verb = to have something (unpleasant) done to you. น้องnáwng (younger sibling) is how a woman often calls herself with an older boyfriend, whom she calls อ้ายâai in Isan or พี่pîi in Central Thai.

   Watch from 1:06
5. กุหลาบ gù-làapละเด้อ lá dôeพอ pawแล้ว láewฮัก hákไป bpaiช้ำ chámไป bpai

   I've learned my lesson now, you hear? Enough. Every time I love, I get hurt.

   The hook and the title's pun. กุหลาบgù-làap means 'rose', but sung here it sounds like กูหลาบguu làap, 'I've learned my lesson': หลาบlàap is to be put off something for good, an everyday word in Isan (Central Thai mostly says เข็ดkèt), and กูguu is the rough 'I' (see the slang list), so the hook is cheekier than it looks. ละเด้อlá dôe = now, you know! (Isan for แล้วนะláew ná), and ฮักhák is Isan for รักrák (love). Verb ไปbpai verb ไปbpai = one thing and then the other, over and over: ฮักไปช้ำไปhák bpai chám bpai = love and get hurt, again and again. ช้ำchám = bruised; ช้ำใจchám-jai = heartbroken.

   Watch from 1:21
6. มา maaหลอก làwkให้ hâiฮัก hákแล้ว láewน้อง náwngก็ gâwโดน doonเท tee

   You tricked me into loving you, and then I got dumped.

   หลอกให้làwk hâi + verb = to trick someone into doing something: หลอกให้ฮักlàwk hâi hák = to trick (me) into loving you. มาmaa before a verb adds 'came and…', a hint of blame. เทtee is 'to pour out', and in slang 'to dump' someone or stand them up: โดนเทdoon tee = to get dumped, a phrase you'll hear a lot. แล้วláew… ก็gâw = and then.

   Watch from 1:28
7. กุหลาบ gù-làapดอก dàwkนี้ níiเอา aoหนาม nǎamมา maaแทง taengหัวใจ hǔa-jai

   This rose has driven its thorns into my heart.

   Here the rose is the love itself. ดอกdàwk is the counting word for flowers: กุหลาบดอกนี้gù-làap dàwk níi = this rose, กุหลาบสามดอกgù-làap sǎam dàwk = three roses. เอาao X มาmaa + verb = to take X and do something with it: เอาหนามมาแทงao nǎam maa taeng = to take its thorns and stab. หนามnǎam = thorn; แทงtaeng = to stab, to pierce.

   Watch from 1:36
8. อาจ àatเป็น bpenเพราะ práwว่า wâaตอนนั้น dtawn-nánฉัน chǎnไม่ mâiเคย koeiคิด kítถาม tǎam

   Maybe it was because, back then, I never thought to ask.

   SARAN's verse, which packs this whole line into two seconds. อาจเป็นเพราะว่าàat bpen práw wâa = maybe it's because…: อาจàat = might (a little more formal than อาจจะàat-jà) and เป็นเพราะbpen práw = it's because. ตอนนั้นdtawn-nán = back then, at that time. ไม่เคยmâi koei + verb = never: ไม่เคยคิดถามmâi koei kít tǎam = never thought to ask; ไม่เคยไปmâi koei bpai = I've never been.

   Watch from 2:10

Words you'll learn

• เนื้อคู่ núea-kûu

  soulmate; the partner you're destined for

  Literally 'paired flesh'.

• บิน bin

  to fly

• ดอกไม้ dàwk-máai

  flower

• น้ำตา náam-dtaa

  tears

• เช็ด chét

  to wipe, to dry (with a cloth or a towel)

• ช้ำ chám

  bruised

  ช้ำใจchám-jai = heartbroken.

• หลอก làwk

  to trick, to fool, to scam

• เท tee

  to dump someone, to stand someone up (slang; literally 'to pour out')

• หนาม nǎam

  thorn

• แทง taeng

  to stab, to pierce

• ถาม tǎam

  to ask (a question)

• กุหลาบ gù-làap

  rose

• ดัน dan

  to push (steadily), to press against; (before a verb) to go and do, unluckily

  In casual Thai, before another verb, it means 'went and…', unluckily or against the odds: ดันลืมdan luuem = went and forgot.

• เนื้อ núea

  beef; meat, flesh

• ตุ๋น dtǔn

  to stew; stewed

  ต้มตุ๋นdtôm-dtǔn, 'to boil and stew', means to swindle.

• ตอม dtawm

  to swarm around (like flies)

• แมงเม่า maeng-mâo

  flying termite (like a moth)

  In careful Thai, แมลงเม่าmá-laeng-mâo.

• กองไฟ gawng-fai

  a fire, a bonfire

• หัวเข่า hǔa-kào

  knee

• ศอก sàwk

  elbow

  Also ข้อศอกkâw-sàwk.

• สวมเขา sǔam-kǎo

  to cheat on someone (literally 'to put horns on them')

• สวมกอด sǔam-gàwt

  to embrace (formal)

• ฮัก hák

  to love; love (Isan)

Slang and casual Thai

• ละเด้อ lá dôe

  now, you know! (Isan)

  Isan ละlá is Central แล้วláew (now, already), and เด้อdôe is a friendly Isan นะná.

• กู guu

  I, me (very rough or very intimate)

  The hook hides it inside กุหลาบgù-làap. Fine between close friends of the same age; rude anywhere else.

• โดนเท doon tee

  to get dumped

  Also: to be stood up. เทtee alone = to dump someone.

• ต้มตุ๋น dtôm-dtǔn

  to swindle, to con (literally 'boil and stew')

  ต้มdtôm on its own can mean 'to con' too: โดนต้มdoon dtôm = to be taken in.

Grammar in this song

The culture behind it

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