How Far Is Close? (ไกลแค่ไหน คือ ใกล้): meaning and key lines
Getsunovaเก็ตสึโนวา
What the song is about
ไกลแค่ไหน คือ ใกล้glai kâe-nǎi kuue glâi is a Thai rock song by Getsunova (2012). The band's breakthrough, a love song about distance, not between two places but between two hearts: however hard he tries, he never gets any closer to her. Its lines teach how much farther?, until, at last and that's all, and its title plays on two words that differ only in their tone: far and near.
Free, no sign-up: learn the key lines and words with audio, then sing along.
Song facts
- Artist
- Getsunova
- Released
- 2012
- Style
- Thai rock
- Level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Mood
- yearning, patient, bittersweet
- Views
- about 22M (Oct 2026); the official audio on Duckbar's channel has about 426M
- Video
- GMM GRAMMY OFFICIAL (the label's channel)
- 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.
- พยายาม pá-yaa-yaamทุกวัน túk wanมอบ mâwpให้ hâiทุกอย่าง túk yàangที่ tîiเธอ toeต้องการ dtâwng-gaan
Trying every day, giving you everything you want
ทุกวันtúk wan = every day; ทุกอย่างtúk yàang = everything (every kind of thing). มอบให้mâwp hâi = to give, to present, a formal and heartfelt word (everyday Thai just says ให้hâi). ต้องการdtâwng-gaan = to want, to need (a thing): ทุกอย่างที่เธอต้องการtúk yàang tîi toe dtâwng-gaan = everything you want. The song opens the same way: he keeps trying different ways to make her love him. - แต่ dtàeทำไม tam-maiเดิน doenมา maaเนิ่นนาน nôen-naanไม่ mâiถึง tǔengซักที sák tii
But why, after walking so long, do I never get there?
The verse before pictures his efforts as walking a bridge that ends at her heart. แต่ทำไมdtàe tam-mai = but why… A verb + มาmaa + a time = have been doing for that long: เดินมาเนิ่นนานdoen maa nôen-naan = have walked for so long (เนิ่นนานnôen-naan is the literary นานมากnaan mâak). ถึงtǔeng = to arrive, to get there. ไม่mâi + verb + ซักทีsák tii = still not, not even once: ไม่ถึงซักทีmâi tǔeng sák tii = I just never get there, รถไม่มาซักทีrót mâi maa sák tii = the bus just won't come. - อีก ìikไกล glaiแค่ไหน kâe-nǎiจนกว่า jon gwàaฉัน chǎnจะ jàใกล้ glâiบอกที bàwk tii
How much farther until I'm close? Tell me
The hook. อีกไกลแค่ไหนìik glai kâe-nǎi = how much farther? (อีกìik = more, แค่ไหนkâe-nǎi = how much). จนกว่าjon gwàa + a clause = until: รอจนกว่าฝนหยุดraw jon gwàa fǒn yùt = wait until the rain stops. Mind the tones: ไกลglai (far) is mid and ใกล้glâi (near) falls, so the title sets far against near. บอกทีbàwk tii = (please) tell me; ทีtii after a request turns it into a plea, as in ช่วยทีchûay tii = help me! - อีก ìikไกล glaiแค่ไหน kâe-nǎiจนกว่า jon gwàaเธอ toeจะ jàรัก rákฉัน chǎnเสียที sǐa tii
How much farther until you finally love me?
เสียทีsǐa tii (or ซักทีsák tii) at the end = at last, finally, said with impatience: มาเสียทีmaa sǐa tii = come on, at last you're here! จนกว่าเธอจะรักฉันjon gwàa toe jà rák chǎn = until you love me: an 'until' clause usually has จะjà (will) after its subject. - ยังไม่ yang mâiคิด kítยอมแพ้ yawm-páeฉัน chǎnเพียงแต่ piang-dtàeอ่อนล้า àwn-láaก็เท่านั้น gâw tâo-nán
I'm not thinking of giving up; I'm just worn out, that's all
ยังไม่yang mâi + verb = not (yet): ยังไม่คิดยอมแพ้yang mâi kít yawm-páe = I'm not thinking of giving up. ยอมแพ้yawm-páe = to give up, literally 'to accept defeat'. เพียงแต่piang-dtàe = only, merely. อ่อนล้าàwn-láa = worn out (in everyday speech, เหนื่อยnùeay). ก็เท่านั้นgâw tâo-nán = that's all, nothing more. - ภายใน paai-naiใจ jaiยังคง yang-kongรัก rákเธอ toeเหมือนเดิม mǔean-doemไม่ mâiเคย koeiเปลี่ยน bplìan
Deep in my heart I still love you the same; it has never changed
ภายในใจpaai-nai jai = deep inside, in my heart (ภายในpaai-nai is the formal ข้างในkâang-nai, inside). ยังคงyang-kong = still, a fuller ยังyang. เหมือนเดิมmǔean-doem = the same as before. ไม่เคยmâi koei + verb = never: ไม่เคยเปลี่ยนmâi koei bplìan = has never changed.
Words you'll learn
- ทุกวัน túk wan
every day
- มอบ mâwp
to hand over, to present, to give (formal)
- ทุกอย่าง túk yàang
everything
- ต้องการ dtâwng-gaan
to need, to want (a thing)
- เนิ่นนาน nôen-naan
a long, long time (poetic)
- ถึง tǔeng
to arrive, to reach; to, until
Rising tone. ถึงแล้วtǔeng láew is what everyone texts when they get somewhere: 'I'm here!'
- ซักที sák tii
at last, finally (impatient)
The spoken spelling of สักทีsàk tii (สักsàk has a high tone in speech). It sounds impatient: ฝนหยุดซักทีfǒn yùt sák tii = stop raining already! After a negative: still not, not even once.
- ไกล glai
far
Mid tone: keep it flat and level.
- ใกล้ glâi
near, close
Falling tone, while ไกลglai (far) is mid: get the tone wrong and near becomes far! Doubled, ใกล้ๆglâi-glâi means 'close by'.
- จนกว่า jon gwàa
until
- บอกที bàwk tii
please tell me
- เสียที sǐa tii
at last, finally (impatient)
- ยอมแพ้ yawm-páe
to give up, to surrender
- เพียงแต่ piang-dtàe
only, merely, just
- อ่อนล้า àwn-láa
worn out, exhausted
- ก็เท่านั้น gâw tâo-nán
that's all, nothing more
- ยังคง yang-kong
still, continue to (formal)
- เปลี่ยน bplìan
to change, to exchange
For clothes, plans and trains alike: เปลี่ยนรถไฟbplìan rót-fai change trains.
Grammar in this song
อีกìik + adjective + แค่ไหนkâe-nǎi = how much more…?: อีกไกลแค่ไหนìik glai kâe-nǎi (how much farther?), อีกนานแค่ไหนìik naan kâe-nǎi (how much longer?). จนกว่าjon gwàa + subject + จะjà + verb = until: จนกว่าเธอจะรักฉันjon gwàa toe jà rák chǎn. … เสียทีsǐa tii / ซักทีsák tii = at last, finally; after a negative, still not.
Time and change: verb + มาmaa + time = have been doing for (เดินมาเนิ่นนานdoen maa nôen-naan); ยังไม่yang mâi + verb = not (yet); ไม่เคยmâi koei + verb = never. Tones change meaning: ไกลglai (far, mid tone) and ใกล้glâi (near, falling tone) are also spelled differently, so reading Thai helps you tell them apart.
The culture behind it
Getsunova (เก็ตสึโนวาgét-sùe-noo-waa) are singer Name, guitarist Natee, Panoth on guitar and synthesizer, and drummer Prite. When they made "ไกลแค่ไหนคือใกล้glai kâe-nǎi kuue glâi" the members were living between London, Boston and Bangkok. Panoth wrote the words and music; it came out on 23 August 2012 on Duckbar, part of GMM Grammy, produced by Pon, formerly of the band Clash. The label described it as a love song about distance, not between places but between two hearts: however hard he tries, he never gets any closer to her.
According to GMM Grammy it was the first Thai clip on YouTube to pass 100 million views and, in early 2016, the first past 200 million; it was also the first Thai song on YouTube's worldwide top-100 chart, where it stayed for 14 weeks. It won Song of the Year at the Nine Entertain Awards. Most of its views are on the official audio upload (about 426 million); this official video adds a short story about a radio repair shop, so it starts here just before the song begins.
Learn “How Far Is Close?” in about 7 minutes
Hear each key line, learn its words with audio and fill the gaps as you sing along. Free, no sign-up needed.
More songs to learn Thai
Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones