Tha Thoe Tong Lueak (ถ้าเธอต้องเลือก): meaning and key lines
ILLSLICKอิลสลิก
What the song is about
ถ้าเธอต้องเลือกtâa toe dtâwng lûeak, “Tha Thoe Tong Lueak (If You Had to Choose)”, is a Thai rap song by ILLSLICK (2018). One of the most-watched Thai music videos ever, at about 558 million views: if you had to choose between him and me, he sings, don't choose me. A gentle R&B song in clear, everyday Thai about choices and stepping aside: if you had to, between him and me, you don't dare, it's up to you, so I became the odd one out, everybody makes mistakes.
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Song facts
- Artist
- ILLSLICK
- Released
- 2018
- Style
- Thai rap
- Level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Mood
- bittersweet, resigned, gentle
- Views
- about 558M (Oct 2026)
- Video
- Illslick thelegandary (official artist 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.
- ถ้า tâaเธอ toeต้อง dtâwngเลือก lûeakระหว่าง rá-wàangเขา kǎoและ láeฉัน chǎn
If you had to choose between him and me,
The title line. ต้องdtâwng + verb = to have to: ถ้าเธอต้องเลือกtâa toe dtâwng lûeak = if you had to choose. เลือกlûeak = to choose, to pick. ระหว่างrá-wàang X และláe Y = between X and Y: ระหว่างชากับกาแฟrá-wàang chaa gàp gaa-fae = between tea and coffee (กับgàp in speech, และláe in writing and songs). เขาkǎo = he, him, here the other man. Thai has no 'would' or 'had': ถ้าtâa (if) and the situation do that work. - ถ้า tâaเป็น bpenอย่างนั้น yàang nánเธอ toeไม่ mâiต้อง dtâwngเลือก lûeakฉัน chǎnเลย loei
if it's like that, you don't have to choose me at all.
ถ้าเป็นอย่างนั้นtâa bpen yàang nán = if that's how it is, if so: อย่างนั้นyàang nán = like that (อย่างนี้yàang níi = like this); in speech it shrinks to งั้นngán. ไม่ต้องmâi dtâwng + verb = don't have to, no need to: ไม่ต้องห่วงmâi dtâwng hùang = don't worry, ไม่ต้องทอนmâi dtâwng tawn = keep the change. เลยloei after a negative = at all. - เธอ toeคง kongมี miiคำถาม kam-tǎamที่ tîiเธอ toeนั้น nánไม่ mâiกล้า glâaบอก bàwk
You probably have a question you don't dare to ask.
คงkong = probably, must: เธอคงมีtoe kong mii = you probably have. คำถามkam-tǎam = a question, from คำkam (word) + ถามtǎam (to ask); an answer is a คำตอบkam-dtàwp. ไม่กล้าmâi glâa + verb = not to dare to: กล้าglâa = brave, to dare. Thai says you don't dare 'tell' (บอกbàwk) the question. นั้นnán (that) after เธอtoe just puts weight on 'you', a habit of lyrics and written Thai. - เอาเลย ao loeiแล้วแต่ láew-dtàeเธอ toeตาม dtaamที่ tîiใจ jaiต้องการ dtâwng-gaan
Go ahead, it's up to you, whatever your heart wants.
เอาเลยao loei = go ahead, go for it. แล้วแต่láew-dtàe + person = it's up to (them): แล้วแต่เธอláew-dtàe toe = up to you, a phrase you'll use every day; asked what you'd like to eat, แล้วแต่คุณláew-dtàe kun = whatever you like. ตามที่dtaam tîi + clause = as, the way that…: ตามที่ใจต้องการdtaam tîi jai dtâwng-gaan = as your heart wants. ต้องการdtâwng-gaan = to want, to need, a little formal. The lyric sheet has เอาตามao dtaam, 'do it as…', but he leaves out that second เอาao when he sings it. - ฉัน chǎnก็ gâwเลย loeiต้อง dtâwngกลายเป็น glaai-bpenส่วนเกิน sùan-goen
So I've had to become the one who's in the way.
The lines before: it must be wonderful that he met you; fate brought you together in the end. ก็เลยgâw loei = so, and so: ฝนตกก็เลยไม่ไปfǒn dtòk gâw loei mâi bpai = it rained, so I didn't go. กลายเป็นglaai-bpen = to turn into, to become: น้ำกลายเป็นน้ำแข็งnáam glaai-bpen náam-kǎeng = water turns into ice. ส่วนเกินsùan-goen, literally 'the part that's too much', is a person who is surplus, in the way: the third wheel. - การ gaanที่ tîiเธอ toeลังเล lang-leeก็ gâwแปลว่า bplae wâaเขา kǎoดี diiกว่า gwàa
The fact that you hesitate means he's better.
การที่gaan tîi + clause = the fact that…, which turns a whole clause into the subject: การที่เธอลังเลgaan tîi toe lang-lee = (the fact) that you hesitate. ลังเลlang-lee = to hesitate, to be undecided. แปลว่าbplae wâa = to mean (that): แปลbplae alone is 'to translate', and แปลว่าอะไรbplae wâa à-rai = what does it mean? ก็gâw links the result: then it means. ดีกว่าdii gwàa = better. - ที่ tîiผ่าน pàanมา maaแค่ kâeลืม luuemมัน manไป bpaiใครๆ krai-kraiก็ gâwเคย koeiทำ tamพลาด plâat
What's past, just forget it. Everybody makes mistakes.
ที่ผ่านมาtîi pàan maa = what has passed, the past: ผ่านpàan = to pass, and มาmaa brings it up to now. ลืมมันไปluuem man bpai = to forget it: มันman = it. ใครๆก็krai-krai gâw + verb = everybody (does): ใครๆก็รู้krai-krai gâw rúu = everybody knows. ทำพลาดtam plâat = to make a mistake, to slip up; เคยkoei + verb = have (ever) done.
Words you'll learn
- เลือก lûeak
to choose, to pick
- ระหว่าง rá-wàang
between; during
- อย่างนั้น yàang nán
like that; in that case
- คำถาม kam-tǎam
question
- กล้า glâa
brave; to dare
- แล้วแต่ láew-dtàe
it depends (on); up to (you)
Thais say it a lot to stay easygoing and let others choose: แล้วแต่คุณláew-dtàe kun (up to you), แล้วแต่คนláew-dtàe kon (it depends on the person).
- ต้องการ dtâwng-gaan
to need, to want (a thing)
- ส่วนเกิน sùan-goen
someone in the way, the odd one out
Literally 'the extra part', also a surplus of anything.
- ลังเล lang-lee
to hesitate, to be undecided
- แปลว่า bplae wâa
to mean (X means Y)
A word 'translates as' its meaning. Point at any word and ask แปลว่าอะไรbplae wâa à-rai: What does it mean?
- พลาด plâat
to slip up, to get it wrong; to miss (a chance)
ทำพลาดtam plâat = to make a mistake; อย่าพลาดyàa plâat = don't miss it.
- ลืม luuem
to forget; to leave something behind
- เอาเลย ao loei
go ahead!, go for it!
- ใครๆ krai-krai
everybody, anyone at all
Usually with ก็gâw: ใครๆก็ชอบkrai-krai gâw châwp = everybody likes it.
Grammar in this song
ถ้าtâa + ต้องdtâwng + verb = if (you) had to…: ถ้าเธอต้องเลือกtâa toe dtâwng lûeak. ระหว่างrá-wàang X และláe (or กับgàp) Y = between X and Y: ระหว่างเขาและฉันrá-wàang kǎo láe chǎn (between him and me).
Daring and needing: ไม่กล้าmâi glâa + verb = not dare to (ไม่กล้าบอกmâi glâa bàwk, ไม่กล้ามองmâi glâa mawng); ไม่ต้องmâi dtâwng + verb = no need to (ไม่ต้องเลือกฉันmâi dtâwng lûeak chǎn). การที่gaan tîi + clause makes a whole clause the subject: การที่เธอลังเลgaan tîi toe lang-lee (the fact that you hesitate). ใครๆก็krai-krai gâw + verb = everybody does it: ใครๆก็เคยทำพลาดkrai-krai gâw koei tam plâat.
The culture behind it
ILLSLICK (อิลสลิกin-sà-lík), real name Thikhamphon Wetthaisong, is a rapper, singer and producer born in Khon Kaen in 1986 who grew up in Lampang and started rapping at high school in Chiang Mai (Thai Wikipedia, which also notes that fans call him 'Mister Legendary'). He puts his music out independently on his own YouTube channel, and two of its videos are among the most-viewed music videos by Thai artists on YouTube: his remix of จูบjùup ('Kiss'), first in kworb's ranking in October 2026, and this one, fifth.
"ถ้าเธอต้องเลือกtâa toe dtâwng lûeak" came out as a single, with this lyric video, on 7 March 2018. It is one of his sung R&B songs rather than a rap. The narrator sees that the woman he loves can't decide between him and another man, and steps aside before she has to: she shouldn't waste her time on him, he'd rather go back to being on his own, and if her heart is with the other man, that's enough. It is a very Thai kind of heartbreak song, with no anger and no scene, only ไม่เป็นไรmâi bpen rai, it's fine, the words the song ends on.
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