Magic Rope (เชือกวิเศษ): meaning and key lines
LABANOONลาบานูน
What the song is about
เชือกวิเศษchûeak wí-sèet is a Thai rock song by LABANOON (2015). One of the most-watched Thai music videos ever: a man who has tried everything to keep his girlfriend realises that even a magic rope could only hold her body, not her heart, and lets her go with a blessing. Its lines teach even if, may you…, you don't have to, don't worry, thanks for…, sorry that…, and the heart words Thai uses for feelings.
Free, no sign-up: learn the key lines and words with audio, then sing along.
Song facts
- Artist
- LABANOON
- Released
- 2015
- Style
- Thai rock
- Level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Mood
- heartbroken, selfless, letting go
- Views
- about 572M (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.
- พยายาม pá-yaa-yaamจน jonหมดปัญญา mòt bpan-yaa
I tried until I ran out of ideas
พยายามpá-yaa-yaam = to try (hard). จนjon = until, so much that: กินจนอิ่มgin jon ìm = to eat until you're full. หมดปัญญาmòt bpan-yaa = at your wits' end, literally 'wisdom used up' (หมดmòt = all gone, used up, as in หมดแล้วmòt láew, sold out). The line goes on: now it is time to bow his head and accept his fate. - ต่อให้ dtàw-hâiเชือก chûeakวิเศษ wí-sèetผูก pùukเรา raoเอาไว้ ao wái
Even if a magic rope tied us together
ต่อให้dtàw-hâi = even if, no matter how: ต่อให้ฝนตกก็จะไปdtàw-hâi fǒn dtòk gâw jà bpai = even if it rains, I'll go. เชือกchûeak = rope; วิเศษwí-sèet = magic: เชือกวิเศษchûeak wí-sèet, the title. ผูกpùuk = to tie; a verb + เอาไว้ao wái = and keep it that way: ผูกเราเอาไว้pùuk rao ao wái = tie us and hold us there. The next line answers: even holding on for dear life, he could only keep her body, not her heart. - เมื่อ mûeaรัก rákมัน manทำให้ tam-hâiเธอ toeหนักใจ nàk-jai
When love makes your heart heavy
เมื่อmûea = when (more written than ตอนที่dtawn-tîi). มันman = it; in speech and songs it often just points back at the subject: รักมันrák man = love, it… ทำให้tam-hâi + person + feeling = to make someone feel. หนักใจnàk-jai = troubled, weighed down, literally 'heavy-hearted'. Thai builds dozens of feelings on ใจjai, the heart: ดีใจdii-jai (glad), เสียใจsǐa-jai (sad, sorry), ลำบากใจlam-bàak-jai (torn, uncomfortable), which the first verse uses. - ถ้า tâaอย่างนั้น yàang-nánก็ gâwขอให้ kǎw-hâiเธอ toeโชคดี chôok-dii
If that's how it is, then I wish you luck
ถ้าอย่างนั้นtâa yàang-nán = if that's so, in that case (งั้นngán in fast speech). ขอให้kǎw-hâi + a wish = may…: ขอให้เธอโชคดีkǎw-hâi toe chôok-dii = I wish you luck, may you be lucky; ขอให้มีความสุขkǎw-hâi mii kwaam-sùk = may you be happy, the way Thai birthday and New Year wishes often end. โชคดีchôok-dii on its own = good luck, take care (a goodbye). - ไม่ต้อง mâi dtâwngทน tonอยู่ yùuตรงนี้ dtrong-níiให้ hâiทรมาน taw-rá-maan
You don't have to stay here and suffer
ไม่ต้องmâi dtâwng + verb = you don't have to: ไม่ต้องทนmâi dtâwng ton = you don't have to put up with it. ทนton = to endure, to bear. ตรงนี้dtrong-níi = right here. อยู่ให้ทรมานyùu hâi taw-rá-maan = stay and suffer; ทรมานtaw-rá-maan = to suffer, to be in agony. Its spelling hides the sound: here ทรtaw-rá is two syllables, not the s of ทรายsaai (sand). - ขอบใจ kàwp-jaiเธอ toeที่ tîiทน tonกัน ganมา maa
Thank you for putting up with me all this time
ขอบใจkàwp-jai = thanks, the casual word for people younger than you or very close to you (to anyone else, ขอบคุณkàwp-kun). ขอบใจเธอที่kàwp-jai toe tîi… = thank you for…: ขอบคุณที่มาkàwp-kun tîi maa = thanks for coming. A verb + มาmaa = have been doing up to now: ทนกันมาton gan maa = have put up with (me) all along. - อย่า yàaกังวล gang-wonอย่า yàaห่วง hùangอะไร à-rai
Don't be anxious, don't worry about anything
อย่าyàa + verb = don't. Thai has two kinds of worry: กังวลgang-won = anxious about a situation, and ห่วงhùang = to worry about someone you care for: ไม่ต้องห่วงmâi dtâwng hùang = don't worry (about me); เป็นห่วงbpen-hùang = to worry about (someone). After a negative, อะไรà-rai means anything. - ฉัน chǎnผิด pìtเอง eengขอโทษที kǎw-tôot tiiที่ tîiวันนี้ wan-níiดี diiไม่ mâiพอ paw
It's my fault; I'm sorry that today I'm not good enough
ผิดpìt = wrong; ฉันผิดเองchǎn pìt eeng = it's my own fault (เองeeng = me myself, no one else). ขอโทษทีkǎw-tôot tii = sorry, the quick, casual form of ขอโทษkǎw-tôot: fine with friends, not with your boss. ขอโทษที่kǎw-tôot tîi… = sorry that… An adjective + พอpaw = … enough: ดีไม่พอdii mâi paw = not good enough, ไม่ใหญ่พอmâi yài paw = not big enough.
Words you'll learn
- พยายาม pá-yaa-yaam
to try (hard)
- หมดปัญญา mòt bpan-yaa
at your wits' end, out of ideas
- ต่อให้ dtàw-hâi
even if, no matter (how)
ต่อให้ฝนตกก็จะไปdtàw-hâi fǒn dtòk gâw jà bpai = even if it rains, I'll go.
- เชือก chûeak
rope, string, cord
- วิเศษ wí-sèet
magic, magical; wonderful
- ผูก pùuk
to tie
- เอาไว้ ao wái
(hold) in place, keep (after a verb)
- หนักใจ nàk-jai
troubled, weighed down (heavy-hearted)
- อย่างนั้น yàang-nán
like that; in that case
- ขอให้ kǎw-hâi
may … (starts a wish or blessing)
Literally 'I ask that…'. Put the wish straight after it: ขอให้โชคดีkǎw-hâi chôok-dii Good luck!
- โชคดี chôok-dii
good luck; take care
Also a warm 'take care' when someone heads off.
- ทน ton
to endure, put up with
- ทรมาน taw-rá-maan
to suffer, to be in agony
- กังวล gang-won
anxious, worried (about a situation)
- ห่วง hùang
to worry about (someone you care for)
ไม่ต้องห่วงmâi dtâwng hùang = don't worry.
- ผิด pìt
wrong; to make a mistake
- ขอโทษที kǎw-tôot tii
sorry (casual)
- พอ paw
as soon as, when (+ a clause); enough
พอแล้วpaw láew = that's enough.
Grammar in this song
ต่อให้dtàw-hâi … ก็gâw … = even if…, still…: ต่อให้ฝนตกก็จะไปdtàw-hâi fǒn dtòk gâw jà bpai. ขอให้kǎw-hâi + wish = may…: ขอให้โชคดีkǎw-hâi chôok-dii (good luck to you). ไม่ต้องmâi dtâwng + verb = don't have to, อย่าyàa + verb = don't. ขอบใจkàwp-jai / ขอบคุณkàwp-kun + ที่tîi… = thanks for…, ขอโทษkǎw-tôot + ที่tîi… = sorry that…
Feelings live in the heart, ใจjai: หนักใจnàk-jai (weighed down), ลำบากใจlam-bàak-jai (torn), ดีใจdii-jai (glad), เสียใจsǐa-jai (sad, sorry). ทำให้tam-hâi + person + feeling = to make someone feel it: รักมันทำให้เธอหนักใจrák man tam-hâi toe nàk-jai.
The culture behind it
LABANOON (ลาบานูนlaa-baa-nuun) is a rock trio led by singer and guitarist Metee Arun. After a long break the band came back in 2014 on Genie Records, a GMM Grammy label, and "เชือกวิเศษchûeak wí-sèet" was the third single of their comeback album N.E.W.S.; Metee wrote the music and Kob of the rock band Big Ass the words. The video came out on 26 August 2015, starring the footballer Sarach Yooyen, captain of Thailand's team at the 2015 SEA Games, and Pattira Sarutiphongphokin. It became the fastest Thai video to reach 100 million views on YouTube (in two months) and, in July 2020, the first Thai song past 500 million; "เชือกวิเศษchûeak wí-sèet" also topped Google Thailand's list of trending searches for 2015, and won Single Hit of the Year at The Guitar Mag Awards 2016.
The goodbye has no anger in it, only thanks, an apology and a blessing. You can use the blessing yourself: โชคดีนะchôok-dii ná (good luck, take care) is an everyday way to say goodbye to someone setting off on a trip or a new job.
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