Som San (ซมซาน): meaning and key lines
Losoโลโซ
What the song is about
ซมซานsom-saan, “Som San (Worn Down)”, is a Thai rock song by Loso (1998). A rock classic from the album that made Loso the country's number one rock band: a shy guy meets his crush every night in his dreams and is worn down by waiting for her to say something. Its lines teach never in my life, every time, won't (refuse to), walk up to someone and make (someone) wait, plus a few poetic song words.
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Song facts
- Artist
- Loso
- Released
- 1998
- Style
- Thai rock
- Level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Mood
- lovesick, restless, cheeky
- Views
- about 280M (Oct 2026)
- 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.
- เกิดมา gòet maaไม่ mâiเคย koeiเจอ joeใคร kraiเหมือน mǔeanเธอ toe
Never in my life have I met anyone like you
เกิดมาgòet maa = since I was born, in all my life: เกิดมาไม่เคยgòet maa mâi koei + verb = never in my life have I… เจอjoe = to meet, to come across. ใครkrai = who, but after a negative it means anyone: ไม่เคยเจอใครmâi koei joe krai = have never met anyone. เหมือนmǔean = like, the same as: เหมือนเธอmǔean toe = like you. - หลับ làpลง longคราใด kraa daiอยาก yàakนอน nawnไม่ยอม mâi yawmตื่น dtùuen
Whenever I fall asleep, I want to sleep on and never wake up
หลับlàp = to be asleep; หลับลงlàp long = to drift off (ลงlong, down). คราใดkraa dai = whenever, a poetic word; in speech, เมื่อไหร่mûea-rài or ทุกครั้งที่túk kráng tîi. ไม่ยอมmâi yawm + verb = to refuse to, won't: ไม่ยอมตื่นmâi yawm dtùuen = won't wake up, ลูกไม่ยอมกินข้าวlûuk mâi yawm gin kâao = my child won't eat. He'd rather stay asleep: the next line says he meets her every night in his dreams. - เจอ joeเธอ toeทีไร tii raiจิตใจ jìt-jaiเต้น dtênรัว rua
Every time I see you, my heart pounds
A verb phrase + ทีไรtii rai = every time…, whenever: เจอเธอทีไรjoe toe tii rai = every time I see you, ฝนตกทีไรfǒn dtòk tii rai = whenever it rains. จิตใจjìt-jai = mind, heart. เต้นdtên = to beat (a heart) and also to dance; รัวrua = in a fast roll, like a drum: a heart pounding wildly. - อยาก yàakเดิน doenเข้า kâoไป bpaiบอก bàwkว่า wâaรัก rákเธอ toe
I want to walk up to you and tell you I love you
Thai strings verbs of movement together: เดินdoen (walk) + เข้าkâo (in) + ไปbpai (away from me) = to walk up to someone, to walk in; เดินออกมาdoen àwk-maa = to walk out (towards me). บอกว่าbàwk wâa + what you say = to tell (someone) that: บอกว่ารักเธอbàwk wâa rák toe = to tell you I love you. - ให้ hâiคอย kawyนาน naanนาน naanมัน manซมซาน som-saanรู้ rúuไหม mǎiเอ่ย òei
You make me wait so long, so long it wears me down, you know?
The title line. ให้hâi + verb = to make (someone) do: ให้คอยนานhâi kawy naan = (you) make me wait so long. คอยkawy = to wait (for), a softer, more poetic รอraw. ซมซานsom-saan = to drag yourself along, worn out and beaten (the Royal Institute dictionary: to struggle on in a sorry state, at your wits' end); ซมซานกลับมาsom-saan glàp maa = to come crawling back. รู้ไหมrúu mǎi = you know?; เอ่ยòei is an old-fashioned, teasing question particle, the one that opens Thai riddles: อะไรเอ่ยà-rai òei… = what is it that…?
Words you'll learn
- เกิดมา gòet maa
in all my life, since I was born
เกิดgòet = to be born.
- เจอ joe
to meet, to see; to find
You know it from แล้วเจอกันláew joe gan (see you): 'then we meet'.
- เหมือน mǔean
like; the same as
- หลับ làp
to be asleep, to fall asleep
- คราใด kraa dai
whenever (poetic)
- ไม่ยอม mâi yawm
to refuse to, won't (do something)
- ตื่น dtùuen
to wake up, to get up
Unaspirated dt, low tone, long uue. ตื่นนอนdtùuen nawn (wake + sleep) means the same.
- ทีไร tii rai
every time, whenever
After what happens: กินเผ็ดทีไรgin pèt tii rai… = every time I eat spicy food…
- จิตใจ jìt-jai
mind, heart, spirit
- เต้น dtên
to beat (a heart); to dance
- รัว rua
in a fast roll (drums, a heartbeat)
- เดิน doen
to walk
- บอก bàwk
to tell, to say (to someone)
บอกbàwk + person: บอกฝนbàwk fǒn tell Fon. บอกว่าbàwk wâa + what was said: แม่บอกว่าอร่อยmâe bàwk wâa à-ràwy Mum says it's delicious.
- คอย kawy
to wait for; to keep watching, to be there to
- นาน naan
(for) a long time
Only for time. A long way is ไกลglai (far).
- ซมซาน som-saan
to struggle on, worn down and beaten
- เอ่ย òei
teasing question particle (riddles, old songs)
Grammar in this song
เกิดมาgòet maa + ไม่เคยmâi koei + verb = never in my life have I…: เกิดมาไม่เคยเห็นหิมะgòet maa mâi koei hěn hì-má (I've never seen snow in my life). Verb + ทีไรtii rai = every time…: เจอเธอทีไรjoe toe tii rai. ไม่ยอมmâi yawm + verb = refuse to, won't. ให้hâi + verb = to make (someone) do: ให้คอยhâi kawy (make me wait).
Directions: verb + เข้าไปkâo bpai = in, up to (away from the speaker); verb + ออกมาàwk-maa = out (towards the speaker). Song Thai likes literary words: คราใดkraa dai for เมื่อไหร่mûea-rài (whenever), คอยkawy for รอraw (to wait), and the old question particle เอ่ยòei.
The culture behind it
Loso chose its name as a play on ไฮโซhai-soo, Thai slang for socialites (from English 'high society'): a band of the 'low society', of ordinary people. Singer, guitarist and songwriter Sek Loso (Seksan Sukpimai), who wrote both the words and the music of "ซมซานsom-saan", formed it in Bangkok in the mid-1990s. The song comes from their second album, Loso Entertainment (26 March 1998, on Asanee Chotikul's More Music label, distributed by GMM Grammy), which sold more than two million copies, a record for the Thai music industry at the time; it won Loso the Season Award, Thailand's rock award, for Best Group. Thai Wikipedia calls "ซมซานsom-saan" a legendary Thai rock song that everybody knows.
GMM Grammy only put the video on YouTube in 2014; it passed 100 million views in March 2020, and Sek thanked the fans who still follow the band on YouTube, although in its heyday success was counted in cassettes sold.
Learn “Som San” in about 6 minutes
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
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