Klap Kham Sala (กลับคำสาหล่า): meaning and key lines
Mike Pirompornไมค์ ภิรมย์พร
What the song is about
กลับคำสาหล่าglàp-kam sǎa làa, “Klap Kham Sala (Take It Back, Darling)”, is a luk thung song by Mike Piromporn (2017). Sung in Isan, it has more than 350 million views on its lyric video alone. After a fight, a man begs his partner to take back the word 'goodbye', because a few seconds of anger can wreck years of love. The singing is slow and clear, the lines swap just a few Isan words into Central Thai grammar, and they teach things you'll say in real life: calm down, do you realise what you're saying, falling out is normal.
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Song facts
- Artist
- Mike Piromporn
- Released
- 2017
- Style
- Luk thung
- Level
- B2 (upper intermediate)
- Mood
- pleading, tender, steady
- Views
- about 360M (Oct 2026)
- Video
- Grammy Gold Official
- 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.
- ใจเย็น jai-yenไว้ wáiสา sǎaเว้า wáoหยัง yǎngออกมา àwk-maaฮู้โต húu-dtooบ่ bàwน้อ náw
Calm down a moment. Do you realise what you're saying?
ใจเย็นไว้jai-yen wái = keep calm (literally 'keep a cool heart'), and Isan สาsǎa adds 'for now, please'. Isan → Central: เว้าwáo = พูดpûut, to speak; หยังyǎng = อะไรà-rai, what; ฮู้โตhúu-dtoo = รู้ตัวrúu-dtua, to realise (literally 'know yourself'). A บ่bàw at the end makes a yes/no question, like ไหมmǎi, and น้อnáw makes it gentle. - เรื่อง rûeangมื้อนี้ múue-níiอ้าย âaiสิ sìบ่ bàwคึด kúetต่อ dtàw
I won't keep thinking about what happened today.
Isan → Central: มื้อนี้múue-níi = วันนี้wan-níi, today; คึดkúet = คิดkít, to think; สิบ่sì bàw = จะไม่jà mâi, won't. The man calls himself อ้ายâai, 'older brother', like พี่pîi in Central Thai. เรื่องrûeang = the matter, what happened. Verb + ต่อdtàw = to keep doing it: คิดต่อkít dtàw = to dwell on it. - เก็บ gèpเอา aoไว้ wáiก่อน gàwnคำ kamว่า wâaลาก่อน laa-gàwn
Put it away for now, that word 'goodbye'.
เก็บไว้gèp wái = to keep, to put away; เก็บเอาไว้ก่อนgèp ao wái gàwn = put it away for now. คำว่าkam wâa + a word = the word '…'. ลาก่อนlaa-gàwn is a heavy goodbye, for a long time or for good; for an everyday 'bye' Thais say ไปก่อนนะbpai gàwn ná or บ๊ายบายbáai-baai. - ตะกี้ตะก่อน dtà-gîi-dtà-gàwnฮัก hákกัน ganส่ำใด๋ sàm-dǎi
How much we loved each other back then…
Isan → Central: ตะกี้ตะก่อนdtà-gîi-dtà-gàwn = เมื่อก่อนmûea-gàwn, in the past; ฮักhák = รักrák, to love; ส่ำใด๋sàm-dǎi = เท่าไหร่tâo-rài, how much. กันgan after a verb = each other: รักกันrák gan = to love each other. He asks her to think it over once more before she goes. - อ้าย âaiขอ kǎwให้ hâiเจ้า jâoกลับคำ glàp-kamสา sǎaหล่า làa
I'm begging you, take back what you said, darling.
ขอให้kǎw hâi + person + verb = to ask someone to do something. In Isan เจ้าjâo is a warm 'you'. กลับคำglàp-kam = to take back your words, to go back on what you said. หล่าlàa (also spelled หล้าlâa) is an Isan way to call a younger loved one, a girlfriend or a child, like น้องnáwng, and สาsǎa softens the request: the title means 'take it back, darling'. - ผิดใจ pìt-jaiกัน ganก็ gâwเรื่อง rûeangธรรมดา tam-má-daa
Falling out is a normal thing.
ผิดใจกันpìt-jai gan = to fall out, to have a disagreement (literally 'wrong hearts with each other'). ก็gâw + เรื่องธรรมดาrûeang tam-má-daa = (it) is just normal: ทะเลาะกันก็เรื่องธรรมดาtá-láw gan gâw rûeang tam-má-daa = arguing is normal. Unlike most of the song, this line is plain Central Thai, and a good one to remember.
Words you'll learn
- ใจเย็น jai-yen
calm, patient, easy-going
ใจเย็นๆjai yen-yen = calm down, take it easy. The opposite, ใจร้อนjai-ráwn ('hot heart'), is impatient, short-tempered.
- คึด kúet
to think (Isan)
Central Thai: คิดkít. คึดฮอดkúet-hâwt = to miss someone, like Central คิดถึงkít-tǔeng.
- ลาก่อน laa-gàwn
goodbye (for a long time or for good)
- กลับคำ glàp-kam
to take back what you said
- ผิดใจ pìt-jai
to fall out (with each other)
ผิดใจกันpìt-jai gan = to fall out with each other.
Slang and casual Thai
- สา sǎa
for now, please (Isan softening particle)
Isan adds it to requests and invitations: ใจเย็นไว้สาjai-yen wái sǎa = keep calm for now, please. In Central Thai: ก่อนgàwn (for now) or เถอะtòe (go on).
- หยัง yǎng
what (Isan, short form)
Central Thai: อะไรà-rai. The long form is อีหยังii-yǎng: เฮ็ดหยังhét yǎng = what are you doing?
- ฮู้โต húu-dtoo
to realise (Isan)
Central Thai: รู้ตัวrúu-dtua. Isan has h for r (ฮู้húu = รู้rúu) and โตdtoo for ตัวdtua, self.
- น้อ náw
gentle question particle (Isan)
Close to Central Thai นะná or เนาะnáw.
- มื้อนี้ múue-níi
today (Isan)
Central Thai: วันนี้wan-níi. In Central Thai มื้อmúue is a meal.
- ตะกี้ตะก่อน dtà-gîi-dtà-gàwn
in the past, back then (Isan)
Central Thai: เมื่อก่อนmûea-gàwn. Careful: in Bangkok, ตะกี้dtà-gîi alone means 'just now'.
- ส่ำใด๋ sàm-dǎi
how much (Isan)
Central Thai: เท่าไหร่tâo-rài or แค่ไหนkâe-nǎi.
- หล่า làa
darling, little one (Isan)
A tender word for a younger loved one, a girlfriend or a child, like น้องnáwng. Also spelled หล้าlâa.
Grammar in this song
Isan swaps, Central grammar. The song keeps Central Thai word order and swaps in Isan words: บ่bàw = ไม่mâi, สิsì = จะjà, เว้าwáo = พูดpûut, หยังyǎng = อะไรà-rai, คึดkúet = คิดkít, มื้อนี้múue-níi = วันนี้wan-níi, ส่ำใด๋sàm-dǎi = เท่าไหร่tâo-rài. Two sound changes help you guess the rest: Central r becomes h (ฮักhák = รักrák, ฮู้húu = รู้rúu, ฮอดhâwt = ถึงtǔeng 'to reach'), and ตัวdtua becomes โตdtoo. A final บ่bàw turns a statement into a question, like ไหมmǎi: ฮู้โตบ่húu-dtoo bàw = do you realise? The romanization reads Isan words as their spelling would sound in Central Thai; real Isan tones differ, so copy the singer.
Asking nicely. ขอให้kǎw hâi + person + verb = to ask someone to do something: ขอให้เจ้ากลับคำkǎw hâi jâo glàp-kam (please take it back). Soften it with Isan สาsǎa or เด้อdôe, or Central นะná. Feelings with ใจjai, the heart: ใจเย็นjai-yen (calm), ใจร้อนjai-ráwn (hot-headed), ผิดใจpìt-jai (to fall out).
The culture behind it
Mike Piromporn (ไมค์ภิรมย์พรmai pí-rom-pawn) was born in 1966 in Kumphawapi district, Udon Thani, and has sung luk thung with GMM Grammy since 1995, on its Grammy Gold label until 2023; GMM Grammy calls him a favourite of working people. 'Klap Kham Sala' was the first single from his 19th album in 2017. Mike told GMM Grammy that its writer, Pongsak Thanomjai, took the idea from the earlier hit 'Klap Kham Sia' ('Take it back') and wanted an Isan luk thung version. The lyric video came out first, the music video followed on 7 August 2017, and by October the song had passed 100 million views, according to Sanook.
The title is pure Isan: กลับคำglàp-kam (take back your words) + สาsǎa (please) + หล่าlàa (darling). Its advice is very Thai too: keep a cool heart, ใจเย็นjai-yen, and don't let a quarrel grow into a drama. Keeping your temper is a big part of good manners in Thailand, so you'll hear ใจเย็นๆjai yen-yen, 'calm down', a lot.
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