Nicotine (นิโคติน): meaning and key lines
Mirrr
What the song is about
นิโคตินní-koo-dtin is a T-pop song by Mirrr (2020). The song that made Mirrr: sung by someone who is only ever a comfort, always there when the one they love is lonely or let down, though they know they'll be dropped in the end, like a cigarette. Its lines teach never going anywhere, beyond your reach, that's all I get, it's okay, whenever, even though, getting better and caring about someone.
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Song facts
- Artist
- Mirrr
- Released
- 2020
- Style
- T-pop
- Level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Mood
- devoted, lonely, bittersweet
- Views
- about 95M (Oct 2026)
- Video
- Mirrr (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.
- ไม่ mâiเคย koeiจะ jàไป bpaiไหน nǎiไกล glaiเกิน goenเอื้อม ûeamมือ muue
I'm never further away than your hand can reach
ไม่เคยmâi koei = never: ไม่เคยจะไปไหนmâi koei jà bpai nǎi = I never go anywhere (ไปไหนbpai nǎi after a negative = anywhere; on its own it asks where you're going). ไกลเกินglai goen = too far, further than (เกินgoen = over, beyond). เอื้อมûeam = to reach out, to stretch for: เอื้อมมือûeam muue = to reach out your hand, and สูงเกินเอื้อมsǔung goen ûeam = out of reach. The voice of the song, nicotine or a friend who is always there, is never out of reach. - ได้ dâiเท่านี้ tâo-níiแต่ dtàeไม่เป็นไร mâi bpen rai
This is all I get, but that's okay
ได้dâi here = to get: ได้เท่านี้dâi tâo-níi = to get only this much (เท่านี้tâo-níi = this much, only this). The lines before: always there, every day, giving you good feelings, never anything more. แต่dtàe (but) is sung so lightly you can hardly hear it. ไม่เป็นไรmâi bpen rai = it's okay, never mind: Thailand's everyday phrase, from a spilled drink to a broken heart, and here it hides how much it hurts. - เมื่อไหร่ mûea-ràiที่ tîiเธอ toeผิดหวัง pìt-wǎngฉัน chǎnจะ jàปลอบโยน bplàwp-yoonหัวใจ hǔa-jai
Whenever you're let down, I'll comfort your heart
The chorus. เมื่อไหร่mûea-rài = when?; เมื่อไหร่ที่mûea-rài tîi + what happens = whenever: เมื่อไหร่ที่ว่างmûea-rài tîi wâang = whenever you're free. ผิดหวังpìt-wǎng = disappointed, let down (ผิดpìt = wrong, หวังwǎng = to hope: hope gone wrong). ปลอบโยนbplàwp-yoon = to comfort, to console; in everyday talk just ปลอบbplàwp. The next line promises to heal every wound you get. - แม้ máeจะ jàรู้ rúuใน naiตอน dtawnสุดท้าย sùt-táaiเธอ toeจะ jàทิ้ง tíngกัน gan
Even though I know that in the end you'll throw me away
แม้máe = even though; แม้จะรู้máe jà rúu = even though I know. ในตอนสุดท้ายnai dtawn sùt-táai = in the end (ตอนdtawn = the time when; สุดท้ายsùt-táai = last). ทิ้งtíng = to throw away, to leave behind. เธอจะtoe jà goes by so fast that it sounds like one syllable. กันgan at the end means 'me' here, a soft old 'me' of songs; usually it means 'each other'. Like a cigarette, it knows it will be tossed away. - ขอ kǎwแค่ kâeเธอ toeหาย hǎaiดี dii
All I ask is that you get well
The chorus ends here. ขอkǎw = to ask for: ขอแค่kǎw kâe = all I ask is (แค่kâe = only, just). หายhǎai = to get better, and also to disappear; หายดีhǎai dii = to be completely well again. You wish a sick friend หายเร็วๆนะhǎai rew-rew ná, get well soon. - แม้ว่า máe-wâaเธอ toeไม่ mâiสนใจ sǒn-jaiและ láeแม้ máeเธอ toeไม่ mâiเคย koeiเห็น hěn
Even though you don't care, and even though you never see me
แม้ว่าmáe-wâa and แม้máe = even though, although. สนใจsǒn-jai = to be interested (in), to pay attention to: ไม่สนใจmâi sǒn-jai = not to care. ไม่เคยเห็นmâi koei hěn = to never see, never notice (เห็นhěn = to see). The verse goes on: it's the one you always look straight past, asking only to be trusted.
Words you'll learn
- เอื้อม ûeam
to stretch out (your hand) for
สูงเกินเอื้อมsǔung goen ûeam = out of reach.
- เกิน goen
to exceed; over, beyond
- ไม่เป็นไร mâi bpen rai
it's okay; no problem; never mind
The answer to ขอโทษkǎw-tôot and to ขอบคุณkàwp-kun, and the easy-going attitude Thais are known for.
- เท่านี้ tâo-níi
this much
แค่เท่านี้kâe tâo-níi = just this much; เท่านั้นtâo-nán = only (that).
- ผิดหวัง pìt-wǎng
disappointed
- ปลอบโยน bplàwp-yoon
to comfort, to console
- ทิ้ง tíng
to throw away; to leave behind
- สุดท้าย sùt-táai
in the end, finally; last
At the start of a sentence it means in the end. After a noun it means last: วันสุดท้ายwan sùt-táai (the last day).
- หาย hǎai
to get better, to recover; to be lost, to disappear
When an illness หายhǎai, it disappears; the same word is used for a lost passport or a missing bag.
- แค่ kâe
only, just
- สนใจ sǒn-jai
to be interested (in)
- เห็น hěn
to see
To see or notice something; for watching on purpose (a film, a show, the monks' procession) use ดูduu.
- นิโคติน ní-koo-dtin
nicotine
Grammar in this song
แม้máe / แม้ว่าmáe-wâa (+ จะjà) = even though, although: แม้จะรู้máe jà rúu, แม้ว่าเธอไม่สนใจmáe-wâa toe mâi sǒn-jai. Everyday talk often says ถึงจะtǔeng jà: ถึงจะเหนื่อยก็ไม่เป็นไรtǔeng jà nùeay gâw mâi bpen rai = even though I'm tired, it's fine. เมื่อไหร่ที่mûea-rài tîi + event = whenever: เมื่อไหร่ที่เธอผิดหวังmûea-rài tîi toe pìt-wǎng.
ไม่เคยmâi koei + verb = never: ไม่เคยเห็นmâi koei hěn (never see, have never seen); with a question word it means 'any': ไม่เคยไปไหนmâi koei bpai nǎi = never go anywhere, ไม่เคยขออะไรmâi koei kǎw à-rai = never asks for anything.
The culture behind it
Mirrr is the duo of singer and songwriter Tito (Letach Ketsook) and guitarist Nao, who started playing together at Chiang Mai University, and "นิโคตินní-koo-dtin" made their name. It came out on 31 January 2020 on the label Macrowave; within days it was number one on JOOX's indie chart, and it stayed there three weeks. Tito told The Guitar Mag that the song began with its title: he wrote the word "nicotine" first, then wondered what nicotine would feel, if it had feelings: people come back to it all the time, but nobody counts it as the real one in their life, and in the end it is thrown away. When it came out, Thai music news described it as the feelings of someone who can only ever be a confidant, staying beside the person they love even though that person will leave in the end. In October 2026 it had spent 313 weeks on Spotify's weekly chart for Thailand, once at number one (kworb).
The lyrics never mention smoking, though the video shows a cigarette, and the band added a message under the video: the song doesn't encourage smoking, nicotine harms your body, and you may not be able to stop missing her, but you can stop smoking, with a free call to 1600, Thailand's quitline. บุหรี่bù-rìi is a cigarette. Their Khuen Jai is here too.
Learn “Nicotine” in about 7 minutes
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones