Mai Mee Kho Mae (ไม่มีข้อแม้ตั้งแต่เริ่มต้น): meaning and key lines
Pai Pongsathonไผ่ พงศธร
What the song is about
ไม่มีข้อแม้ตั้งแต่เริ่มต้นmâi mii kâw-máe dtâng-dtàe rôem-dtôn, “Mai Mee Kho Mae (No Conditions From the Start)”, is a luk thung song by Pai Pongsathon (2014). With more than 400 million views, among the 20 most-watched music videos by Thai artists on YouTube: a man tells the woman he loves that he won't ask about her past, won't ask to be the one who matters, and won't hold her back, as long as he gets to take care of her today. Mostly Central Thai with a few warm Isan touches, it teaches how to say 'as much as', 'want you to', 'whatever you are' and 'I count myself lucky'.
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Song facts
- Artist
- Pai Pongsathon
- Released
- 2014
- Style
- Luk thung
- Level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Mood
- devoted, selfless, tender
- Views
- about 412M (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.
- สิ sìบ่ bàwถาม tǎamเธอ toeเคย koeiรัก rákใคร kraiก่อน gàwnมา maaเจอ joeอ้าย âai
I won't ask who you loved before you met me.
Isan สิsì = จะjà, will, and บ่bàw = ไม่mâi, not, so สิบ่ถามsì bàw tǎam = จะไม่ถามjà mâi tǎam, I won't ask. เคยkoei + verb = have ever, used to: เคยรักใครkoei rák krai = whom you have loved. ก่อนgàwn + a clause = before. He calls himself อ้ายâai, 'older brother', the Isan way a man talks to the woman he loves. - เท่าที่ tâo-tîiเธอ toeรัก rákได้ dâiก็ gâwพอ paw
However much you can love me is enough.
The end of a line that starts 'love me as much as you want to'. เท่าที่tâo-tîi = as much as, as far as: เท่าที่ทำได้tâo-tîi tam dâi = as much as you can. Verb + ได้dâi = can, be able to. ก็พอgâw paw = is enough, will do: แค่นี้ก็พอkâe níi gâw paw = this much is enough. - อยาก yàakให้ hâiอ้าย âaiเป็น bpenแค่ kâeที่พักใจ tîi-pák-jai
If you want me to be just somewhere to rest your heart…
อยากให้yàak hâi + person + verb = to want someone to do something: อยากให้อ้ายเป็นyàak hâi âai bpen = (you) want me to be. แค่kâe = just, only. ที่พักใจtîi-pák-jai = a place where your heart can rest: someone you turn to when you are hurt, maybe only for a while. The line goes on: 'or anything at all', that's fine with him. - ไม่ mâiมี miiข้อแม้ kâw-máeตั้งแต่ dtâng-dtàeเริ่มต้น rôem-dtôn
No conditions, right from the start.
The title, in Central Thai. ข้อแม้kâw-máe = a condition, a 'but' you attach to a promise: มีข้อแม้mii kâw-máe = to have conditions. ตั้งแต่dtâng-dtàe = since, from: ตั้งแต่เริ่มต้นdtâng-dtàe rôem-dtôn = from the beginning (เริ่มต้นrôem-dtôn = to start; the start). - ฮู้ húuไว้ wáiเด้อ dôeเธอ toeเป็น bpenจั่งใด๋ jàng-dǎiอ้าย âaiก็ gâwยินดี yin-dii
Know this: whatever you are, I'm happy with it.
The chorus ends in Isan. ฮู้ไว้เด้อhúu wái dôe = รู้ไว้นะrúu wái ná, just so you know: ไว้wái after a verb means 'and keep it', and Isan เด้อdôe = นะná. Isan จั่งใด๋jàng-dǎi = ยังไงyang-ngai, how, in what way: เป็นจั่งใด๋bpen jàng-dǎi = however you are. Question word + ก็gâw = whatever: เธอเป็นยังไงก็toe bpen yang-ngai gâw = whatever you're like. ยินดีyin-dii = glad, pleased to. - วันนี้ wan-níiได้ dâiดูแล duu-laeเธอ toeได้ dâiมี miiเธอ toeถือว่า tǔue wâaโชคดี chôok-dii
Today I get to take care of you; having you, I count myself lucky.
ได้dâi before a verb = to get to, to have the chance to: ได้ดูแลเธอdâi duu-lae toe = I get to take care of you. ดูแลduu-lae = to take care of, look after. ถือว่าtǔue wâa = to count as, to consider it: ถือว่าโชคดีtǔue wâa chôok-dii = I count myself lucky. The next line hands tomorrow over to fate.
Words you'll learn
- เท่าที่ tâo-tîi
as much as, as far as
เท่าที่รู้tâo-tîi rúu = as far as I know.
- ที่พักใจ tîi-pák-jai
a place to rest your heart
พักpák = to rest, and ใจjai = heart: someone to lean on after a heartbreak.
- ข้อแม้ kâw-máe
a condition, a catch
ไม่มีข้อแม้mâi mii kâw-máe = no strings attached.
- เริ่มต้น rôem-dtôn
to start, to begin; the beginning
- จั่งใด๋ jàng-dǎi
how, in what way (Isan)
Central Thai: ยังไงyang-ngai. เป็นจั่งใด๋bpen jàng-dǎi = how are you, what's wrong?
- ยินดี yin-dii
pleased, glad, happy (to); with pleasure
- ดูแล duu-lae
to take care of, look after
Grammar in this song
Wanting someone to do something. อยากyàak + verb = to want to do it yourself; อยากให้yàak hâi + person + verb = to want someone else to do it: อยากให้เธอมาyàak hâi toe maa = I want you to come. อยากให้อ้ายเป็นที่พักใจyàak hâi âai bpen tîi-pák-jai = (you) want me to be a place to rest your heart.
As much as, and that's enough. เท่าที่tâo-tîi + a clause = as much as: เท่าที่เธอรักได้tâo-tîi toe rák dâi = as much as you can love. Close with ก็พอgâw paw, 'is enough': เท่าที่มีก็พอtâo-tîi mii gâw paw = what we have is enough.
Whatever, however. A question word + ก็gâw means 'any… at all': เป็นยังไงก็ได้bpen yang-ngai gâw dâi = however it is, that's fine. The Isan chorus uses จั่งใด๋jàng-dǎi for ยังไงyang-ngai, and สิบ่sì bàw (won't) for จะไม่jà mâi: Pai sings mostly Central Thai, with Isan where the feeling is warmest.
The culture behind it
Pai Pongsathon (ไผ่พงศธรpài pong-sà-tawn) was born Prayoon Srichan in 1982 in Kut Chum district, Yasothon, in Isan. Thai Wikipedia tells how he grew up poor and worked as a roadie, a backing dancer and a factory hand before the songwriter Sala Khunnawut brought him to Grammy Gold; two of his greatest-hits albums are called ตามฝันจากบ้านไกลdtaam fǎn jàak bâan glai, 'chasing a dream far from home'.
The song is from his ninth album (2014), written by Pongsak Thanomjai. Grammy Gold put it on YouTube as a lyric video so that fans could learn to sing it, and in May 2016 the newspaper Komchadluek reported that it had passed 100 million views, the second Grammy Gold song to get there, after Yinglee Srijumpol's Your Heart for My Number. By 2026 it had more than 400 million. It is sung by a man who asks nothing of the woman he loves, not even to be the one who matters most, and leaves tomorrow to fate.
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