Son Klin (ซ่อนกลิ่น): meaning and key lines
Palmyปาล์มมี่
What the song is about
ซ่อนกลิ่นsâwn-glìn, “Son Klin (Hidden Scent)”, is a T-pop song by Palmy (2018). Palmy's 2018 ballad is named after the tuberose, whose Thai name means hidden scent: a love that is over, but whose scent she can't hide. Written in the rhymes of Thai verse, its lines teach the poetic words that fill Thai songs, the breeze, tears, moonlight, a fragrance that never fades, along with too sweet to resist and every time.
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Song facts
- Artist
- Palmy
- Released
- 2018
- Style
- T-pop
- Level
- B2 (upper intermediate)
- Mood
- haunting, longing, tender
- Views
- about 268M (Oct 2026)
- Video
- Genierock (Genie Records, Palmy'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.
- ลม lomอ่อน àwnพัด pátโชย chooiมา maaน้ำตา náam-dtaaก็ gâwไหล lǎiริน rin
A soft breeze drifts in, and my tears trickle down.
The first line, two half-lines, as in Thai verse: the last word of the first half rhymes with a word of the second, มาmaa with ตาdtaa. ลมlom = wind, and ลมอ่อนlom àwn = a soft breeze (อ่อนàwn = soft, mild). พัดpát = to blow; โชยchooi = to waft, of a gentle breeze or a smell drifting in; มาmaa after a verb = this way, towards me. น้ำตาnáam-dtaa = tears, from น้ำnáam (water) and ตาdtaa (eye). ไหลlǎi = to flow; รินrin = to trickle, and at a table, to pour: รินน้ำrin náam = to pour water. - ใต้ dtâiเงา ngaoของ kǎwngแสง sǎengจันทร์ janเย้ายวน yáo-yuanมิ míเลือน lueanหาย hǎai
In the shadow of the moonlight, so alluring, never fading away.
ใต้dtâi = under, below: ใต้ต้นไม้dtâi dtôn-máai = under a tree. เงาngao = shadow, shade. แสงsǎeng = light and จันทร์jan = the moon, a poetic word (everyday Thai says พระจันทร์prá-jan): แสงจันทร์sǎeng jan = moonlight. เย้ายวนyáo-yuan = alluring, tempting. มิmí = not, the poetic twin of ไม่mâi: the lyric sheet prints ไม่mâi, but she sings มิmí. เลือนluean = to fade, to blur, of memories, colours or old writing; เลือนหายluean hǎai = to fade away (หายhǎai = to disappear). - หอม hǎwmเกิน goenหักห้ามใจ hàk-hâam-jaiทุก túkคราว kraaoต้อง dtâwngหวั่นไหว wàn-wǎi
A scent too sweet to resist: every time, my heart trembles.
หอมhǎwm = fragrant, to smell nice: หอมจังhǎwm jang = it smells so good! เกินgoen = beyond, too much: หอมเกินหักห้ามใจhǎwm goen hàk-hâam-jai = too fragrant to hold back. หักห้ามใจhàk-hâam-jai = to hold yourself back, from หักhàk (to break off), ห้ามhâam (to forbid) and ใจjai (heart). ทุกคราวtúk kraao = every time: คราวkraao = a time, an occasion, as in คราวหน้าkraao nâa (next time). ต้องdtâwng = must, can't help but. หวั่นไหวwàn-wǎi = to tremble, to be shaken by a feeling. Again a rhyme: ใจjai and ไหวwǎi. - คงไว้ kong wáiได้ dâiแค่ kâeกลิ่น glìnที่ tîiไม่ mâiเคย koeiเลือน lueanลา laa
All I can keep is a scent that never fades.
The chorus. คงไว้kong wái = to keep, to preserve: here คงkong means to stay, to last, not 'probably'. ได้แค่dâi kâe + noun = to get only…, so คงไว้ได้แค่กลิ่นkong wái dâi kâe glìn = all I can keep is the scent. กลิ่นglìn = a smell, a scent: กลิ่นหอมglìn hǎwm = a nice smell, กลิ่นเหม็นglìn měn = a bad one. ไม่เคยmâi koei = never. เลือนลาluean laa = to fade and be gone, a poetic pair: ลาlaa = to take leave.
Words you'll learn
- ลม lom
wind
An electric fan is พัดลมpát-lom, literally 'fan the wind'.
- น้ำตา náam-dtaa
tears
- ใต้ dtâi
under, below
In Bangkok, ใต้คอนโดdtâi kawn-doo means the ground floor of a condo building, where there's often a shop or a café.
- เลือน luean
to fade (memories, colours, old writing)
- หอม hǎwm
fragrant; to give a sniff-kiss
- หวั่นไหว wàn-wǎi
to tremble, to be shaken (by feelings)
- กลิ่น glìn
smell, scent
- ซ่อน sâwn
to hide (something, yourself)
- โชย chooi
to waft, to blow gently
Of a light breeze or a smell: กลิ่นหอมโชยมาglìn hǎwm chooi maa = a sweet smell drifts in.
- ริน rin
to trickle; to pour (a drink)
- เย้ายวน yáo-yuan
alluring, tempting
- หักห้ามใจ hàk-hâam-jai
to hold yourself back, to resist
- คราว kraao
time, occasion (as in next time)
คราวนี้kraao níi = this time; คราวหน้าkraao nâa = next time.
- คงไว้ kong wái
to keep, to preserve
- ซ่อนกลิ่น sâwn-glìn
tuberose (a flower)
Word for word, 'hidden scent'; the flower is ดอกซ่อนกลิ่นdàwk sâwn-glìn.
Grammar in this song
Verb + ไว้wái: and keep it that way. ซ่อนไว้sâwn wái (keep hidden), คงไว้kong wái (keep, preserve), เก็บไว้gèp wái (keep, put aside), จองไว้jawng wái (book in advance), จำไว้jam wái (remember this).
Too … to: หอมเกินหักห้ามใจhǎwm goen hàk-hâam-jai, too fragrant to resist, is the poetic form of adjective + เกินgoen + verb; everyday Thai says adjective + เกินไปgoen bpai: หวานเกินไปwǎan goen bpai = too sweet. Every time: ทุกคราวtúk kraao (poetic), ทุกครั้งtúk kráng (everyday), ทุกทีtúk tii (casual).
Thai verse in a pop song. The song is sung in half-lines, and the end of one half often rhymes with a word in the next (มาmaa and ตาdtaa, ใจjai and ไหวwǎi), the way Thai poetry, กลอนglawn, links its lines.
The culture behind it
Palmy (Eve Pancharoen) is a Thai-Belgian singer and songwriter; her Ka Ka Ka and Yak Yut Wela are here too. "ซ่อนกลิ่นsâwn-glìn" came out on Genie Records' YouTube channel on 9 October 2018, as this official audio, and its music video, with Bella Ranee Campen, followed on 19 October (siamzone, Thai Wikipedia). It was her first slow song in five years (Sanook). She wrote the words with Weeranat Thippayamonthon and Peeranat Suksamran of the band The Richman Toy and produced it herself. It went on to spend four weeks at number one on Spotify's weekly chart for Thailand (kworb).
ซ่อนกลิ่นsâwn-glìn is the tuberose, a small white flower with a heavy perfume. Palmy told Naewna that she read how women once carried tuberoses in their handkerchiefs as a natural perfume, and wondered why a flower with such a strong scent is called 'hidden scent': that became the feeling you try to hide and can't, a love that lingers however long it's been. She also pointed out that Thais today link the flower with grief and parting, above all at funerals (Thai Wikipedia). The music site Bsite compared the lyric to the old Thai verses that praise a flower's scent and beauty to speak of a loved one far away.
Learn “Son Klin” in about 6 minutes
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
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