THAI LYRICS

Pra thet thai ruam luead nu'a chat chu'a thai
Pen pra cha rat pha thai kho'ng thai thuk suan
Yu dam rong khong wai dai thang muan
Duay thai luan mai rak sa mak khi
Thai ni rak sa ngop tae thu'ng rop mai khlat
Ek ka raj ja mai hai khrai khom khi
Sa la luead thuk yat pen chat p'hli
Tha loeng pra thet chat thai tha wi mi chai ch'yo

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ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Thailand embraces in its bosom all people of Thai blood.
Every inch of Thailand belongs to the Thais.
It has long maintained its sovereignty,
Because the Thais have always been united.
The Thai people are peace-loving,
But they are no cowards at war.
They shall allow no one to rob them of their independence,
Nor shall they suffer tyranny.
All Thais are ready to give up every drop of blood
For the nation's safety, freedom and progress.

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Thailand
"Phleng Chat"

Words by:Luang Saranuprapan
Music by:Phra Jenduriyang
Adopted:1932 (music), 1939 (lyrics)

The current Thai anthem is actually the latest of many used in the history of
the country, although few have enjoyed the longevity "Phleng Chat" has.

The notion of a Thai (or Siamese, as Thailand was then known as Siam) anthem
was first raised in 1871, when the king, upon visiting the British colony of
Singapore, noticed that the British had a national anthem, so one should be
made for his country. The first anthem, written by Phraya Sri Sunthornvoharn
and entitled ``Jom Raj Jong Charoen'' (Long Live the King), was derived from an
anthem written by two British officers who trained the military band. This
anthem proved unpopular, and the second, ``Bulan Loy Luen'' (Moving Moon), was
composed and written by King Rama II.

The third anthem, "Phleng_Sansasoen_Phra_Barami" (A Salute to the Monarch) is
actually still in use today as the royal anthem, but it ceased being the
national anthem after the 1932 coup. A short lived song, ``Chart Mahachai'' was
the national anthem for a while, but the coup planners wanted to have the
composer Peter Feit (known in Thailand as Phra Jenduriyang) compse an anthem
for the citizenry in the spirit of "La_Marseillaise". With lyrics by Khun
Wichitmatra the new anthem was played for the first time in July, 1932, and the
lyrics were subsequently rewritten two years later by Chan Kamwilai. When the
nation's name was changed to Thailand from Siam in 1939, it was decided new
lyrics should be written, and the lyrics by Luang Saranuprapan won the contest
and remain the lyrics today. It was also ordered around this time that the
anthem must be played every day at 8:00 a. m. and 6:00 p. m. when the national
flag is also to be raised and lowered. The citizens must stand and show respect
for the nation when the anthem is heard. This law remains in force today.

Following the military coup in Thailand in late 2006, there was an initial move
to downgrade "Phleng Chat" to the status of a "national song", making "Phleng
Sansasoen_Phra_Barami" the sole national anthem. However, there was public
outcry against this and the move was scrapped.

Special thanks to:Artakorn Jarusriwanna for providing me with the sheet music
and to Klaus Caussmacher for some of the information.

See also: Thailand_(royal_anthem).
