3:52Dance With Me One More Time
រាំជាមួយបងម្ដងទៀត
Ballad
The story
About this song
He pushed his cart through the same supermarket every week, surrounded by people and hearing no Khmer at all. Then a woman bumped a shelf and cried out អូយ.
ខ្មែរឬ? (Are You Khmer?) is a Khmer golden age crooner song about a homesick man in an American supermarket who hears a stranger cry out អូយ and ends up with a wife, a wedding, and a little kid who yells the same word.
Dedicated to every Khmer American who ever perked up at a stranger's accent in the grocery aisle and wondered if home had just walked past.
From the video
Lyrics
(អូយ... អូយ...)
រុញរទេះម្នាក់ឯង ដើរផ្សារទំនើបដដែល
មនុស្សច្រើនណាស់ជុំវិញខ្លួន តែគ្មានមុខស្គាល់សោះ
ភាសាគេចេះរលូនគ្រប់ម៉ាត់
តែក្នុងចិត្តនៅតែនឹកចង់ឮសំឡេងខ្មែរ
ស្រាប់តែមានស្រីម្នាក់
ដើរទាក់ធ្នើទំនិញ
នាងស្រែក "អូយ!" ឡើងលាន់
ធ្វើឲ្យបេះដូងខ្ញុំញ័រញាក់
ខ្មែរឬ? ខ្មែរមែនអត់ហ្នឹង?
ម៉ាត់ហ្នឹងដឹងភ្លាមហ្មង!
នៅស្រុកគេឆ្ងាយ ធំល្វឹងល្វើយ
រកឃើញផ្ទះយើង គឺត្រង់ពាក្យ "អូយ"
ងាកមកញញឹមដាក់ ថ្ពាល់ក្រហមព្រឿងៗ
"ចាស៎ ខ្មែរតាស៎! ចុះបងវិញ?
ឬមួយដើរតាមអូនតាំងពីមុនម៉ង?"
បងអៀនសើចតប "ម៉ាក់ប៉ាមកពីខេត្តណាដែរ?"
សំណួរដែលខ្មែរតែងសួរ ពេលជួបគ្នាដំបូង
និយាយគ្នាបន្តិចសោះ
ទើបដឹងថាពិភពលោកយើងវាប៉ុណ្ណឹង
ធ្លាប់នៅជំរំតែមួយ ផ្ទះជិតគ្នា
តែមិនដែលស្គាល់គ្នាសោះ
Verse 1: A man pushes his cart through the same supermarket he always visits. He is surrounded by people but doesn't know a single face, and everyone around him speaks the language smoothly. Deep down, all he wants is to hear Khmer.
Pre-Chorus: Out of nowhere, a woman trips on a shelf of groceries and cries out អូយ, and his heart jumps.
Chorus: He asks if she is Khmer, because that one word told him right away. Far from home in a huge foreign country, he finds home in a single អូយ.
Verse 2: She turns around, smiling with blushing cheeks, and teases him: yes, Khmer for real, and are you? Or have you been following her? Shy and laughing, he asks the question every Khmer asks first: where are your parents from?
Pre-Chorus (female): After talking for a little while, they realize how small their world is. They lived in the same refugee camp, in houses right next to each other, and never met.
Verse 3: On their first date they share two bowls of noodles, and he picks out the meat for her like his mom used to. At the temple for Khmer New Year, she pulls him into the circle dance. His feet miss the beat, but his heart doesn't.
Verse 4: He dresses up sharp to meet her parents. Her mom asks only one thing: can he eat prahok? He finishes a whole plate of rice and she smiles right away. On the wedding day, a red string ties their two hearts together.
Bridge: The country is huge, with millions of people, so how did fate bring them together? It wasn't flowers or the moon. It was a tripped foot and one little អូយ.
Verse 5: Years pass and their child runs around the house. The kid bumps into the table and yells អូយ in Khmer, and the two of them look at each other, laughing with tears running down. The word that brought them together still lives in their family.
Final Chorus: The foreign land that once felt so far doesn't feel far anymore. They found home in a single word, and their child is Khmer too.
Outro: A soft អូយ fades out, then the question comes back one more time: Are you Khmer? Yes, Khmer for real.
Music created with AI tools. Concept, lyrics, and story by Somleng Studio.
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