My First Khmer Song

I wrote my first song in Khmer over the weekend. My buddy Lisa figured it must be something really deep and meaningful....not quite! The title is Khnom Ngam Bai- in English I Eat Rice.

Rice is a very important part of life here and I figured it is worth singing about. Our family gets sacks of rice (50kg?) from their relatives in Battambang. There is always at least two full sacks in the dining room (stacked on top of each other to make an informal chair). We eat rice every day as the staple for two if not three meals.

In this hierarchical society there are many different ways to say "eat rice" depending on whom you are addressing. There are different words for speaking to the king, a high official, a monk, someone who is older, someone who is younger or to an animal. The verse of Khnom Ngam Bai talks about how to invite people of different ranks to eat rice.

The chorus brings in a bit of a personal testimony. The words, in English, are as follows:

Every day, every day
Every day, every day
New country, new food
I eat rice.

I hardly think that Khnom Ngam Bai will become a karaoke hit in Cambodia. But I'm stoked to have written a short song in this new language!