The Letter I Leave Behind
“When I Will Leave” is the letter I hope my family never needs too soon — but I wrote it anyway, because love that matters deserves words that remain.
This song begins with a simple truth: one day my voice will fade. Not in a dramatic way. Just the natural ending every human eventually meets. And when that day comes, I don’t want silence to be the only thing my children inherit. I want them to inherit direction.
I wrote it like a hand on the shoulder — calm, steady, and clear. Even when my hands let go, I want my voice to keep guiding the path they know. A flame can fade, but not its glow. That glow is memory: the small lessons, the tenderness, the presence that stays inside the people you love.
The second verse is for my son and my daughter. It’s my way of ending a cycle. The pain I knew should stop with me. I don’t want them to repeat it just to understand life. I want them to walk forward with something complete: love as a guide, not fear as a chain.
That’s why I included the Khmer line — because some messages are deeper than language. In our culture, memory is carried quietly, faithfully, and passed down like a sacred thing:
“កូនអើយ កុំភ្លេចអនុស្សាវរីយ៍នេះ”
(My child, never forget this memory.)
And then there is Thany. The bridge is not a promise of paradise. I don’t claim an afterlife. I don’t pretend to know what comes next. I leave only what I can stand behind: the warmth we shared, the truth we lived, and the love that remains real because it already existed here — in our choices, our sacrifices, our home. When nights are cold, I want her to remember that our love was not a dream. It was real.
Lyrics: When I Will Leave
Verse 1 One day my voice will fade away, But my love in you will stay. A flame may fade, but not its glow, It lights the path for you to know.
Pre-Chorus Even when my hands let go, My voice will guide the path you know.
Chorus When I will leave, don’t lose your way, My memory shines to light your days. From my soul to yours, I give, The strength to rise, the will to live.
Verse 2 My son, my daughter, hear this song, Through your steps, I’ll walk along. The pain I knew, you won’t repeat, I leave you love, a guide complete.
Khmer Line កូនអើយ កុំភ្លេចអនុស្សាវរីយ៍នេះ (Koun oey, kom plech anussavory nih — My child, never forget this memory)
Bridge Thany, my love, when nights are cold, Remember the warmth our hearts still hold. No heaven promised, no afterlife claimed, Only my truth, in love, remains.
Khmer Line ថានី ស្នេហារបស់បង នឹងនៅក្បែលអូនជានិច្ច (Thany, sneh robos khnhom neng nov chea nicch — Thany, my love, it will last forever)
Final Chorus When I will leave, don’t lose your way, My memory shines to light your days. From my heart to yours, I give, A flame eternal — through you, I live.
Outro No paradise, no endless skies, Just my love that never dies. When I will leave, don’t be afraid, My life’s in you — it will remain.
“When I Will Leave” is not a threat, and it’s not sadness for sadness’ sake. It’s protection. A farewell message sealed inside music — so that if I’m no longer here one day, the people I love still feel held… and still keep walking.