The Royal barges travelled in two in the front. All oarsmen have been trained to an admirable proficiency, dressed uniformly in gold-trimmed hats, tunic, knee and arm bands. The oars also of go Id, touch the water with a sound that harmonizes with the boat song sung in praise of the King. The boat song mentioned by this foreigner is well-known among Thais to be a way of keeping rhythm and as a mcthod of forgetting the monotony of the rowing movements. And since the trip was often long and arduous, the traditional boat song was begun.
Poets write songs to be sung in rhythm to musical instruments.
Generally, these boat songs describe the beauty of the boats in the procession, and the beauty of nature on both sides of the river as the procession passes by. Time cannot destroy the beauty and perfection of the boat song written by Prince Dhamma Dhibes in the late Ayutthaya period. However, beauty wanes according to the Buddhist philosophy. Ayutthaya fell to the Burmese in 1767 which proved to be a great loss for the Thai nation. Hundreds of royal barges were burnt to ashes in the plundering fires.