秋 风 (Autumn WInd) Lyrics Translation - Tracy Huang (黄露仪)

 

Born in Taiwan in 1951, Tracy Huang (黄露仪- Huang Lu Yu), also known as Huáng Yīng Yīng (黄莺莺) to Taiwanese, is well known for singing both Mandarin and English songs. She started singing with pop bands in Taiwan at a young age, which included singing at an exclusive American club which partly explains her ability to sing English songs so well. It was her move to Singapore that saw her singing career taking off. Her English songs, mostly pop songs of the 70s and 80s, like Abba songs, earned her many Chinese fans in the region who do not speak or understand Mandarin.

Among her Mandarin songs, Autumn Wind(秋 风) is probably Tracy Huang’s most famous song, sung in 1978. This beautiful love song starts with the clear and melodious sound of a flute which sounds quite like the whistling sound of autumn winds and the first line of the lyrics aptly describes the blowing of the autumn wind. The song lyrics express sadness over an unfulfilled love. Tracy sang this song very well; her voice just perfect in this song, very clear, sad and haunting. The music is also beautiful. A truly beautiful love song, even though a sad song.

While Tracy Huang may be popularly known for singing the original Mandarin version of this song, I understand that this song is originally a Khmer film song “Goodbye Phnom-Penh” (lear heuy reachthearny/ goodbye capital), sung by Chhun Vanna in 1963. A video of the Khmer song is at end of this post. For those old times, her voice is very nice.

Chhun Vanna was once popular Cambodian singer who was imprisoned and tortured during the Khmer Rouge rule due to her known status as a singer, an obvious target of the communist purge that led to the terrible era of the “Killing Fields” in which the Khmer communist regime killed more than a million of their own people. During that time, she lost her husband and five of her children. Fortunately, she was able to survive and later fled to Thailand (refugee camp) before finally settling down in the US.

Lyrics, Pinyin lyrics and English translation:

秋风 (黄露仪)
Qiu feng
Autumn Wind
Lyrics: Xu Qiang (许强)

秋風吹起落葉飄
qiu feng chui qi luo ye piao
The autumn winds blow up the fallen leaves which drift along

徬惶的我
Pang huang de woa
I’m feeling anxious and uncertain
　
徘徊在十字街口上
Pai huay cai ze zhe chie ko sang
I wonder along the the street

是對是錯   我不知道
shi dui shi cuo   wo bu zhi dao
I do not know if it is right or wrong

我的命運   它是否在作弄我
I wonder if my destiny is teasing me
wo de ming yun   ta shi fou zai zuo nong wo


藍色的海洋不平靜
lan se de hai yang bu ping jing
The blue ocean is not calm
　
我的心情   也像海浪一樣 動亂
wo de xin qing   ye xiang hai lang yi yang dong luan
Like the ocean waves, my heart is in turbulence

是愛是恨   我不知道
shi ai shi hen   wo bu zhi dao　
I do not know whether it is love or hate

過去的事   真是叫我忘不了
guo qu de shi   zhen shi jiao wo wang bu liao
I just cannot forget the sad affairs of the past


來 來....
Lai, Lai….
Come, come....

回來吧　甜蜜的愛
hui lai ba   tian mi de ai
Come back, my sweet love
 
夕阳西下
xi yang xi xia
Like the setting sun in the west

断肠人  你为何在天涯
duan chang ren   ni wei he zai tian ya
Why do heartbreaks exist in this world


藍色的海洋不平靜
lan se de hai yang bu ping jing
The blue ocean is not calm
　
我的心情   也像海浪一樣 動亂
wo de xin qing   ye xiang hai lang yi yang dong luan
Like the ocean waves, my heart is in turbulence

是愛是恨   我不知道
shi ai shi hen   wo bu zhi dao　
I do not know whether it is love or hate

過去的事   真是叫我忘不了
guo qu de shi   zhen shi jiao wo wang bu liao
I just cannot forget the sad affairs of the past


Translated by sam pan

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Khmer version - Chhun Vanna (1963)
លាហើយរាជធានី - Lea Heuy Reach Theany (Goodbye Phnom-Penh)

 

 

 

 

 

“Things” song lyrics (Dean Martin)

 

“Things” is a song written and recorded by Booby Darin in 1962. The song was also sung by Dean Martin and Nancy Sinatra in a 1967 TV special.

Lyrics:

Things

 

Every night I sit here by my window (window)

Staring at the lonely avenue (avenue)

Watching lovers holdin' hands

And laughin' (ha ha ha)

Thinkin' 'bout the things we used to do

(Thinkin' 'bout things)

Like a walk in the park (things)

Like a kiss in the dark (things)

Like a sailboat ride (ya ya)

What about the night we cried

Things like a lover's vow

Things that we don't do now

Thinkin' 'bout the things we used to do

 

Memories are all I have to cling to (cling to)

And heartaches are the friends

I'm talkin' to (but you got me now)

When I'm not thinkin' of just how much

I love you ('bout I love you, too)

I'm thinkin' the things we used to do

(Used to do, thinkin' 'bout things)

Like a walk in the park (things)

Like a kiss in the dark (things)

Like a sailboat ride (ya ya)

What about the night we cried

Things like a lover's vow

Things that we don't do now

Thinkin' about the things we used to do

 

I still can hear the juke box softly

Playin' (playin')

And the face I see each day belongs to you

(Belongs to you)

But there's not a single sound

And there's nobody else around

But that's just me thinkin' 'bout the things we used to do

(We used to do, thinkin' 'bout things)

Like a walk in the park (things)

Like a kiss in the dark (things)

Like a sailboat ride (ya ya)

What about the night that we cried

Things like a lover's vow

Things that we don't do now

Thinkin' about the things we used to do

And heartaches are the friends I'm talkin' to

You got me thinkin' 'bout

The things we used to do (I hope so)

Thinkin' 'bout the things we used to do

 

Source: http://www.metrolyrics.com/things-lyrics-dean-martin.html

 

 

月夜愁 Hokkien Lyrics and English Translation

 

 

 

 月夜愁 (Moonlit Night Sorrow)

Taiwanese Hokkien Song

 

月夜愁 (Moonlit Night Sorrow) is a 1933 Taiwanese Hokkien song composed by Teng Yu-hsien (邓雨贤), a Taiwanese Hakka musician who composed many well-known early Hokkien folk/ love songs despite restrictions during the 50-year Japanese military colonial rule (1895 – 1945) which was bent on imposing Japanese culture and language on the local Taiwanese people, and later, even after World War Two, from the Nationalist Kuomintang government (from mainland China) which was promoting Mandarin as the official language. 月夜愁 was was one of the Taiwanese songs rewritten as a Japanese military propaganda song (The Soldier's Wife) during the Japanese colonial rule of Taiwan which led to the Taiwanese men being conscripted to fight for the Japanese imperial army and women being forced into service as comfort women.

The “three-lane (or three lines road in Hokkien)” in the first line of the 月夜愁 lyrics refers to the urban roads built in Taipei during the Japanese occupation period. The lanes, lined with rows of trees, and with beautiful sceneries, was a favourite place for lovers to walk in the evenings. In the first paragraph of the lyrics, along the three-lanes road, the woman waited for the lover who did not turn up, causing her to feel disappointed and despondent. Instead of a romantic night, the moonlit night thus became gloomy.

Some of Teng Yu-hsien’s well known composition include “Bong Chun Hong (望春風/Longing for the Spring Breeze)” and “Wu Ya Huay (雨夜花/ Rainy Night Flower)”, famously sung by Teresa Teng. Sadly, Teng Yu-hsien died at a relatively young age of 38 (1906 – 1944).

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teng_Yu-hsien

 
Best version of this song - sung by Delphine Chai

Lyrics (台语歌词) / Hokkien lyrics
月夜愁
Guay Ya Tchui

作词：周添旺 (Lyricist)
作曲：邓雨贤 (Composer)

月色照在 三線路
Guay sek cheo chjai  sum sua lore
風吹微 微  等待的人
Hong chuay be be   tharn thai eh larng
哪 未 來
Na buay lie
心內真可疑
Sim lai jing kore gee
想毋出彼个 人
Nsui buay chood heed eh larng
啊~  怨嘆月暝。
Ah~  uan tharn guay mee

更深無伴   獨相思
Kee tchim bo mphua  tdoh sui see       
秋蟬哀啼，
 Tchui sian ai tee    
月光所照  的樹影，
Gay kng so cheo   eh chui eia               
加添阮傷悲
Ka tiam goon siong pee              
心頭酸目屎滴。
Sim tau sng bak sai tee        
啊~ 無聊月暝。
Ah~ bo liau guay mee

敢是註定   無緣份
Kam see tsu ntia    bo yen hoon         
所愛的伊
Soh ai eh yee                    
因何予阮   放袂離，
In hore hore goon parng buay lee                 
夢中來相見
Barng tiong lai nsar kee              
斷腸詩唱袂止
Tuan tng see chui buay tsee              
啊~  憂愁月暝。
Ah~ u tchui guay mee                


Hokkien lyrics by sampan

English Translation:
月夜愁
Moonlit Night Sorrow

The moonlight shines on the three lane road
There is a light breeze blowing
The person I am waiting for
Why has he not come?
I am having doubts about him
I don't know what is wrong with him
Ah....gloomy dark moon

The longer I am without a lover, the more lovesick I am
The autumn cicadas are mourning
In the shadows of the trees under the moonlight
My heart is heavy and I am shedding tears
Ah....lonely dark moon
 
Are we not fated for each other?
I have so much love for him
That’s why I cannot forget him
In my dream we meet each other,
And I sing endless love poems to him
Ah....distressing dark moon

Translated by sam pan