Mountains and Valleys – English Lyrics

• By: Phil Lam

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the emotional depth of Cantopop with Phil Lam's "Mountains and Valleys." This song offers a great opportunity to learn Cantonese through its poignant lyrics about overcoming life's challenges. Its universal message of struggle and hope makes it a truly special and relatable piece of music.

[English]

Ok. I'm ready

Standing in the forest, like no oxygen

In the sunset, lonely, no right to see you

The mountains and valleys separating you and me, have lost humanity

Your noble game, my street corner journey

So naive to believe in true love, too childish

You live happily, while I’m desperate to survive

How many people look at my weariness from mountain top

Desire to be fulfilled, strive to live, not afraid of breathlessness

But the finish point is hanging in the sky

You define life, I'm an insult to being alive

Sorting out my mess while stagnating in the valleys

Long for a reunion, but the journey underfoot never shortened

There is no end, and no grace

you and I are far apart

Future without me, hopeless as it looks

Under the cliff, that's the end, never been in paradise

The sky blinks to say goodbye, only to see people fall

Relief is spreading, but you never comfort me

Too harsh for a clear-cut boundary

You live happily, while I’m desperate to survive

How many people look at my weariness from mountain top

Desire to be fulfilled, strive to live, not afraid of breathlessness

But the finish point is hanging in the sky

You define life, I'm an insult to being alive

Sorting out my mess while stagnating in the valley

Long for a reunion, hard to shorten the journey underfoot

There is no end, and no grace

you and I are far apart

You live happily, while I still have to survive

Living in the valleys until death

You continue to hover over, while I keep my love hidden

There is no end, never an end

Forever far away

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
mountains /ˈmaʊntɪnz/ A1	noun - large natural elevation of the earth's surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level
valleys /ˈvæliz/ A2	noun - low area between hills or mountains, typically with a river or stream flowing through it
lost /lɒst/ A2	verb - be deprived of something adjective - unable to find one's way; no longer possessed
noble /ˈnəʊbl/ B2	adjective - having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals.
naive /naɪˈiːv/ B2	adjective - showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgement.
true /truː/ A1	adjective - in accordance with fact or reality.
childish /ˈtʃaɪldɪʃ/ B1	adjective - silly and immature
desperate /ˈdɛsp(ə)rət/ B2	adjective - feeling, showing, or involving a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with.
survive /səˈvaɪv/ B1	verb - continue to live or exist, especially in spite of danger or hardship.
weariness /ˈwɪərɪnəs/ C1	noun - extreme tiredness; fatigue.
desire /dɪˈzaɪə/ B1	noun - a strong feeling of wanting something. verb - strongly wish for or want (something).
strive /straɪv/ B2	verb - make great efforts to achieve or obtain something.
insult /ˈɪnsʌlt/ B2	noun - an offensive remark or action. verb - speak to or treat with disrespect or scornful abuse.
mess /mɛs/ B1	noun - a dirty or untidy state of things or place.
stagnating /ˈstæɡneɪtɪŋ/ C1	verb - (of water) cease to flow or move; to stop developing, growing, progressing, or advancing.
reunion /riːˈjuːnɪən/ B2	noun - an instance of two or more people coming together again after a period of separation.
shortened /ˈʃɔːrtənd/ A2	verb - make or become shorter.
grace /ɡreɪs/ B2	noun - courteous goodwill; elegance and refinement of movement or behaviour.
hopeless /ˈhəʊpləs/ B1	adjective - feeling or causing despair about the chance of success.
relief /rɪˈliːf/ B2	noun - a feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress.
comfort /ˈkʌmfərt/ B1	verb - ease the grief or distress of.
harsh /hɑːʃ/ B1	adjective - cruel or severe; unpleasantly rough or jarring to the senses.
hidden /ˈhɪdn/ A2	adjective - not visible; concealed.

Key Grammar Structures

• the mountains and valleys separating you and me

  ➔ Present participle used as an adjective (separating)

  ➔ The word "separating" is a present participle that describes the ongoing action of the "mountains and valleys" in a descriptive way.

• Living in the valleys until death

  ➔ Gerund phrase indicating a continuous or habitual action

  ➔ The phrase "Living in the valleys until death" uses a gerund "Living" to describe the ongoing state or action of living in the valleys.

• You define life

  ➔ Present simple tense used for general truths or definitions

  ➔ The sentence "You define life" uses the simple present tense to state a general truth or your role in defining what life is.

• There is no end, and no grace

  ➔ Existential construction with "there is/are" to indicate existence or absence

  ➔ This sentence uses the existential "there is" structure to state that "no end" and "no grace" exist.

• Hard to shorten the journey underfoot

  ➔ Infinitive phrase expressing difficulty in performing an action

  ➔ The phrase "to shorten the journey" is an infinitive, here used with "hard" to express the difficulty of reducing the length of the journey.

• Forever far away

  ➔ Adverbial phrase indicating an indefinite or permanent distance

  ➔ The phrase "Forever far away" functions as an adverbial expression to emphasize that the distance remains endless or unchangeable over time.