漂向北方 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 黃明志, 王力宏

Lyrics & Translation

"漂向北方" (Stranger in the North) offers a raw and emotional insight into the experiences of migrant workers in Beijing, known as "Beipiao." Through its powerful lyrics and blend of rap and melody, listeners can grasp the realities of chasing dreams amidst hardship. This song is an excellent choice for Mandarin learners to delve into contemporary Chinese social issues and understand colloquial expressions related to migration and urban life, making language learning both culturally rich and engaging.

[English]

作词:黃明志 作曲:黃明志 编曲:萧启贤

Drifting northward

Don't ask about my hometown

Towering ancient city walls

Can't block out this sorrow

I drift toward the north

Are my loved ones safe and sound?

This heavy baggage on my shoulders

Overflows with melancholy

Some say he owed debts back home

Needs to lay low for a while

Some mastered martial arts but never got their chance

Some lost themselves

Wandering lost and helpless

Some strive for dreams, some just to feed their families

He lives in Yanjiao's outskirts

In shabby job-seeker apartments

Inside crowded buildings

Filled with strangers from distant towns

He buries himself writing resumes

Clutching so many aspirations

Traveling Highway 930 daily

Praying for miracles (holding back tears)

Don't listen or think

Won't look back at regrets (masking wounds)

Shouldering these dreams

Resolute to wander far (look up)

Writing down dignity and glory

Past glories fading (in twilight)

Even when beaten down

Won't surrender (my dear)

Farewell, southern lands

Gazing at my beautiful hometown (far away)

Palm trees swaying

Dreams reflecting illusions (this city)

Smog runs rampant, unyielding

Blurring the road ahead (so lost)

I drift toward the north

Don't ask about my hometown

Towering ancient city walls

Can't block out this sorrow

I drift toward the north

Are my loved ones safe and sound?

This heavy baggage on my shoulders

Overflows with melancholy

My final desperate hope

♫♫♫

That unreachable distant home Oh

Air too dirty, too murky

He says he hates it

Traffic too chaotic, too rushed

He still can't adjust

Sidewalks filled with pairs

Of cold, indifferent stares

He often drowns himself in drink

Forcing himself into this melting pot

Staggering as he walks

Erguotou liquor swaying

Defeated souls sometimes collapse in alleyways

Chewing hotpot, mutton slices

Holding a bowl of steaming soup

Powerfully warming

The unease inside (holding back tears)

Don't listen or think

Won't look back at regrets (masking wounds)

Shouldering these dreams

Resolute to wander far (look up)

Writing down dignity and glory

Past glories fading (in twilight)

Even when beaten down

Won't surrender (my dear)

Farewell, southern lands

Gazing at my beautiful hometown (far away)

Palm trees swaying

Dreams reflecting illusions (this city)

Smog runs rampant, unyielding

Blurring the road ahead (so lost)

I drift toward the north

Don't ask about my hometown

Towering ancient city walls

Can't block out this sorrow

I drift toward the north

Are my loved ones safe and sound?

This heavy baggage on my shoulders

Overflows with melancholy

Like dust scattering with the wind

Who can guide me as we fly?

I stand at Temple of Heaven's center, eyes closed

Praying for my family's safety

I drift toward the north

Don't ask about my hometown

Towering ancient city walls

Can't block out this sorrow

I drift toward the north

Are my loved ones safe and sound?

This heavy baggage on my shoulders

Overflows with melancholy

I stand beneath the emperor's feet (I drift toward the north)

Crushed till I can't breathe (Don't ask about my hometown)

Walking Qianmen Street, swept by crowds

Always diverging (Towering ancient city walls)

Maybe I never belonged here

Should've left long ago (Can't block out this sorrow)

Who'll give me that final blow?

Make it utterly complete (I drift toward the north)

This is where dreams converge

Yet dreams stay out of reach (Are my loved ones safe and sound?)

This holy land of fulfilled dreams

But always veiled in haze (This heavy baggage on my shoulders)

How many yield to cruel reality

Vanish without a trace (Overflows with melancholy)

How many fall unconscious

Leaving hollow shells behind (My final desperate hope)

Rest In Peace

That unreachable distant home Oh

Drifting northward

♫♫♫

Stop asking about my hometown

♫♫♫

...

作词:黃明志 作曲:黃明志 编曲:萧启贤

[Chinese]

作词:黃明志 作曲:黃明志 编曲:萧启贤

漂向北方

别问我家乡

高耸古老的城墙

挡不住忧伤

我漂向北方

家人是否无恙

肩上沉重的行囊

盛满了惆怅

有人说他在老家欠了一笔钱

需要避避风头

有人说他练就了一身武艺却没机会崭露

有人失去了自我

手足无措四处漂流

有人为了梦想为了三餐养家糊口

他住在燕郊区

残破的求职公寓

拥挤的大楼里

堆满陌生人都来自外地

他埋头写着履历

怀抱着多少憧憬

往返在九三零号公路

内心盼着奇迹 (忍着泪)

不听也不想

不敢回头望的遗憾 (掩着伤)

扛下了梦想

要毅然决然去流浪 (抬头看)

写下了自尊 光环

过去多风光 (着斜阳)

就算再不堪 败仗

也不能投降 (亲爱的)

再见了南方

眺望最美丽的家乡 (在远方)

椰子树摇晃

梦境倒映的幻想 (这城市)

雾霾太猖狂 不散

都看不清前方 (太迷惘)

我漂向北方

别问我家乡

高耸古老的城墙

挡不住忧伤

我漂向北方

家人是否无恙

肩上沉重的行囊

盛满了惆怅

也是最后寄望

♫♫♫

回不去的远方 Oh

空气太脏 太浑浊

他说不喜欢

车太混乱 太匆忙

他还不习惯

人行道一双又一双

斜视冷漠眼光

他经常将自己灌醉

强迫融入 这大染缸

走着脚步蹒跚

二锅头在摇晃

失意的人啊偶尔醉倒在那胡同陋巷

咀嚼爆肚涮羊

手中盛着一碗热汤

有力地 温暖着

内心的不安 (忍着泪)

不听也不想

不敢回头望的遗憾 (掩着伤)

扛下了梦想

要毅然决然的流浪 (抬头看)

写下了自尊 光环

过去多风光 (着斜阳)

就算再不堪 败仗

也不能投降 (亲爱的)

再见了南方

眺望最美丽的家乡 (在远方)

椰子树摇晃

梦境倒映着幻想 (这城市)

雾霾太猖狂 不散

都看不清前方 (太迷惘)

我漂向北方

别问我家乡

高耸古老的城牆

挡不住忧伤

我漂向北方

家人是否无恙

肩上沉重的行囊

盛满了惆怅

就像那尘土飘散随着风向

谁又能带领着我一起飞翔

我站在天坛中央闭上眼

祈求一家人都平安

我漂向北方

别问我家乡

高耸古老的城牆

挡不住忧伤

我漂向北方

家人是否无恙

肩上沉重的行囊

盛满了惆怅

我站在天子脚下 (我漂向北方)

被踩着喘不过气 (别问我家乡)

走在前门的大街 跟人潮

总会分歧 (高耸古老的城牆)

或许我根本不属于这里

早就该离去 (挡不住忧伤)

谁能给我致命的一击

请用力到彻底 (我漂向北方)

这里是梦想的中心

但梦想都远不可及 (家人是否无恙)

这里是圆梦的圣地

但却总是扑朔迷离 (肩上沉重的行囊)

多少人敌不过残酷的现实

从此销声匿迹 (盛满了惆怅)

多少人陷入了昏迷

剩下一具 空壳尸体 (也是最后寄望)

Rest In Peace

回不去的远方 Oh

飘向北方

♫♫♫

别再问我家乡

♫♫♫

作词:黃明志 作曲:黃明志 编曲:萧启贤

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
漂 /piǎo/ B1	verb - to drift
北方 /běifāng/ A1	noun - north
家乡 /jiāxiāng/ A2	noun - hometown
高耸 /gāosǒng/ B1	adjective - towering
古老 /gǔlǎo/ A2	adjective - ancient
城墙 /chéngqiáng/ B1	noun - city wall
忧伤 /yōushāng/ B1	adjective - sorrowful
行囊 /xíngnáng/ B1	noun - travel bag
惆怅 /chóuchàng/ B2	adjective - melancholic
梦想 /mèngxiǎng/ A2	noun - dream
流浪 /liúlàng/ B1	verb - to wander
自尊 /zìzūn/ B1	noun - self-respect
光环 /guānghuán/ B2	noun - halo
雾霾 /wù mái/ B2	noun - smog
迷惘 /mí wǎng/ B2	adjective - perplexed
寄望 /jì wàng/ B2	verb - to pin hopes on
胡同 /hútòng/ B2	noun - alley
扑朔迷离 /pū shuò mí lí/ C1	adjective - mysterious and confusing

Key Grammar Structures

• 挡不住忧伤

  ➔ Resultative Complement (V + 不 + RC)

  ➔ The structure "V + 不 + RC" indicates that the action (V) *cannot* achieve a certain result (RC). Here, "挡" (to block) and "住" (to hold/stop) combine to mean "cannot block/stop" the '忧伤' (sadness).

• 盛满了惆怅

  ➔ Resultative Complement (V + RC + 了)

  ➔ The structure "V + RC + 了" indicates that an action (V) has been completed and a certain result (RC) has been achieved. "盛" (to hold/contain) and "满" (full) mean "filled up". "了" marks completion.

• 有人说他在老家欠了一笔钱 / 有人说他练就了一身武艺却没机会崭露

  ➔ Parallel Structure with "有人说..."

  ➔ "有人说..." (some people say...) is used in parallel to introduce different perspectives or situations, often presenting contrasting or varied examples of people's reasons for being where they are.

• 为了梦想为了三餐养家糊口

  ➔ "为了" (wèi le) - Expressing Purpose

  ➔ "为了..." means "for the sake of..." or "in order to...", indicating the purpose or reason behind an action. Here, it's repeated for emphasis on multiple motivations.

• 不听也不想

  ➔ Parallel Negation with "也"

  ➔ The structure "不 V1 也不 V2" means "neither V1 nor V2", indicating that two negative actions or states occur simultaneously or are both true.

• 不敢回头望的遗憾

  ➔ "的" (de) Structure for Attributive Phrases

  ➔ The "的" particle connects a modifying phrase (often a verb phrase like "不敢回头望" - dare not look back) to the noun it describes ("遗憾" - regret), forming an attributive phrase.

• 就算再不堪 败仗 也不能投降

  ➔ Concessive Clause "就算... 也..."

  ➔ "就算... 也..." means "even if... still..." or "no matter how... still...", introducing a concession. It indicates that despite a certain condition, the main clause's action or state remains true.

• 雾霾太猖狂 不散 都看不清前方

  ➔ "太... (不)..." - Degree Adverb with Negation/Impossibility

  ➔ "太..." (too) indicates an excessive degree. When followed by "不" and a verb, it often implies that something is "too [adjective] to [verb]". Here, the smog is "太猖狂" (too rampant/thick) to "不散" (dissipate), and thus one cannot "看不清" (see clearly) the front.

• 谁又能带领着我一起飞翔

  ➔ Rhetorical Question with "谁又能..."

  ➔ "谁又能..." (who else can...) is a rhetorical question that implies "no one can" or expresses a sense of helplessness, asking who has the ability or possibility to do something.

• 被踩着喘不过气

  ➔ Passive Voice with "被", Continuous Aspect "着", and Resultative Complement

  ➔ This complex structure combines: "被" for passive voice (being trampled), "着" for continuous or sustained action (being continuously trampled), and "喘不过气" (cannot catch one's breath) as a resultative complement indicating the negative outcome.