得個等 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: JB

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the heart of Hong Kong's experience during a challenging time with JB's '得個等'. This song is a perfect entry point to learning Cantonese through music, as its clear narrative and relatable emotions about waiting and perseverance offer a unique cultural and linguistic lesson. Its smooth, jazzy hip-hop style makes the lyrics accessible, allowing learners to connect with the feelings of a city and its people, all while picking up contemporary language.

[English]

I'm just waiting, just waiting

We all suffocate, dying for no reason, only able to endure

I mean, I'm just waiting, just waiting

I know my own pain, but I know I'm not alone

I mean, I'm just waiting, just waiting

We all suffocate, dying for no reason, only able to endure

I mean, I'm just waiting, just waiting

I know my own pain, but I know I'm not alone

Together we weave through every wave, the streets we've passed

The restaurants we've been to, I've already remembered wrong, we start over again

Busy figuring out how to turn things around, no more three-pointers on the court

Watching friends and family leave, settling down in distant places

I don't know if there's work available, suddenly there are too many unknowns

So why don't you sing with me

Breathing in the thin air, facing the atmosphere of unemployment

I borrow music to inflate, holding up my shoulders and arms

Calm and strange nights, chasing illusions in dreams

Choosing myself, self-dialogue has unexpectedly turned awkward

Dinner under the streetlight, happiness is no longer so simple

Want to fly to Thailand for fun, even if I leave late and return late

Can't fly, how long do I have to wait? I really wanna know

The race between time and money continues, Ennie meenie miney mo

Another day, uh

Rebellion and depression feelings, so I take it in a jazzy way

I'm just waiting, just waiting

We all suffocate, dying for no reason, only able to endure

I mean, I'm just waiting, just waiting

I know my own pain, but I know I'm not alone

I'm just waiting, just waiting, just waiting

We all suffocate, dying for no reason, only able to endure

I mean, I'm just waiting, just waiting

I know my own pain, but I know I'm not alone

The future's path is unseen, too many good shops and good stores

Wasting youth, stagnating, suddenly another year has passed

So what am I gonna do? Can I keep my goals going?

Dare not try anything, just thinking, struggling artist

In a state where life and death are almost the same, coming and going

The same takeout has been cycling for weeks

Not caring what to eat, being filled with grievances

Only blame the surroundings filled with too many unnecessary obstacles

Downstairs chatting, we have to keep avoiding

It's that guy again making me hold back my anger

Having lunch in a noisy place, no space to eat

Forced to stop and eat in an absurd spot

I slow down to observe, is the environment cold or relaxed?

Lost the flavor, life suddenly tastes bland

When can I feel the festive excitement again?

I'm not used to health becoming the distance between you and me (Yeah)

...

Ya, ya, ya, ya

I'm just waiting, just waiting

We all suffocate, dying for no reason, only able to endure

I mean, I'm just waiting, just waiting

I know my own pain, but I know I'm not alone

I'm just waiting, just waiting

We all suffocate, dying for no reason, only able to endure

I mean, I'm just waiting, just waiting

I know my own pain, but I know I'm not alone, yeah

...

[Chinese]

I'm waiting waiting 淨係得個等

We all suffocating 死於非命 唯有 淨係得個忍

I mean, I'm waiting waiting 淨係得個等

我有苦自己知 但係我知 自己唔係一個人

I mean, I'm waiting waiting 淨係得個等

We all suffocating 死於非命 唯有 淨係得個忍

I mean, I'm waiting waiting 淨係得個等

我有苦自己知 但係我知 自己唔係一個人

一起穿梭每波嘅你我 經過嘅街道

去過嘅餐廳 都已經記錯 我哋又我重頭嚟過

忙緊自己點翻身 再冇球場嘅三分

眼白白望住親朋戚友離去異地生根

有冇工開未知道 突然有太多未知數

So why don't you sing with me

聞着稀薄嘅空氣面對無工作嘅風氣

我借用音樂嚟充氣 頂住我鬆膊再鬆臂

平靜反常嘅晚上夢裏追尋幻象

選擇自己 自我對話竟然都變成冷場

街燈下嘅晚餐 快樂唔再係太過簡單

想飛轉去泰國玩晚即使日去晚返

冇得飛 到底要等幾耐 I really wanna know

時間同金錢嘅比賽 繼續Ennie meeie minee mo

又一 day Uh

反叛同憂鬱嘅感覺 So I take it in a jazzy way

I'm waiting waiting 淨係得個等

We all suffocating 死於非命 唯有 淨係得個忍

I mean, I'm waiting waiting 淨係得個等

我有苦自己知 但係我知 自己唔係一個人

I'm waiting waiting waiting 淨係得個等

We all suffocating 死於非命 唯有 淨係得個忍

I mean, I'm waiting waiting 淨係得個等

我有苦自己知 但係我知 自己唔係一個人

未來嘅前路睇不見 太多嘅吉舖同吉店

浪費青春停滯不前咁樣突然又過一年

So what I'm gonna do 目標能夠繼續嗎

乜都唔敢試 得個諗字 掙扎緊嘅藝術家

死唔死差無幾嘅狀態 來來去去

隔日循環緊幾款嘅外賣都已經幾個禮拜

食乜唔計較 被冤氣餵飽

只怪我身邊充斥著太多唔同無謂掣肘

樓下傾計嘅我哋 又要keep住躲避

又係嗰位夥計令我又要忍住火氣

放晏晝燥底 放飯又冇位

被逼停低開餐喺荒誕嘅路位

我放慢喺度睇 環境係冷清定係清閑

失去了韻味生活嘅品味突然變得清淡

幾時先可以 再次感受節日熱鬧嘅趣味

我唔習慣健康變成我同你嘅距離 (Yeah)

Ya, ya, ya, ya

I'm waiting waiting 淨係得個等

We all suffocating 死於非命 唯有 淨係得個忍

I mean, I'm waiting waiting 淨係得個等

我有苦自己知 但係我知 自己唔係一個人

I'm waiting waiting 淨係得個等

We all suffocating 死於非命 唯有 淨係得個忍

I mean, I'm waiting waiting 淨係得個等

我有苦自己知 但係我知 自己唔係一個人 Yeah

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
等待 /dàiˋdàiˋ/ A2	verb - to wait for something or someone
忍 /rěn/ B2	verb - to endure or tolerate
苦 /kǔ/ A2	noun/verb - suffering or hardship; to suffer
自己 /zìjǐ/ A1	pronoun - oneself
知 /zhī/ A1	verb - to know
人 /rén/ A1	noun - person
街道 /jiēdào/ B1	noun - street
餐廳 /cāntīng/ B2	noun - restaurant
記錯 /jìcuò/ B2	verb - to misremember or confuse
日 /rì/ A1	noun - day
青春 /qīngchūn/ B1	noun - youth
生活 /shēnghuó/ B1	noun - life
熱鬧 /rè nào/ B2	adjective - lively or bustling

Key Grammar Structures

• I'm waiting waiting 淨係得個等

  ➔ Use of present continuous tense with 'be' + verb-ing to express ongoing action

  ➔ 'I'm waiting' indicates an action happening right now or in the near future

• We all suffocating 死於非命

  ➔ Using present continuous with 'be' + verb-ing for an ongoing state; 'suffocating' as a verb in present participle form

  ➔ 'Suffocating' emphasizes an ongoing feeling of being overwhelmed or stifled

• 我有苦自己知 但係我知 自己唔係一個人

  ➔ Use of '有' (have) + noun to express possession or feeling; contrast with '唔係一個人' (not alone) using negation

  ➔ '我有苦自己知' means 'I have pain that I know myself', indicating personal awareness of struggles

• 時間同金錢嘅比賽 繼續Ennie meeie minee mo

  ➔ Use of '同' (and) to link nouns; metaphorical phrase '比賽' (competition) with '時間' (time) and '金錢' (money)

  ➔ '比賽' (competition) here is metaphorical, referring to the struggle between 'time' and 'money'

• 未來嘅前路睇不見 太多嘅吉舖同吉店

  ➔ Use of '睇不見' (cannot see) to express inability to see or foresee the future direction

  ➔ '睇不見' literally means 'cannot see', used here figuratively to indicate an uncertain or unpredictable future