Tales Across The Sea

I have always wanted to do something for the anniversary at this time of the year every year since 20 years ago but always had found no good excuse to do it. This year I finally found the right excuse when I accidentally came across this song from the Danish rock group Michael Learns To Rock:

Looking at a sleeping town
As the world goes round and round
Sitting here on my own
As a king that lost his throne
We were so in harmony
But now it is a different key
Wonder if you played your game
For some 15 minutes of fame

Oh…
I walk this road alone
Oh…
Will I find another home

Pushing everything aside
Jumping on to your ride
Waiting for you at your door
Loving you more and more
I couldn’t tell the truth from fake
And that was a big mistake
Gave you everything I had
And you treated me so bad

Oh…
I walk this road alone
Oh…
Will I find another home

Looking at a sleeping town
As the world goes round and round
Sitting here on my own
As a king that lost his throne
We were so in harmony
But now it is a different key
Wonder if you played your game
For some 15 minutes of fame

Oh…
I walk this road alone
Oh…
Will I find another home

Oh…
I walk this road alone
Oh…
Will I find another home

Oh…
I walk this road alone
Oh…
Will I find another home

I walk this road along
Will I find another home

The whole song can be seen from the youtube link. The music of this song was borrowed from an original Chinese rock song dating back to the 1980’s by one of the first Chinese rock stars Jian Cui. The lyric was certainly also inspired by the original song.

The original Chinese song was immensely popular among the Chinese youth at the time. It became the de facto theme song of the 1989 democracy movement. After what happened at Tiananmen square, this song has been forever associated with those students. Here is my attempt for an English translation of the original Chinese lyric, for an early anniversary in memory of what happened 21 years ago.

I have kept on asking,
When will you be joining me?
But you still laugh at me, for I have nothing.
I want to give you my promise,
Along with my freedom,
But you still laugh at me, for I have nothing.

Oh…….
When will you be joining me?
Oh…….
When will you be joining me?

Under my feet the earth starts to move,
All around me the water is flowing.
But you still laugh at me, for I have nothing.
Why do you keep laughing?
Why do I keep pursuing?
Is it really that in your eyes,
Forever I’ll have nothing?

Oh…….
When will you be joining me?
Oh…….
When will you be joining me?

Under my feet the earth starts to move,
All around me the water is flowing.
I have waited for too long,
I have a last request to ask.
I will grab you by both hands,
And tell you to follow me.
Now your hands are shaking,
Now your tears are streaming,
Are you trying to tell me,
That you love me for I have nothing?

Oh…….
When will you be joining me?
Oh…….
When will you be joining me?
Oh…….
When will you be joinging me?

Although on the surface this was a love song, it really expressed a mixture of disillusion, disappointment, and also some hope at the Chinese society of the time. It resonated so much with the students that they sang this song while marching towards Tiananmen square.

The song can be seen here.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 at 4:18 pm and is filed under Chinese today. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.