別說對不起 (Bie Shuo Dui Bu Qi) by S.H.E. [Cover of Britney Spears' "Everytime"]
I’ve known about this song since I arrived in Taiwan, but haven’t heard it in a good while. I had forgotten it existed until I saw a reference to it on the web today and decided to track down the KTV video on YouTube. If you know anything about American pop music, you’ll probably recognize the music right away, but the Chinese lyrics are not a translation of Britney Spears’ English version. There are some references to flying and still loving someone, but that’s where the similarities end. Even the videos are drastically different. [See Spears' much more entertaining version here.]
One pleasant surprise about finding this video is recognizing my own progress in learning Chinese. When I first heard this song in 2005, I didn’t give the words a second thought. Today, I was pleased to learn that I could read and mentally translate all but a couple of characters at the pace of the song (I didn’t know what a 望遠鏡 was), which in my book qualifies this as an easy song. It’s also what I expect to be the first of many cover songs to be posted, since there are so many out there, and I so enjoy cross-language covers.
望遠鏡看不見你 你的心飛去哪裡
wang yuan jing kan bu jian ni ni de xin fei qu na li
無聲飛行 享受黑夜的靜謐
wu sheng fei xing xiang shou hei ye de jing mi
(Chorus)
別說對不起 別讓我傷了心才說 不是故意
bie shuo dui bu qi bie rang wo shang le xin cai shuo bu shi gu yi
我卻無法怪你
wo que wu fa guai ni別說對不起 別讓我的愛情變成 廉價物品
bie shuo dui bu qi bie rang wo de ai qing bian cheng lian jia wu pin我卻只能愛你
wo que zhi neng ai ni
閉上眼睛卻看見你
bi shang yan jing que kan jian ni
想你的好代替無力
xiang ni de hao dai ti wu li
我相信你 卻開始不信任自己
wo xiang xin ni que kai shi bu xin ren zi ji
別說對不起 別讓我灰了心才說不是故意
bie shuo dui bu qi bie rang wo hui le xin cai shuo bu shi gu yi
我卻無法怪你
wo que wu fa guai ni
別說對不起 別讓我的愛情變得 小心翼翼
bie shuo dui bu qi bie rang wo de ai qing bian de xiao xin yi yi
我卻只能愛你
qo que zhi neng ai ni
用行動來證明 你的決心
yong xing dong lai zheng ming ni de jue xin
不要說說而已
bu yao shuo shuo er yi
我想要的不只是SORRY
wo xiang yao de bu zhi shi SORRY
無聲飛行 享受黑夜的靜謐
wu sheng fei xing xiang shou hei ye de jing mi
(Repeat chorus)
Lyrics at KKBOX: http://www.kkbox.com.tw/funky/web_info/kSWparLZ.fTei8m00Cyb008l.html#3
S.H.E.’s Blog: http://www.wretch.cc/blog/she911
天使 (Tian Shi) by 五月天 (Mayday)
I got to know this song because it was featured in the commercials for Le Power, an energy drink that actually doesn’t taste very good. However, like most people in Taiwan, I really like Mayday, so I can forgive them for endorsing a product I don’t like. Moreover, this tune is quite catchy, and I love the lyrics. (My unskilled attempt at translating the second line: “You’re my angel, the angel that gives me so much happiness that I’ve learned to fly.” Beautiful.) I’ve never tried to sing this at KTV, strangely. This is partly because I’ve never sat down to look at the lyrics carefully (the song is too fast in some parts, so I’d stumble over the lyrics trying to read them quickly) and partly because the song sounds much better with a male voice. Still, now that I’ve spent the time putting it into pinyin, I might give it a go sometime.
你就是我的天使 保護著我的天使 從此我再沒有憂傷
ni jiu shi wo de tian shi bao hu zhe wo de tian shi cong ci wo zai mei you you shang
你就是我的天使 給我快樂的天使 甚至我學會了飛翔
ni jiu shi wo de tian shi gei wo kuai le de tian shi zhen zhi wo xue hui le fei xiang
飛過人間的無常 才懂愛才是寶藏
fei guo ren jian de wu chang cai dong ai cai shi bao zang
不管世界變得怎麼樣 只要有你就會是天堂
bu guan shi jie bian de zen me yang zhi yao you ni jiu hui shi tian tang
(Chorus)
像孩子依賴著肩膀 像眼淚依賴著臉龐
xiang hai zi yi lai zhe jian bang xiang yan lei yi lai zhe lian pang你就像天使一樣 給我依賴 給我力量
ni jiu xiang tian shi yi yang gei wo yi lai gei wo li liang像詩人依賴著月亮 像海豚依賴海洋
xiang shi ren yi lai zhe yue liang xiang hai tun yi lai hai yang你是天使 你是天使
ni shi tian shi ni shi tian shi你是我最初和最後的天堂
ni shi wo zui chu he zui hou de tian tang
你就是我的天使 保護著我的天使 從此我再沒有憂傷
ni jiu shi wo de tian shi bao hu zhe wo de tian shi cong ci wo zai mei you you shang
你就是我的天使 給我快樂的天使 甚至我學會了飛翔
ni jiu shi wo de tian shi gei wo kuai le de tian shi zhen zhi wo xue hui le fei xiang
飛過人間的無常 才懂愛才是寶藏
fei guo ren jian de wu chang cai dong ai cai shi bao zang
不管世界變得怎麼樣 只要有你就會是天堂
bu guan shi jie bian de zen me yang zhi yao you ni jiu hui shi tian tang
(Repeat chorus 3x)
Lyrics at KKBOX: http://www.kkbox.com.tw/funky/web_info/n1F2o7mcMz44WwG00KYU008l.html
Mayday’s Official Site: http://www.imayday.com
倒帶 (Dao Dai) by 蔡依林 (Jolin)
This is another song that I learned entirely via KTV. In fact, I don’t even own the MP3! The song is very slow, and the lyrics are pretty manageable with a low reading level. It’s a favorite among women at KTV, and pop culture enthusiasts will be interested to know that the song was written by Jay Chou. (One friend thinks this is why it’s the only Jolin song she actually likes.) Enjoy!
我受夠了等待 你所謂的安排
wo shou gou le deng dai ni suo wei de an pai
說的未來到底多久才來
shuo de wei lai dao di duo jiu cai lai
總是要來不及 才知道我可愛
zong shi yao lai bu ji cai zhi dao wo ke ai
我想依賴而你卻都不在
wo xiang yi lai er ni que dou bu zai
應該開心的地帶 你給的全是空白
ying gai kai xin de di dai ni gei de quan shi kong bai
一個人假日發呆 找不到人陪我看海
yi ge ren jia ri fa dai zhao bu dao ren pei wo kan hai
我在幸福的門外 卻一直都進不來
wo zai xing fu de men wai que yi zhi dou jin bu lai
你累積給的傷害 我是真的很難釋懷
ni lei ji gei de shang hao wo shi zhen de hen nan shi huai
(Chorus)
終於看開 愛回不來 而你總是太晚明白
zhong yu kan kai ai hui bu lai er ni zong shi tai wan ming bai最後才把話說開 哭著求我留下來
zui hou cai bai hua shuo kai ku zhe qiu wo liu xia lai 終於看開 愛回不來 我們面前太多阻礙
zhong yu kan kai ai hui bu lai wo men mian qian tai duo zu ai你的手卻放不開 寧願沒出息 求我別離開
ni de shou que fang bu kai ning yuan mei chu xi qiu wo bie li kai
你總是要我乖 慢慢計畫將來
ni zong shi yao wo guao man man ji hua jiang lai
我的眼淚卻一直掉下來
wo de yan lei que yi zhi diao xia lai
過去怎麼交代 你該給的信賴
guo qu zen me jiao dai ni gai gei de xin lai
被你親手緩緩推入懸崖
bei ni qin shou huan huan tui ru xuan ya
從我臉上的蒼白 看到記憶慢下來
cong wo lian shang de cang bai kan dao ji yi man xia lao
過去甜蜜在倒帶 只是感覺已經不在
guo qu tian mi zai dao dai zhi shi gan jue yi jing bu zai
而我對你的期待 被你一次次摔壞
er wo dui ni de qi dai bei ni yi ci ci shuai huai
已經碎成太多塊 要怎麼拼湊跟重來
yi jing sui cheng tai duo kuai yao zen me pin cou gen chong lai
終於看開 愛回不來 而你總是太晚明白
zhong yu kan kai ai hui bu lai er ni zong shi tai wan ming bai
最後才把話說開 哭著求我留下來
zui hou cai ba hua shuo kai ku zhe qiu wo liu xia lai
(Repeat chorus 2x)
Lyrics at KKBOX: http://www.kkbox.com.tw/funky/web_info/ujF5D9u3L1NkySy00C8s008l.html#10
Jolin’s Official sites: http://www.sonymusic.com.tw/pop/jolin/, http://www.emimusic.com.tw/artist/info/535
珊瑚海 (Shan Hu Hai) by 周杰倫 and 梁心頤 (Jay Chou and Lara Veronin)
Jay Chou is one of my favorite singers, perhaps because he mostly stays within my vocal range, and perhaps because he has so many relatively slow ballads that are easy to follow along with. Add the amusement I get from his strange costumes, and I can almost forgive him for never smiling.
This duet is, in my opinion, one of his most beautiful songs, both in harmony and in the lyrics. Sadly, I can never get any men to sing it with me, but I still get my chance at KTV when my friend Kim puts on her Jay Chou face and delves into the lower octaves. Hopefully, by putting these lyrics up, I can encourage more men to learn the song, and I’ll finally find a guy to sing with me by the time Kim leaves Taiwan.
Note: I’ve tried to stick with the KTV theme here, so the blue lyrics should be sung by the male singer, red lyrics by the female, and green lyrics by both. If this makes the words too difficult to read, please let me know and I’ll keep it in mind for the next duet.
海平面遠方開始陰霾 悲傷要怎麼平靜純白
hai ping mian yuan fang kai shi yin mai bei shang yao zen me ping jing chun bai
我的臉上 始終挾帶 一抹淺淺的無奈
wo de lian shang shi zhong jia dai yi mo qian qian de wu nai
你用唇語說你要離開 (心不在)
ni yong chun yu shuo ni yao li kai (xin bu zai)
那難過無聲慢了下來
na nan guo wu sheng man le xia lai
洶湧潮水 你聽明白
xiong yong chao shui ni ting ming bai
不是浪而是淚海
bu shi lang er shi lei hai
轉身離開 (你有話說不出來) 分手說不出來
zhuan shen li kai (ni you hua shuo bu chu lai) fen shou shuo bu chu lai
海鳥跟魚相愛 只是一場意外
hai niao gen yu xiang ai zhi shi yi chang yi wai
我們的愛 （給的愛） 差異一直存在 （回不來）
wo men de ai（gei de ai） cha yi yi zhi cun zai （hui bu lai）
風中塵埃 （等待）竟累積成傷害
feng zhong chen ai（deng dai）jing lei ji cheng shang hai
轉身離開 分手說不出來
zhuan shen li kai fen shou shuo bu chu lai
蔚藍的珊瑚海 錯過瞬間蒼白
wei lan de shan hu hai cuo guo shun jian cang bai
當初彼此（你我都） 不夠成熟坦白 (不應該)
dang chu bi ci（ni wo dou） bu gou cheng shu tan bai (bu ying gai)
熱情不在 (你的) 笑容勉強不來
re qing bu zai (ni de) xiao rong mian qiang bu lai
愛深埋珊瑚海
ai shen mai shan hu hai
毀壞的沙雕如何重來 有裂痕的愛怎麼重蓋
hui huai de sha diao ru he zhong lai you lie hen de ai zen me zhong gai
只是一切 結束太快 你說你無法釋懷
zhi shi yi qie jie shu tai kuai ni shuo ni wu fa shi huai
貝殼裡隱藏什麼期待 (等花兒開 )
bei ke li yin cang shen me qi dai (deng hua er kai)
我們也已經無心再猜
wo men ye yi jing wu xin zai cai
面向海風(面向海風)
mian xiang hai feng(mian xiang hai feng)
鹹鹹的愛(鹹鹹的愛)
xian xian de ai(xian xian de ai)
嚐不出還有未來
chang bu chu hai you wei lai
轉身離開 (你有話說不出來) 分手說不出來
zhuan shen li kai (ni you hua shuo bu chu lai) fen shou shuo bu chu lai
海鳥跟魚相愛 只是一場意外
hai niao gen yu xiang ai zhi shi yi chang yi wai
我們的愛 （給的愛） 差異一直存在 （回不來）
wo men de ai（gei de ai） cha yi yi zhi cun zai （hui bu lai）
風中塵埃 （等待）竟累積成傷害
feng zhong chen ai（deng dai）jing lei ji cheng shang hai
轉身離開 分手說不出來
zhuan shen li kai fen shou shuo bu chu lai
蔚藍的珊瑚海 錯過瞬間蒼白
wei lan de shan hu hai cuo guo shun jian cang bai
當初彼此（你我都） 不夠成熟坦白 (不應該)
dang chu bi ci（ni wo dou） bu gou cheng shu tan bai (bu ying gai)
熱情不在 (你的) 笑容勉強不來
re qing bu zai (ni de) xiao rong mian qiang bu lai
愛深埋珊瑚海
ai shen mai shan hu hai
Lyrics at KKBOX: http://www.kkbox.com.tw/funky/web_info/LcGMbbuKAJhHsP700Dfy008l.html#10
Jay Chou’s Record Company, JVR Music: http://www.jvrmusic.com/
Lara Veronin’s Band, 南拳媽媽 (Nan Quan Mama): http://www.alfamusic.com.tw/NanQuan/
寶貝 (Bao Bei) by 張懸 (Deserts Chang)
This is a sweet song by indie artist Deserts Chang. Her album My Life Will contains two versions of the song, including a slower version subtitled [in the night]. The lyrics are essentially the same, but the more uptempo [in a day] version is the one available at KTVs and is featured in the video below.
我的寶貝寶貝 給你一點甜甜
wo de bao bei bao bei gei ni yi dian tian tian
讓你今夜都好眠 我的小鬼小鬼
rang ni jin ye dou hao mian wo de xiao gui xiao gui
逗逗你的眉眼 讓你喜歡這世界
dou dou ni de mei yan rang ni xi huan zhe shi jie
(Chorus)
哇啦啦啦啦啦我的寶貝
wa la la la la la wo de bao bei倦的時候有個人陪
juan de shi hou you ge ren pei哎呀呀呀呀呀我的寶貝
ai ya ya ya ya ya wo de bao bei要你知道你最美
yao ni zhi dao ni zui mei
我的寶貝寶貝 給你一點甜甜
wo de bao bei bao bei gei ni yi dian tian tian
要你今夜都好眠 我的小鬼小鬼
yao ni jin ye dou hao mian wo de xiao gui xiao gui
捏捏你的小臉 讓你喜歡整個明天
nie nie ni de xiao lian rang ni xi huan zheng ge ming tian
(Repeat Chorus)
哇啦啦啦啦啦我的寶貝
wa la la la la la wo de bao bei
孤單時有人把你想念
gu dan shu you ren ba ni xiang nian
哎呀呀呀呀呀我的寶貝
ai ya ya ya ya ya wo de bao bei
要你知道你最美
yao ni zhi dao ni zui mei
哇啦啦啦啦啦yeah~woo
wa la la la la la… yeah… oooh… yeah yeah yeah…
(Repeat Chorus)
要你知道你最美
yao ni zhi dao ni zui mei
Lyrics at KKBOX: http://www.kkbox.com.tw/funky/web_info/6WrSgFOEAbt9BP.00Gyi008l.html
Deserts Chang’s Official Site: http://www.deserts.com.tw/index.php
紅豆 (Hong Dou) by 王菲 (Faye Wong)
This song by Faye Wong is beautiful, and one can learn the chorus fairly easily. Click through to the video for an English translation.
還沒好好的感受 雪花綻放的氣候
hai mei hao hao de gan shou xue hua zhan fang de qi hou
我們一起顫抖 會更明白 甚麼是溫柔
wo men yi qi chan hou hui geng ming bai shen me shi wen rou
還沒跟你牽著手 走過荒蕪的沙丘
hai mei gen ni qian zhuo shou zou guo huang wu de sha qiu
可能從此以後 學會珍惜 天長和地久
ke neng cong ci yi hou xue hui zhen qi tian chang he di jiu
(Chorus)
有時候 有時候 我會相信一切有盡頭
you shi hou you shi hou wo hui xiang xin yi qie you jin tou
相聚離開 都有時候 沒有甚麼會永垂不朽
xiang ju li kai dou you shi hou mei you shen me hui yong chui bu xiu
可是我 有時候 寧願選擇留戀不放手
ke shi wo you shi hou ning yuan xuan ze liu lian bu fang shou
等到風景都看透 也許你會陪我 看細水長流
deng dao feng jing dou kan tou ye xu ni hui pei wo kan xi shui chang liu
還沒為你把紅豆 熬成纏綿的傷口
hai mei wei ni ba hong dou ao cheng chan mian de shang kou
然後一起分享 會更明白 相思的哀愁
ran hou yi qi fen xiang hui geng ming bai xiang si de ai chou
還沒好好的感受 醒著親吻的溫柔
hai mei hao hao de gan shou xing zhe qin wen de wen rou
可能在我左右 你才追求 孤獨的自由
ke neng zai wo zuo you ni cai gui qiu gu du de zi you
(Repeat chorus 2x)
Lyrics at KKBOX: http://www.kkbox.com.tw/funky/web_info/2ETx5bNe.EWtXLi00EBw008l.html#7
Faye Wong at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faye_Wong
對面的女孩看過來 (Dui Mian de Nü Hai Kan Guo Lai) by 任賢齊 (Richie Ren)
This is another song that I learned primarily through going to KTV. The video is really cute (I like the convenience store bits the best), and the song is easy to learn. At the very least, it can help you get your directions down… left, right, up, and down. By the way, the original was by the Malaysian singer 阿牛 (A Niu), but Taiwanese singer Richie Ren made it popular.
對面的女孩看過來 看過來 看過來
dui mian de nu hai kan guo lai kan guo lai kan guo lai
這裡的表演很精彩 請不要假裝不理不睬
zhe li de biao yan hen jing cai qing bu yao jia zhuang bu li bu cai
對面的女孩看過來 看過來 看過來
dui mian de nu hai kan guo lai kan guo lai kan guo lai
不要被我的樣子嚇壞 其實我很可愛
bu yao bei wo de yang zi xia huai qi shi wo hen ke ai
寂寞男孩的悲哀 說出來 誰明白
ji mo nan hai de bei ai shuo cuo lai shei ming bao
求求你拋個媚眼過來 哄哄我 逗我樂開懷
qiu qiu ni pao ge mei yan guo lao hong hong wo dou wo le kai huai
我左看右看 上看下看 原來每個女孩都不簡單
wo zuo kan you kan shang kan xia kan yuan lai mei ge nu hai dou bu jian dan
我想了又想 我猜了又猜 女孩們的心事還真奇怪
wo xiang le you xiang wo cai le you cai nu hai men de xin shi hai zhen qi guai
寂寞男孩的蒼蠅拍 左拍拍 右拍拍
ji mo nan hai de cang ying pai zuo pai pai you pai pai
為甚麼還是沒人來愛 無人問津 真無奈
wei shen me hai shi mei ren lai ai wu ren wen jin zhen wu nai
對面的女孩看過來 看過來 看過來
dui mian de nu hai kan guo lai kan guo lai kan guo lai
寂寞男孩情竇初開 需要你給我一點愛
ji mo nan hai qing dou chu kai xu yao ni gei wo yi dian ai
Hi…Hi…Hi…….
我左看右看 上看下看 原來每個女孩都不簡單
wo zuo kan you kan shang kan xia kan yuan lai mei ge nu hai dou bu jian dan
我想了又想 我猜了又猜 女孩們的心事還真奇怪
wo xiang le you xiang wo cai le you cai nu hai men de xin shi hai zhen qi guai
我左看右看 上看下看 原來每個女孩都不簡單
wo zuo kan you kan shang kan xia kan yuan lai mei ge nu hai dou bu jian dan
我想了又想 我猜了又猜 女孩們的心事還真奇怪
wo xiang le you xiang wo cai le you cai nu hai men de xin shi hai zhen qi guai
愛真奇怪 來來來… 歐黑歐…
ai zhen qi guai lai lai lai… oh hey oh
來來來… 歐…
lai lai lai… ohhhh
Lyrics at KKBOX: http://www.kkbox.com.tw/funky/web_info/EWe5-DeFvE8YjoP008eP008l.html#1
Richie Ren’s Official Site: http://blog.yam.com/richie
Ah Niu’s Official Site: http://www.ah-niu.com
朋友 (Peng You) by 周華健 (Emil Chau)
A good friend introduced this song to me a long time ago, and it’s the first song I learned solely through hearing it at KTV. It’s old, but a really nice song to sing with friends. It’s always one of my top picks at KTV.
Lyrics note: Since this song really only has one verse and an oft-repeated chorus, I’m only including the verse and chorus one time.
這些年 一個人 風也過 雨也走
zhe xie nian yi ge ren feng ye guo yu ye zou
有過淚 有過錯 還記得堅持什麼
you guo lei you guo cuo hai ji de jian chi shen me
真愛過 才會懂 會寂寞 會回首
zhen ai guo cai hui dong hui ji mo hui hui shou
終有夢 終有你 在心中
zhong you meng zhong you ni zai xin zhong
朋友 一生一起走 那些日子 不再有
peng you yi sheng yi qi zou na xie ri zi bu zai you
一句話 一輩子 一生情 一杯酒
yi ju hua yi bei zi yi sheng qing yi bei jiu
朋友 不曾孤單過 一聲朋友 你會懂
peng you bu ceng gu dan guo yi sheng peng you ni hui dong
還有傷 還有痛 還要走 還有我
hai you shang hai you tong hai yao zou hai you wo
Lyrics at KKBOX: http://www.kkbox.com.tw/funky/web_info/oL3GhF8VRUwBg-J008g6008l.html#24
Emil Chau’s Official Site: http://www.wakin.com/
童話 (Tong Hua) by 光良 (Guang Liang)
It’s perfectly fitting that the first song I’m adding is the first Chinese song I ever learned. The video is touching, the characters are mostly easy to read, and 光良 is awfully cute. Enjoy!
忘了有多久 再沒聽到你 對我說你最愛的故事
wang le you duo jiu zai mei ting dao ni dui wo shuo ni zui ai de gu shi
我想了很久 我開始慌了 是不是我又做錯了甚麼
wo xiang le hen jiu wo kai shi huang le shi bu shi wo you zuo cuo le shen me
你哭著對我說 童話裡都是騙人的
ni ku zhe dui wo shuo tong hua li dou shi pian ren de
我不可能是你的王子
wo bu ke neng shi ni de wang zi
也許你不會懂 從你說愛我以後
ye xu ni bu hui dong cong ni shuo ai wo yi hou
我的天空星星都亮了
wo de tian kong xing xing dou liang le
(Chorus)
我願變成童話裡 你愛的那個天使
wo yuan bian cheng tong hua li ni ai de na ge tian shi張開雙手 變成翅膀守護你
zhang kai shuang shou bian cheng chi bang shou hu ni你要相信 相信我們會像童話故事裡
ni yao xiang xin xiang xin wo men hui xiang tong hua go shi li幸福和快樂是結局
xing fu he kuai le shi jie ju
你哭著對我說 童話裡都是騙人的
ni ku zhe dui wo shuo tong hua li dou shi pian ren de
我不可能是你的王子
wo bu ke neng shi ni de wang zi
也許你不會懂 從你說愛我以後
ye xu ni bu hui dong cong ni shuo ai wo yi hou
我的天空星星都亮了
wo de tian kong xing xing dou liang le
(Repeat Chorus)
我要變成童話裡 你愛的那個天使
wo yao bian cheng tong hua li ni ai de na ge tian shi
張開雙手 變成翅膀守護你
zhang kai shuang shou bian cheng chi bang shou hu ni
你要相信 相信我們會像童話故事裡
ni yao xiang xin xiang xin wo men hui xiang tong hua go shi li
幸福和快樂是結局
xing fu he kuai le shi jie ju
我會變成童話裡 你愛的那個天使
wo hui bian cheng tong hua li ni ai de na ge tian shi
張開雙手 變成翅膀守護你
zhang kai shuang shou bian cheng chi bang shou hu ni
你要相信 相信我們會像童話故事裡
ni yao xiang xin xiang xin wo men hui xiang tong hua go shi li
幸福和快樂是結局
xing fu he kuai le shi jie ju
哦～ 一起寫我們的結局
ou~~~ yi qi xie wo men de jie ju
Lyrics at KKBOX: http://www.kkbox.com.tw/funky/web_info/PB4wnqHZerspGKG00D6.008l.html#2
Guang Liang’s Official Site: http://www.michael4u.com/
