The Ordinary Road（平凡之路 píng fán zhī lù) by Pu Shu (朴树)
This song is actually the theme from a movie. I heard it at a karaoke for the first time and it was a breath of fresh air from most of the Chinese pop songs you normally hear. With a slow, laid back beat, a folky feel and a bit of depth to the lyrics, it’s actually quite a good song to listen to, whether you’re learning Chinese or not. Needless to say, this song became one of my favourite Chinese songs.
I know the handwritten characters in the video above might be pretty difficult to read, but you’ll find the the Chinese characters, Pinyin and English translation below.
pái huái zhe de zài lù shàng de
徘徊着的 在路上的
Wandering, on the road
nǐ yào zǒu ma
你要走吗 via via
Are you leaving? via via
yì suì de jiāo ào zhe
易碎的 骄傲着
Fragile, proud
nà yě céng shì wǒ de mú yàng
那也曾是我的模样
That is how I once was.
fèi téng zhe de bù ān zhe de
沸腾着的 不安着的
Passionate, uneasy
nǐ yào qù nǎ
你要去哪 via via
Where are you going? via via
mí yí yàng de chén mò zhe de
谜一样的 沉默着的
Like a mystery, silent
gù shì nǐ zhēn de zài tīng ma?
故事 你真的 在听吗?
Are you listening to my story?
wǒ céng jīng kuà guò shān hé dà hǎi yě chuān guò rén shān rén hǎi
我 曾经 跨过 山和大海 也 穿过 人山人海
I’ve crossed mountains and oceans, and wandered through huge crowds
wǒ céng jīng yōng yǒu zhe yī qiè zhuǎn yǎn dōu piāo sàn rú yān
我曾经拥有着一切 转眼都飘散如烟
Everything I once had faded away in the blink of an eye
wǒ céng jīng shī luò shī wàng shī diào suǒ yǒu fāng xiàng
我曾经 失落 失望 失掉 所有方向
I was once frustrated and disappointed, lost all direction
zhí dào kàn jiàn píng fán cái shì wéi yī de dá àn
直到看见平凡才是唯一的答案
Until I saw that the only answer was the ordinary road.
dāng nǐ réng rán hái zài huàn xiǎng
当你仍然 还在幻想
While you have your illusions
nǐ de míng tiān
你的明天 via via
About your future via via
tā huì hǎo ma hái shì gèng làn
她会好吗 还是更烂
Will it better or get worse?
duì wǒ ér yán shì lìng yì tiān
对我而言是另一天
For me, that has passed
wǒ céng jīng huǐ le wǒ de yī qiè zhǐ xiǎng yǒng yuǎn de lí kāi
我曾经毁了我的一切 只想永远地离开
I once ruined everything, and just wanted to leave forever.
wǒ céng jīng duò rù wú biān hēi àn xiǎng zhēng zhá wú fǎ zì bá
我曾经堕入无边黑暗 想挣扎无法自拔
I once fell into the endless darkness. I wanted to struggle, but I couldn’t get out
wǒ céng jīng xiàng nǐ xiàng tā xiàng nà yě cǎo yě huā
我曾经像你像他像那野草野花
I used to be like you, like him, like the wild grass and flowers
jué wàng zhe kě wàng zhe kū zhe xiào zhe píng fán zhe
绝望着 渴望着 哭着笑着平凡着
Despairing, longing, crying, smiling and ordinary
[This part is something like a chant, in kind of a ‘rap’ voice]
xiàng qián zǒu jiù zhè me zǒu jiù suàn nǐ bèi gěi guò shén me
向前走 就这么走 就算你被给过什么
Move forward, just like this, no matter what you’ve put up with before
xiàng qián zǒu jiù zhè me zǒu jiù suàn nǐ bèi duó zǒu shén me
向前走 就这么走 就算你被夺走什么
Move forward, just like this, no matter what has been taken away from you.
xiàng qián zǒu jiù zhè me zǒu jiù suàn nǐ huì cuò guò shén me
向前走 就这么走 就算你会错过什么
Move forward, just like this, though there are some things you will miss
xiàng qián zǒu jiù zhè me zǒu jiù suàn nǐ huì
向前走 就这么走 就算你会
Move forward, just like this, even if you..
Wǒ céngjīng wèn biàn zhěng gè shì jiè cóng lái méi dé dào dá àn
我曾经问遍整个世界 从来没得到答案
I once asked the whole world, but never got an answer.
wǒ bù guò xiàng nǐ xiàng tā xiàng nà yě cǎo yě huā
我不过像你像他像那野草野花
I used to be like you, like him, like the wild grass and flowers
míng míng zhōng zhè shì wǒ wéi yī yào zǒu de lù a
冥冥中这是我 唯一要走的路啊
The only road I want to take is in the darkness
shí jiān wú yán rú cǐ zhè bān
时间无言 如此这般
Time flies, just like that
míng tiān yǐ zài yǎn qián
明天已在眼前
Tomorrow is already in sight
fēng chuī guò de lù yī rán yuǎn
风吹过的 路依然远
The wind is blowing, there is still a long way to go.
nǐ de gù shì jiǎng dào le nǎ
你的故事讲到了哪
Where have you reached in your story?