Anyone who lives in Taiwan will invariably have to enter the world know as KTV. I find this one of the best places to learn Chinese. It’s informal, and just by watching the blue trail across the words you can improve your reading. Of course pretty soon you need to start showing that you can actually sing some of these songs. Especially since English song availability is weak at best.
At the risk of sounding like a KTV junkie , although I’m not, I’m trying to search the net to download song lyrics so that I can practice and learn some songs.
I was quite surprised by the lyrics for “Air raid Warning”. Liked the song but thought it was a reference to the modern day air raid drills, lazy bastard that I am! Actually this is the one of the few references to the bombing of Taiwan during WWII I’ve seen.
In fact I’m so impressed by these lyrics that I’m going to damn well post them. So there!
HG
Please note that the translation is not mine and I’ve made no attempt to edit it up.
空襲警報 - Kongxi Gingbao - Air Alert Alarm
空襲警報
kongxi gingbao!
Air strike alert!
阮阿公空襲的時早就已經跌落山腳
wan a gong kong xi e xi za jiu yi ging dua lo shua ka
My grandpa had already fallen to the bottom of the hill when the air strike happened
阮阿嬤的豬圈乎伊燒甲火乾
wan a mai e tiao ho yi xiu ga cao hui ga
My grandma’s pig farm was burned to the ground
阮阿爸上班的糖廠去乎掃甲一坑一嘎
wan a ba xiong ban e tang qiang ki ho sao ga ji kang ji kia
The sugar plant where my dad worked was filled with holes everwhere
做田的隴嘛走去躲在樹仔腳
zui can e long ma tia ki de qiu wa ka
The farmers all ran to hide under the trees
飛陵機若來你就趴落爛溝仔或是土腳
gui dang gi no lai li jiu pan lo lan gua wa ho xi to ka
When the planes came, you went into the ditch or just hid on the floor
阮厝邊有人未村去乎彈到腳
wan cu bin yu ran mi ki ho tan diu ka
One of my neighbours was too late and was shot in the foot
飛陵機來的時盛盛叫是有夠大聲
gui dang gi lai e xi sheng sheng giu xi yu gao dua xia
The noise of the planes was really loud
你遠遠無見人是已經有知影
li hun hun bo ki ran xi yi ging jiu zai ya
You can tell from a great distance
啊 這款的代誌 啊 學校隴無提 啊 那當時那這呢神秘
a ji kuan e dai ji a hong hao long bo ti a na dang xi na jia ni shi mi
ah… these kinds of things ah… the school never mentioned ah… why was it so secretive?
聽說是美軍要來炸臺灣的日本兵仔
tia gong xi mei hun be lai zha tai wan e ri ben bin wa
I heard it was the Americans who were bombing the Japanese soldiers in Taiwan
聽說咱隴總唱著日本的軍歌
tia gong lan long zong ching diu ri ben e hun gua
I heard we were all singing Japan’s military songs
聽說咱著要交出頭剪刀ㄔㄢㄌㄡㄌㄞㄅㄚ
tia gong lan diu be gao chu tao di dao chan lo lai ba
I heard we had to surrender our scissors and screwdrivers
說戰爭是保護咱自己的國家
gong zan jing xi be ho lan lan yi ge go ga
It was said that war was to protect our own country
啊 這款的代誌 啊 學校隴無提 啊 那當時那這呢神秘
a ji kuan e dai ji a hong hao long bo ti a na dang xi na jia ni shi mi
ah… these kinds of things ahhh… school never mentioned them ahhh… why was it so secretive then?
酸酸喲喲酸喲喲
sun sun yue yue sun yue yue
Sick at heart…oh, sick at heart
兒仔時的radio隴聽會到
er zai xi e radio long tia hui diu
I could hear them on the radio when I was younger
對你的了解哪這呢少
dui li a liao gai na jia ne jiu
Why do I know so little about you?
歷史的傷害擱有影不是親采
li su e xiong hai ge yu ya m xi qing cai
Is the wound from history really that bad?
自開始我隴當做是阮阿爸在說的詼頦
zu kai xi gua long dang zui wan a ba de gong e hui hai
I always thought that was my dad’s BS story
自開始不知咱過去有這麼多目屎
zu kai xi m zai lan gui ki yu ji me de ba sai
I never knew we had so many tears in our past
現此時咱是生活在塊不同的世界
en chu xi lan xi xing hua de me m tang e se gai
Now we’re living in a different world
不知影飛陵機何時會擱來
m zai ya gui dang gi ho xi hui ge lai
Who knows when the planes are coming next?
啊 這款的代誌 啊 學校隴無提 啊 未來嘛是非常神秘
a ji kuan e dai ji a hong hao long bo ti a mi lai ma xi hui xiong shi mi
ahh… these kinds of things ah… the school never mentioned ahhh… the future is very secretive too…
, although I’m not, I’m trying to search the net to download song lyrics so that I can practice and learn some songs.