Cantonese people, I need your help
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@atomicpoet
Wow, quite hard as it switches quite seamlessly (sometimes several times a sentence) and I missed a lot, hope it helps!
canto phrases i heard bracketed
"don't want [to go home]"
"you ask me [if i'm tired]"
"i say ok, [actually not tired]"
"tonight let me [be your person]"
"no future [don't think about it], just stay with me"
"i say life [is always like that]"
"this feeling [will disappear quickly] if [tomorrow you will go]"
"[tonight let's not say] bye bye [ok] no promises"@atomicpoet feels like a dialogue between two people in Chinglish!
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@atomicpoet Do you know what the song title and who the singer is?
I speak Cantonese, and form what I can parse from the song, it sounds like the Catonese parts mean:
- going home
- some asks the singer if they're tired, with the singer replying they're fine
- don't say goodbye
- the singer saying life always having being like this, in response to someone saying the road ahead is difficult
- it's not important and there's no turning back
- this feeling will soon pass
- some people want to be strong but no one knows how to
- please don't, or it will be too late to regret it
- at this moment, there's only me and you
- taking a car back homeBut since I never heard of the song before, maybe I could have translated it better if I know more about the song.
@helenchong A few weeks ago, I found the song on Reddit. Can’t find the original post anymore, but I think it’s called 唔好走住 because that’s what the file says. Have no idea who it’s from but rarely does my hometown ever get a mention in pop songs. -
@atomicpoet feels like a dialogue between two people in Chinglish!
@NicMakesStuff Okay, that’s pretty cool! I had no idea landmarks I pass every day had that effect on people. -
@helenchong A few weeks ago, I found the song on Reddit. Can’t find the original post anymore, but I think it’s called 唔好走住 because that’s what the file says. Have no idea who it’s from but rarely does my hometown ever get a mention in pop songs.
@atomicpoet 唔好走住 means "don't go yet". Unfortunately, I have no luck in finding any song with that title.
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@atomicpoet 唔好走住 means "don't go yet". Unfortunately, I have no luck in finding any song with that title.
@helenchong So is this about someone’s last day with someone they love? If so, that’s really sad. -
@atomicpoet feels like a dialogue between two people in Chinglish!
@NicMakesStuff @atomicpoet I think it's a little too seamless. The older HK songs I know that use both Chinese and English are usually just one or two common words, or separated in phrasing.
In a song like this that's so seamless, it's hard to "change the channel" so you're thinking in the right language, especially when it's in a song when you're thinking about the melody as well. This would be much easier to follow in a regular conversation.
The music itself is quite Canadian-coded. A very cool find.
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Cantonese people, I need your help!
This is a great song. And it’s about my hometown of Richmond, BC, Canada.
But half of it is in English, and half is in Cantonese. Can someone please tell me what the Cantonese is all about?@atomicpoet @chu you might like this.
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@NicMakesStuff @atomicpoet I think it's a little too seamless. The older HK songs I know that use both Chinese and English are usually just one or two common words, or separated in phrasing.
In a song like this that's so seamless, it's hard to "change the channel" so you're thinking in the right language, especially when it's in a song when you're thinking about the melody as well. This would be much easier to follow in a regular conversation.
The music itself is quite Canadian-coded. A very cool find.
@mayintoronto @NicMakesStuff A very specific Canadian-coded too! The average white person, for example, just wouldn’t get it at all.
Also, this isn’t the kind of Cantopop my wife listens to. She prefers Leslie Cheung and Twins. So what specific Cantopop subgenre even is this? -
@mayintoronto @NicMakesStuff A very specific Canadian-coded too! The average white person, for example, just wouldn’t get it at all.
Also, this isn’t the kind of Cantopop my wife listens to. She prefers Leslie Cheung and Twins. So what specific Cantopop subgenre even is this?@atomicpoet @mayintoronto Probably indie? Your wifes taste is more retro (i grew up on the twins, and leslie would be one generation before me), byt there are a bunch of current indie cantopop artists like my little airport, Garth T and Moon Tang!
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@mayintoronto @NicMakesStuff A very specific Canadian-coded too! The average white person, for example, just wouldn’t get it at all.
Also, this isn’t the kind of Cantopop my wife listens to. She prefers Leslie Cheung and Twins. So what specific Cantopop subgenre even is this?@atomicpoet @NicMakesStuff This has the very specific Canadian twang. It sounds more like modern Canadian indie like Cindy Lee (not Chinese, lol) than Canto pop. Can't say I know much Canto pop though.
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@atomicpoet @mayintoronto Probably indie? Your wifes taste is more retro (i grew up on the twins, and leslie would be one generation before me), byt there are a bunch of current indie cantopop artists like my little airport, Garth T and Moon Tang!
@NicMakesStuff @mayintoronto Thank you for the suggestions. I’ve heard of My Little Airport but not the other artists. I think My Little Airport only sings in Cantonese, though (I think?).
So maybe this is a Chinese-Canadian indie singer? Conjecture, but it has to be likely since she clearly knows my neighbourhood with a lot of precision. -
@atomicpoet @NicMakesStuff This has the very specific Canadian twang. It sounds more like modern Canadian indie like Cindy Lee (not Chinese, lol) than Canto pop. Can't say I know much Canto pop though.
@mayintoronto @NicMakesStuff Wow. I feel like I’m discovering a whole scene that I’ve been oblivious to even though I’m right here—and it just passed me by.
I like to feel like I’m in the know when it comes to local things, but clearly that’s not the case.
Who are these Chinese-Canadian indie singers? I need more! -
@atomicpoet @chu you might like this.
Interesting. The canto has a heavy accent it sounds like so it took a bit for me to recognize the shifts.
It seems like a sad song about love and regret? I'd have to listen closely a bit more but I see someone already gave it a go above and it seems about right.
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Interesting. The canto has a heavy accent it sounds like so it took a bit for me to recognize the shifts.
It seems like a sad song about love and regret? I'd have to listen closely a bit more but I see someone already gave it a go above and it seems about right.
If you like local canto English mix, give this hilarious song about the TTC a try.
https://youtu.be/bBMLuPHG4SM?si=B16SRz78liWAHuvS -
If you like local canto English mix, give this hilarious song about the TTC a try.
https://youtu.be/bBMLuPHG4SM?si=B16SRz78liWAHuvS@chu @atomicpoet This is INCREDIBLE.
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@chu @atomicpoet This is INCREDIBLE.
@mayintoronto @chu Okay, this is even more hilarious because both songs mention trains extensively!
Have we just spotted a trend?
