I am a singing sensation! Well, that might actually be exaggerating a little bit. I’m really not much of a singer and despite that my students are always wanting me to sing. I don’t know if they’re so used to bad singing because they go to KTVs all the time, or if their ears are warped so much they think I’m just that good. How did I get talked into this? Well, after my April Fools Day joke went off so well I needed to make sure the classes didn’t tell each other. So I just asked them really nicely to not tell anyone else until the end of the week. I wasn’t expecting it, but Gee, one of the girls in my first class asked, “What are you going to do for us?”. I guess I hadn’t thought about that.

“Sing us a song…. in Chinese!”

I was reluctant to do so, but what the heck, I might as well give it a try. This is how it turned out.

Click read more for a song breakdown

The song I sang for my students is called 长安县 (Chang’an Xian), which, translated into English means “Chang’an county”. I don’t really know much of the history behind this song except that is folk song from around the area. You can see in the picture above, that Chang’an county is in the south part of Xi’an near the Qingling mountains. For your benefit, I’m going to post the lyrics, and then break them down into English the best that I can.

 

This is the only recording I’ve found of this song online, I don’t know who it’s by, but it’s pretty much the same as everytime I’ve heard it sung at the bar.

 

 

The lyrics in Chinese are as follows. This is of course standard Mandarin, however, the song is sung in Shaanxi dialect (this province) so some of the pronunciation is a little different, you can read what they’re singing below in my translation of the Shaanxi pinyin.

长安县 （汉字）

骑着车子来到长安县

来上一个大碗的岐山面

长安县，那么些年，都么变〜

 

他们还是努力的耕着田

小伙还是喜欢爱寻个姑娘偏

长安县那么些年

 

长安县的天是那么的蓝

长安县〜你那都很舒坦

长安县〜虽然妹子都不好看

长安县〜阳光就很灿烂

 

俄门的长安县

 

他们还是努力的耕着天

小伙还是喜欢爱寻个姑娘偏

长安县那么些年

 

长安县的天是那么的蓝

长安县〜你那都很舒坦

长安县〜虽然妹子都不好看

长安县〜阳光就很灿烂

 

俄门的长安县

 

长安县〜你那都很舒坦

长安县〜妹子都不好看

长安县〜阳光就很灿烂

你有澎湖湾〜俄有长安县〜

 

Chang’an Xian (Shaanxi Pinyin)

Qí zhe chēzi lái dào chángān xiàn

lái shàng yīgè dà wǎn de qíshān miàn

chángān xiàn, wumu xiē nián, dōu me biàn〜

 

tāmen háisì nǔlì de gēng zhe tián

xiǎohuǒ háisì nài xingè gūniang piān

chángān xiàn wumu xiē nián

 

chángān xiàn de tiān sì wumu de lán

chángān xiàn〜ne wàr zōu hěn zoūtan

chángān xiàn〜suīrán mèizi dōu bù hǎokàn

chángān xiàn〜yángguāng zoù hěn cànlàn

 

é mén de chángān xiàn

 

tāmen háisì nǔlì de gēng zhe tiān

xiǎohuǒ háisì nài xingè gūniang piān

chángān xiàn wumu xiē nián

 

chángān xiàn de tiān sì wumu de lán

chángān xiàn〜ne wàr zōu hěn zoūtan

chángān xiàn〜suīrán mèizi dōu bù hǎokàn

chángān xiàn〜yángguāng zoù hěn cànlàn

 

é mén de chángān xiàn

 

chángān xiàn〜ne wàr zōu hěn zoūtan

chángān xiàn〜mèizi dōu bù hǎokàn

chángān xiàn〜yángguāng zoù hěn cànlàn

nǐ yǒu pēnghú wān〜né yǒu chángān xiàn〜

 

A Simple English Breakdown of Chang’an Xian

Rode bike to Chang’an County

Ordered a big bowl of Qishan noodles

Chang’an county, so many years, not much has changed

 

People working in the fields

Boys like flirting with girls

Chang’an county, so many years

 

Chang’an county, the sky is so blue

Chang’an county, you’re so comfortable

Chang’an county, the girls aren’t so beautiful

Chang’an county, the sun shines brightly

 

Our Chang’an county

 

People working in the fields

Boys like flirting with girls

Chang’an county, so many years

 

Chang’an county, the sky is so blue

Chang’an county, you’re so comfortable

Chang’an county, the girls aren’t so beautiful

Chang’an county, the sun shines brightly

 

You have Penghu Bay, we have Chang’an county

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