If you’ve ever been to the Old Town in Lijiang (and I recommend you do – it’s lovely), you’ll know how atmospheric its winding little streets are. Part of that for me was the song 滴答 by the singer 坎坎 (KanKan).
It’s a simple song, with just guitar, vocals and violins, but it’s beautiful (and nostalgic for me). You’ll know it if you’ve heard it – it has a distinctive onomatopoeia line that repeats throughout the song.
滴答 lyrics translation
嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒
Dídā dídā dídā dídā
时针它不停在转动
Shízhēn tā bù tíng zài zhuǎndòng
The hour hand, it never stops turning
嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒
Dídā dídā dídā dídā
小雨她拍打着水花
Xiǎoyǔ tā pāidǎzhe shuǐhuā
Light rain, she patters and splashes
嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒
Dídā dídā dídā dídā
是不是还会牵挂他
Shì bùshì hái huì qiānguà tā
Will I still worry about him?
嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒
Dídā dídā dídā dídā
有几滴眼泪已落下
Yǒu jǐ dī yǎnlèi yǐ luòxià
A few tears have already fallen
嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒
Dídā dídā dídā dídā
寂寞的夜和谁说话
Jìmò de yè hé shuí shuōhuà
In the lonely night, who can you talk to?
嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒
Dídā dídā dídā dídā
伤心的泪儿谁来擦
Shāngxīn de lèi er shuí lái cā
Who will wipe away broken-hearted tears?
嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒
Dídā dídā dídā dídā
整理好心情再出发
Zhěnglǐ hǎo xīnqíng zài chūfā
Compose your mood then set off
嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒
Dídā dídā dídā dídā
还会有人把你牵挂
Hái huì yǒurén bǎ nǐ qiānguà
There are people who will worry about you
嗬嗬！
Hē hē!
Hey…
嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒
Dídā dídā dídā dídā
寂寞的夜和谁说话
Jìmò de yè hé shuí shuōhuà
In the lonely night, who can you talk to?
嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒
Dídā dídā dídā dídā
伤心的泪儿谁来擦
Shāngxīn de lèi er shuí lái cā
Who will wipe away broken-hearted tears?
嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒
Dídā dídā dídā dídā
整理好心情再出发
Zhěnglǐ hǎo xīnqíng zài chūfā
Compose your mood then set off
嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒嘀嗒
Dídā dídā dídā dídā
还会有人把你牵挂
Hái huì yǒurén bǎ nǐ qiānguà
There are people who will worry about you
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I love these kind of tunes. Smooth acoustic sounds, melancholic and nostalgic. Thanks for sharing!
Yeah I love it as well. I’m planning to go through the whole album here
Where can i find the whole album? can you please send me a link to download? Jeanine
There’s quite a few albums with that track on. Here’s one: http://www.amazon.cn/%E4%BE%83%E4%BE%83-%E7%88%B1%E6%B7%B1%E8%97%8F/dp/B004RLJD42/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343133997&sr=8-1 You could try mp3.baidu.com to download the tracks.
thanks sooo much Hugh!!!!!!!
A beautiful song. I like the simple, direct feeling. Would like to hear more
Thanks for this – this song reminds me of my trip to China also, where it was played non-stop through the streets of Fenghuang. I remember having some interesting naps in my hotel room where it was playing loudly outside all the way through them and giving me some very strange dreams. I had this song in my head for months afterwards. What a wonderful memory of a wonderful trip! I’ve been searching for this song for a while, but never seemed to be able to find the original version.
[...] This song is simple in every possible way, but therein also lies its beauty. Thanks to Hugh Grigg for this one, see his translation of the lyrics here. [...]
[...] by the Chinese singer-songwriter 坎坎 (Kan Kan). It’s even simpler than the more famous 滴答 (‘Di Da’), although it does feature some lovely harmonica [...]
i realy love this since the day my chinese friend showed it to me, i didnt understtand but thanks to u guys now i do…….
beautiful lyrics. i think am gonna download the whole album.
love the acoustic theme in it.
thanks guys