This page serves as an appendix to my essay We'll Never be Together, collecting translations of most of the songs that were referenced.
These translations are meant only to give you an idea of what these songs are about. I tried to translate as literally as possible while making explicit the connotations that are clear in Chinese. This has resulted in some awkward English phrasing. I'm not a native speaker of Chinese, so I'm sure there are nuances I didn't capture. Hopefully though these translations are at least slightly more helpful than Google Translate.
The Chinese lyrics were sourced from NetEaseMusic, though I found a few minor mistakes in them. Some songs have a few seconds of narration (for example the end of Robot Cat) that I can't hear clearly and which doesn't show up in NetEaseMusic's lyrics, so unfortunately these translations don't have those.
In addition to what's referenced in the essay, I did a few other songs I like e.g. Love Teargas and We Can Be Together (the namesake of the essay). If I have time, I might do more translations, but for now you'll have to do with these.
New Pants (新裤子)
Our Era
I don’t want to lose you
Love tear gas
We Are Automatic (我们是自动的)
We don’t listen to pop music
Robot Cat
Dragon Tiger Panacea (龙虎人丹)
You are my superstar
Two Boyfriends
Mysterious shampoo
Otaku
Equal Love (野人也有爱)
Golden Idol
Two girlfriends
Famous director
Isolation
We can be together
Sex Drugs Internet
Someday I’ll fool you
Life Burns for You (生命因你而火热)
People Without Ideals Feel No Sorrow
Love, Broadcast, Plane (爱 广播 飞机)
You’ve forgotten how beautiful you are
终于到了这一天 一切都改变
We’ve finally reached this day, when everything has changed,
再也没有烦恼 一切都是爱
There's no more worries, all there is is love.
la la la la la la la la l a la
这是我们的时代
This is our era
la la la la la la la la l a la
这是我们的时代
This is our era
不用匆忙去恋爱 绝不会失败
There’s no use hastily going after love, you'll certainly not fail.
没有更多的语言 只有太多的时间
There’s no more language, only too much time.
你现在到底在哪里
Where on earth are you now?
我到哪儿才能找到你
Where can I go to find you?
你把我丢在街上就离去
You left me on the street,
原因竟是我不再爱你
Because I won’t love you again.
你的爱你知道我需要
You know I need your love,
可转眼我的一切没有了
But in the blink of an eye I have nothing.
你的眼睛实在太美丽
Your eyes really are too beautiful,
我无法忘记忘记在每个夜里
Every night, there’s no way for me to forget
你总让我不想你
You always make it so I can’t miss you.
我知道你跟别的男人在一起
I know you’re with another man.
你说这样可以不爱你
You said this way I can stop loving you,
我就知道现在就是应该放弃
I know this time I should give up.
你是一颗爱情催泪弹
You are a love tear gas grenade,
你是一颗爱情催泪弹
You are a love tear gas grenade,
你是一颗爱情催泪弹
You are a love tear gas grenade,
你是一颗爱情催泪弹
You are a love tear gas grenade,
忘了欢乐也忘不了忧伤
I forgot the pleasures, but I didn't forgot the pain,
所有的安慰都变成了刺激
All comfort has turned into irritation,
打碎了所有愤怒的意义
Shattering the meaning of all anger,
镇压了反抗的你
You, the one who suppresses resistance.
烦恼吧，空虚吧
Annoying, Empty
没什么让我兴奋
Nothing to make me excited.
恶心了，服从了
Nauseating, subordinating,
接受了太多污染
Over-polluted.
让我们都发现
It makes us all realize
其实我们都被麻醉
We’ve all been numbed.
这节奏，这感觉
This rhythm, this feeling
都已经让我心碎
Has already shattered my heart.
我们不听流行音乐
We don’t listen to pop music,
虽然不能改变世界
Although we can’t change the world.
我们不听流行音乐
We don’t listen to pop music,
我们不想浪费时间
We don’t want to waste our time.
我们不听流行音乐
We don’t listen to pop music,
虽然不能改变世界
Although we can’t change the world.
我们不听流行音乐
We don’t listen to pop music,
让我解放让我欣慰
Free me, ingratiate me.
robot cat!!! 我不爱吃鱼
robot cat!!! I don’t like eating fish.
robot cat!!! 我不看电视剧
robot cat!!! I don’t want to watch TV shows.
robot cat!!! 我没有秘密
robot cat!!! I have no secrets
我只想和你在一起
I just want to be with you
robot cat!!! 坐在火车上
robot cat!!! Sitting in a train
robot cat!!! 发射出激光
robot cat!!! Emitting laser beans
robot cat!!! 毁灭了世界
robot cat!!! Decimating the world
我只想程序都一样
I just want to have the same programming
我没有意见 很可爱很纯洁
I have no opinions, cute and pure
我是你的收藏 很完美很珍贵
I am in your collection, perfect and precious
i am a robot i belong to you
我拼命的想你
I miss you with all my life.
不顾一切追随你
I’d give up anything to follow along with you.
我拼命的爱你
I love you with all my life,
就算偶像已死去
Even if my idol is dead.
虽然你不能再歌唱
Although you’ll never sing again,
无法忘记过去的时光
I can’t forget that time.
偶然打开收音机
By chance I turned on the radio,
找到失落的回忆
And found lost memories.
Gabba Gabba Gabba Hey
你就是我的明星
You are my superstar,
无法取代的感情
Irreplaceable feelings.
你就是我的明星
You are my super star,
想你
When I think of you
Gabba Gabba Gabba Hey
简单的节奏
The simple rhythm,
我的心在颤动
My heart is shaking.
音速的旋律
Melodies at the speed of sound,
新浪潮摧毁时尚
The new wave destroys fashion.
你装作可怜样子看来很脆弱
This pitiful act you’ve been putting on, it makes you look so weak.
我也曾被真的打动过
I too was touched once.
你总提到别人有多酷
You’re always talking about how cool others are,
他的作品会有多艺术
How artistic their works are.
我想不出要对你怎么说
I don’t know what to say to you.
只想和你闷闷坐着看电视
I just want to sit next to you boringly watching TV.
有一天你说要离开我 放弃我
One day you said you wanted to leave me, to abandon me.
你爱我 你爱他
You love me, you love him,
我愿为你而快乐
I’m willing to be happy for you.
除了我 除了他
Other than me, other than him,
还有没有第四者
Is their a fourth party
你不想说
You don’t want to talk about?
你装作可爱样子看来很脆弱
This cute act you’ve been putting on, it makes you look so weak.
我也曾被真的迷惑过
It confused me too once.
像我这样的人有很多 放弃我
There’s lots of people like me, so give me up.
这是一个甜蜜的选择
This is a sweet choice.
你忘了我也不会太难过
If you forget me I won’t feel that bad.
我没有金钱和你在度过 忘记我
I don’t have the money to spend time with you, forget me.
你爱我 你爱他
You love me, you love him,
我愿为你而快乐
I’m willing to be happy for you.
除了我 除了他
Other than me, other than him,
还有没有第四者
Is their a fourth party
你不敢说
You don’t dare talk about?
不敢说
You don’t dare talk about
你不在乎我
You don’t care about me,
我恨你和他亲热
I hate the warmth between you and him.
你不在乎我
You don’t care about me,
你和他走了
Go with him.
城里有一个农村姑娘
In the city there’s a country girl,
开了个发廊做美发
Who’s started a shop to style hair.
洗剪吹烫染锔油接发
Washing, cutting, blow drying, dying, steaming, oiling, and applying hair extensions,
保健按摩 店面不大
And a “health massage”. The store isn’t very big.
去她那里消费的顾客
All the customers who come to her store
都被施了爱的魔法
Are bestowed love’s magic.
没有人能猜出她心思
No one can guess what’s going on in her heart
神奇的事件马上发生
Something magical is about to happen.
神秘的香波
Mysterious shampoo
神秘的香波
Mysterious shampoo
城里还有几个摇滚青年
In the same city there’s some rock and roll boys.
组了个乐队叫“新裤子”
They started a band called “New Pants”.
吉他主唱名字叫彭磊
The guitarist and lead singer’s name is Peng Lei.
刘葆是我们的贝司手
Liu Bao is our bassist.
鼓手尚笑留学在日本
The drummer Shang Xiao is studying in Japan,
刷盘子洗碗扫大街
Doing the dishes and sweeping the floors.
请大家记住键盘的名字
Everyone, please remember the keyboardist’s name.
不是龙宽 常宽 庞龙是庞宽
It’s not Long Kuan, Chang Kuan or Pang Long. It’s Pang Kuan.
走进房间 躺在床上
Entering the room, lying on bed,
感到时光在流淌
Perceiving time is flowing away.
等待欢笑 等待高潮
Waiting for laughter, waiting for climax,
但没有谁想念他
But no one is thinking of him.
谁希望享受 孤独的乐章
Who hopes to appreciate the lonely movement of a symphony?
哪个国王忘了后宫的喧闹
What king can forget the delightful sounds of the harem?
他停不了
He can’t stop
他停不了
He can’t stop
他停不了
He can’t stop
他停不了 停不了
He can’t stop, can’t stop
走进房间 躺在床上
Entering the room, lying on the bed,
忘了吃饭和睡觉
Forgetting to eat or sleep.
哪个机器 会有生命
What machine can have a life?
分辨不出喜和伤
Unable to distinguish pleasure and pain.
没有人想他失落
No one can imagine his dejection,
因为他不会做错
Because he can do no wrong.
它会让谁都快乐
He makes everyone happy.
忘了自己会难过
He’s forgotten he too can feel sad.
他有金色的外壳
He has a golden shell
可是命运很脆弱
But his destiny is frail
他出现在电视上
He appears on the television
全世界都爱上他
The whole world falls in love with him.
爱上他
Falls in love with him
爱上他
Falls in love with him
忘了他
Forgotten him
所有苦闷向谁说
Speaking one’s depression to whom?
忘了他
Forgotten him
怎么面对爱与错
How can one face love and mistakes?
你写的日记告诉了我 你还讨厌她
Your diary told me you still hate her.
我们一起看的文艺片 你还记得吗
The artistic movie we watched together, do you still remember it?
她说她是同性恋女孩 不喜欢男孩吧
She said she’s a lesbian, she doesn’t like boys.
就像电视里面的演的 都是骗人的
Just like acting on the TV, it’s all a lie.
有时候我也恨他
Sometimes I hate her too.
和你一样 我也恨她
Just like you, I hate her.
我也恨她 让我们哭吧
I hate her too, she made us cry.
你写的日记告诉了我 你还讨厌她
Your diary told me you still hate her.
我们一起去的商场 还在打折吗
The mall we went to together, is it still having a sale?
她说她不在乎女孩 只要在我身边
She said she doesn’t care about girls, she just wants to be with me.
就像一场无聊话剧 干脆忘了吧
Like a boring play, you should just forget it.
有时候我也想她
Sometimes I also miss her.
和你一样 我也想她
Just like you, I miss her.
我也想她 让我们哭吧
I also miss her, she made us cry.
有时候我也恨他
Sometimes I hate her too.
和你一样 我也恨她
Just like you, I hate her.
我也恨她 让我们哭吧
I hate her too, she made us cry.
每当我有看到她流泪的双眼
Every time I see her two eyes dripping with tears,
我怀疑被记忆所欺骗
I suspect I’ve been fooled by memories.
每当她又站在了我面前
Every time she stands in front of me,
我过去的情感全破灭
My past feelings are all extinguished.
我要当一个著名导演
I want to be a famous director.
我要女演员陪我睡觉
I want to sleep with actresses.
我要当一个著名导演
I want to be a famous director.
我要你陪我去戛纳
I want you to go to Cannes with me.
胡子 秃子 肚子 辫子
Beard, bald head, stomach, braid
胡子 秃子 肚子 辫子
Beard, bald head, stomach, braid
alright, action, cut
我要当一个著名导演
I want to be a famous director.
我要女演员陪我睡觉
I want to sleep with actresses.
我要当一个著名导演
I want to be a famous director.
我要你陪我去戛纳
I want you to go to Cannes with me.
演戏这东西主要是要有天赋
The most important thing when it comes to acting is talent.
我看你就行
I look at you and know you’ve got it.
你睡在我身边
You sleep next to me.
我轻轻地闭上眼
I lightly close my eyes,
手交叉在胸前
My arms crossed on my chest,
不敢多看你一眼
Not daring to take another glance at you.
我们不做爱
We don’t have sex.
只想听你的心跳
I just want to listen to your heart beat.
我想向你靠近
I want to be close to you,
可是身心已分开
But our bodies and minds have separated.
伟大的思想
Profound thought
让我们有想象
Gives us imaginations.
只要再多一秒
Just one more second
我们都会崩溃
And we’ll both collapse.
我想你因为很爱你
I miss you because I love you
睡觉前也要抱着你
Before I go to sleep I want to hug you
我想你但是不敢说
I miss you, but I don’t dare say it
想你想到变态了
I miss you to the point of perversion
我要和你在一起
I want to be with you
原来的朋友都忘记
I’ve forgotten all my former friends
你说我们不会在一起
You say we can’t be together
我们不能太接近
We can’t get too close
我会为你和她分手
For you, I can break up with her
我要和你在一起
I want to be with you
我又不敢抱你在怀里
I don’t dare hug you
我会为你和她分手
For you, I can break up with her
我要和你在一起
I want to be with you
我都不敢看你的眼睛
I don’t dare look you in the eye
你最热爱的歌曲
The songs you love the most,
其实他们都是在骗你
Actually they’re all lying to you.
他们并不是为你唱
They’re not singing for you,
只是希望你开心
All they’re doing is trying to make you feel happy.
其实你对我的感情
All of your feelings towards me,
就像你买的家用电器
They’re like the appliances you buy.
就算有一天被摔坏
If they break one day,
你也不会用心来修理
You won’t seriously try to fix them.
就算说得太多
Even if I speak too much,
你也不会相信
You still won’t believe me.
让我再说一遍
Let me say it one more time,
我愿意
I’m willing.
总有一天我会离开你
Someday I’ll leave you,
总有一天我会抛弃你
Someday I’ll abandon you,
总有一天我会伤害你
Someday I’ll hurt you,
伤害你
Hurt you.
你最喜欢的电影
The movies you love the most,
其实他们都是在哄你
They’re really only trying to coax you.
他们并不是为你演
They’re certainly not acting for you.
只是希望你伤心
They only want to give you a feeling of pain.
其实我并不是机器人
Really, I’m not a robot.
不会一直都陪着你
I can’t accompany you forever.
等到世界都毁灭
Once the world’s been exterminated,
没有谁和谁在一起
No one will be together.
就算说得太多
Even if I speak too much,
你也不会相信
You still won’t believe me.
让我再说一遍
Let me say it one more time,
我愿意
I’m willing.
总有一天我会离开你
Someday I’ll leave you,
总有一天我会抛弃你
Someday I’ll abandon you,
总有一天我会伤害你
Someday I’ll hurt you,
伤害你
Hurt you.
谁都不能随便被相信
You can’t recklessly believe everyone
每个人都可能会骗你
Everyone could be lying to you
谁都可能随便被拋弃
Everyone can be abandoned at will
包括我和你
Including you and me
我最爱去的唱片店
My favorite record store,
昨天是它的最后一天
Yesterday was its last day.
曾经让我陶醉的碎片
Those fragments that allowed me to revel in pleasure
全都散落在街边
Are all scattered on the street.
我最爱去的书店
My favorite book store
她也没撑过这个夏天
Didn’t last the summer either.
回忆文字流淌着怀念
Memories, writing, flowing with nostalgia.
可是已没什么好怀念
But there’s nothing to be nostalgic for now.
可是你曾经的那些梦
Those dreams you once had
都已变得模糊看不见
Have become so blurry you can’t make them out.
那些为了理想的战斗
Those struggles for ideals
也不过为了钱
Were only for money.
可是我最恨的那个人
But the man I hate the most,
他始终没死在我面前
He has never died in front of me.
还没年轻就变得苍老
Youth is gone, it’s turned into elderliness.
这一生无解
This life has no solution.
没有我的空间
I don’t have a space of my own
没有我的空间
I don’t have a space of my own
没有我的空间
I don’t have a space of my own
没有我的空间
I don’t have a space of my own
你曾热爱的那个人
That person you loved so much
这一生也不会再见面
You won’t see him again in this life.
你等在这文化的废墟上
You’re waiting in the ruins of this culture.
已没人觉得你狂野
No one thinks you’re wild any more.
那些让人敬仰的神殿
Those shrines people venerated
只在无知的人心中灵验
Only do anything in the hearts of the ignorant.
我住在属于我的猪圈
I live in a pigsty of my own,
这一夜无眠
Unable to sleep tonight.
我不要在失败孤独中死去
I don’t want to die in failure and isolation.
我不要一直活在地下里
I don’t want always be living underground
物质的骗局
Materialistic fraud,
匆匆的蚂蚁
Scurrying ants.
没有文化的人不伤心
Those without culture feel no sorrow
停留在空荡的车站里
Remaining in an empty parking lot,
看着外面的烟雨
Looking at the misty rain outside.
陌生音乐又响起
Unfamiliar music starts sounding again.
你等的人他在哪里
Where is the person you’re waiting for?
旅客们匆匆的离去
The tourists are all leaving,
下一站不知要去哪里
Not knowing where the next stop will be.
冷冷凄风迷住眼睛
The cold desolate wind captures the eyes.
你爱的人他已变心
The person you love has had a change of heart.
亲爱的你不要伤心
Darling, don’t be sad.
回忆列车就要离去
The train of memories is leaving soon.
就算是他又伤害你
Even if he’s hurt you gain,
你也可以把他抛弃
You can still leave him.
(repeat)
你都忘了你有多美
You’ve forgotten how beautiful you are,
冷冷风雨把眼泪吹
The cold, rainy wind blows your tears away.
你都忘了你有多美
You’ve forgotten how beautiful you are,
你这样哭泣为了谁
What are you crying like this for?