Wu Bai's Poetry in Song

This is one of my favorite songs from the new CD. I had to ask my language exchange partner, Ye Ying, to help a little with the translation, because of the use of metaphors. That's the biggest problem trying to translate Wu Bai's songs into English. Chinese-speaking people understand the references, but I don't always get it. I think the poetry of what Wu Bai writes is completely lost when translated, because I don't think English is sufficient to convey his thoughts and ideas. Another problem is the lack of verb tense in Chinese. It's difficult to know whether something is currently happening, or if it happened in the past.

So, here's a song that Ye Ying said she feels is about a guy who loves a girl, and he perhaps promised to marry her but now feels that he can't live up to that promise. He still loves her, but wants to leave and wander on his own, and he's struggling to decide if he should go or not. The wind is a metaphor for the girl and her love, pulling at him, trying to convince him to stay, and the whirlpool is a metaphor for the struggle and possible arguments that they have about him wanting to go.

一千萬個理由 A Billion Reasons

站在那風吹的角落
Standing on that windy corner
嘲笑風兒的淺薄
Jeering at the feebleness of the wind
世界如此的遼闊
The world is so vast
為何只對我訴說
Why does the wind speak only to me?

又不是情話慢慢說
Furthermore, it's not slowly speaking whispers of love
要是細語我會懂
If it were low and gentle talk, I would understand
過去我是答應過
In the past I did make promises
難道我們要哀愁
Can it be possible that we want sorrow?

靜靜的摀上我耳朵
I quietly muffle my ears with my hands
不要徘徊我身後
Do not walk to and fro behind me
我都已經在漂流
I'm already drifting about freely
難道妳沒有出口
Can it be possible that you have no way out?

我有一千萬個理由
I have a billion reasons
證明愛妳的是我
I'm the one who proved he loved you
關於那天我的遠走
About my leaving that day and going far away
有個拉長的漩渦
There's a drawn-out struggle (as if caught in a whirlpool)
我有一千萬個理由
I have a billion reasons
愛妳愛妳的是我
I'm the one who loves you
離開那愛妳的漩渦
Leaving that whirlpool of love for you
等待風兒的放手
I'm waiting for the wind to let me go