“In Coal Pile”: Chinese Miner’s Child Parody Of “In Spring”

The following viral video titled 《煤堆里》”In Coal Pile” featuring a little Chinese boy who sings a “Coal Miner’s Child version” of the popular Chinese song 《春天里》”In Spring” has accumulated over 3.7m views, 2700 comments over 93 pages, and 42k upvotes on Youku since it was uploaded 5 days ago:

A copy on YouTube:

Can’t see the above video?

《煤堆里》”In Coal Pile” (or “In Pile of Coal”) Lyrics & English Translation:

我现在过着 天真烂漫的生活
I am now living an innocent life
每天都和姐姐一起玩耍
Everyday playing with my sister
没有忧愁，（也）没有烦恼
No concerns, no worries
也没有勾心斗角的尔虞我诈
Nor scheming to cheat each other

可我知道这时光不会太久
But I know this time will not last
因为我只是普通矿工的娃
Because I am just an ordinary miner’s child
在街上，在坡下，在校园中
On the street, at the bottom of the slopes, in the middle of the schoolyard
狂吼着汪峰创作的歌谣
Wildly hollering Wang Feng‘s ballad

如果有一天，快乐已远去
If one day, happiness has left
请把我留在，在这时光里
Please leave me, here in this time.
如果有一天，梦想已逝去
If one day, dreams are gone
请把我埋在，在这煤堆里
Please bury me, in this pile of coal

想起那不久将来的生活
Reminded of that near-future life
那时我已长大了许多
Then I will have grown up a lot
没有真情也没有真爱
Without true friends or true love
有的是许许多多的小三小四
With many xiao san xiao si [“little third (party), little fourth (party)”, mistresses]

可我们还是要为生存挣扎
But we will still need to struggle for our survival
即使煤矿有再多危险
No matter how dangerous the coal mines remain
在晚上，在坑下，在黑暗中
At night, in the tunnels, in the darkness
煎熬在阴冷潮湿的煤窑
Suffering in the cold and damp coal pits

如果有一天，快乐已远去
If one day, happiness has left
请把我留在，在这时光里
Please leave me, here in this time.
如果有一天，梦想已逝去
If one day, dreams are gone
请把我埋在，在这煤堆里，煤堆里~~~~
Please bury me, in this pile of coal, pile of coal~~~~

“In Spring” was originally written by Chinese singer Wang Feng in 2009 but became popular on the internet in 2010 when a video of two topless but movingly emphatic men became viral. For your reference, here is that video:

A copy on YouTube:

Can’t see the above video?

《春天里》”In Spring” Lyrics & English Translations:

还记得许多年前的春天
Still remember the spring of many years ago
那时的我还没剪去长发
Back then I had not yet cut my long hair
没有信用卡没有她
Without credit card, without her
没有24小时热水的家
Without a home that had hot water 24 hours a day

可当初的我是那么快乐
But at that time I was happy
虽然只有一把破木吉他
Even though I only had an old wooden guitar
在街上，在桥下 在田野中
On the street, under the bridge, in the open country
唱着那无人问津的歌谣
Singing that unknown and uncared for ballad

如果有一天 我老无所依
If one day, I’m old and have nothing to depend on
请把我留在 在那时光里
Please leave me, in that time
如果有一天 我悄然离去
If one day, I’ve quietly departed
请把我埋在 这春天里
Please bury me, in this spring day

还记得那些寂寞的春天
Still remember those lonely spring days
那时的我还没冒起胡须
Back then I had not yet grown a beard
没有情人节 没有礼物
Without Valentine’s Day, without presents
没有我那可爱的小公主
Without my cute little princess

可我觉得一切没那么糟
But I felt everything wasn’t so messy
虽然我只有对爱的幻想
Even though I only had dreams of love
在清晨 在夜晚 在风中
In the morning, in the night, in the wind
唱着那无人问津的歌谣
Singing that unknown and uncared for ballad

如果有一天 我老无所依
If one day, I’m old and have nothing to depend on
请把我留在 在那时光里
Please leave me, in that time
如果有一天 我悄然离去
If one day, I’ve quietly departed
请把我埋在 这春天里
Please bury me, in this spring day

凝视着此刻烂漫的春天
Gazing upon this blooming spring day
依然象那时温暖的模样
still warm like those days
我剪去长发留起了胡须
I’ve cut my long hair and grown a beard
曾经的苦痛都随风而去
All my suffering has gone with the wind

可我感觉却是那么悲伤
But I still feel so sad
岁月留给我更深的迷惘
The years have left me even deeper in loss
在这阳光明媚的春天里
In this sunny spring day
我的眼泪忍不住的流淌
My tears flow uncontrollably

如果有一天 我老无所依
If one day, I’m old and have nothing to depend on
请把我留在 在那时光里
Please leave me, in that time
如果有一天 我悄然离去
If one day, I’ve quietly departed
请把我埋在 这春天里
Please bury me, in this spring day

如果有一天 我老无所依
If one day, I’m old and have nothing to depend on
请把我留在 在那时光里
Please leave me, in that time
如果有一天 我悄然离去
If one day, I’ve quietly departed
请把我埋在 这春天里 春天里
Please bury me, in this spring day, in this spring day

That video launched the careers of the two men, who called themselves “Xuri Yanggang” (旭日阳刚), and they’ve gone on to perform even on the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala. However, the duo recently had to announce that they would no longer perform “In Spring”, as requested by Wang Feng. Their newer songs has not been as successful.

The “In Coal Pile” version that has recently become viral alludes to some modern Chinese social problems, but also pokes fun at Xuri Yangguang’s performance of “In Spring”, such as Wang Xu “wildly hollering” the chorus of the “In Spring” and their demeanor while singing.

Comments from Youku:

ezhli:

This video can only become hot/popular!!

kenjiren:

Come here, child, I’ll bury you in a pile of coal.

怀仁贴吧:

So young, yet such life experience.

burbose:

The lyrics are not bad, [but] the singing is a little poor.

建大1舍:

Leaving my name before this becomes hot/popular.

酷槑嬲:

[The kid] can appear on this year’s CCTV Spring Festival Gala now.

Ｔｈｉs:

Who thought up the lyrics? So talented.

465252250:

Good thing Wang Feng isn’t dead, otherwise he’d be forced to jump out of his grave.

742706378:

Hearing this I feel a kind of pain in my chest, very depressing.

神→存在:

Voice damaged from the hollering [from singing that way]…

的髋臼螺钉:

Is this parent hoping to have his kid run out of oxygen from singing~

esizhao:

The Hummers of coal mine bosses don’t burn 97 octane gas, they burn the blood of miners!

[You] have prospects/potential. In the future you will have many xiao san, xiao si, xiao wu, xiao liu…

k5834:

Then I will have grown up a lot, without true friends or true love, with many xiao san xiao si.
This child has already understood the true meaning of life!

lonzen-NA:

Child, get ready to go on next year’s CCTV Spring Festival Gala!!!!!

中国茶DJ:

LMAO, I really miss my childhood years. These lyrics are so funny. Haha. But every lyric is true!

мㄚの倖子:

This little brother sings so hard his stomach is about to come out!

木头∵幽灵:

All of a sudden, my throat feels really dry, really painful.

呼咯啊噶:

Not only a xiao san but also a xiao si!

guayuanfeng:

At first I thought it was a funny video…but in the end I felt really miserable…

胤箴:

You can tell this was done [written] by an adult. Such a little child shouldn’t be taught these things [the content of the lyrics]. The parents must’ve watched Xuri and are doing a publicity stunt by doing this. Uninteresting.

海鱼01: (responding to above)

What you said is very incisive. If an adult sang these things, we wouldn’t have much of an opinion, and may even be very moved. But teaching a child these things when they are small is not good for their psychological well-being. Even if this isn’t a publicity stunt, one still shouldn’t indoctrinate a child with too much of these sort of things.

充电模式:

One playing the guitar, one wearing a hat, is this making fun of that recent Wang Feng and Xuri-something-gang thing?

老打谷机:

“…with many xiao san xiao si“, who TM taught him this?

绵博:

Better than Xuri Yanggang, those two only know how to do covers [sing other people’s songs, not write their own].

卡卡850318:

Those of you criticizing should really be made to experience the environment working in a mine. Forget one year, you won’t even be able to stay a single day! The child is so innocent and child-like, very moving!

weizhiyu119: (responding to above)

I am a coal miner, and what you said is so right. Our society should really go understand the pain and hardships of miners. What mine hasn’t had people die, and moreover who is really willing to go die? Coal miner earn 2000 yuan per month, everyday working 9 hours inside the mine, tell me, is that a lot?

花毒:

The person who had this little child sing this is truly disgusting!

sunhonyyan:

I don’t think there is anything wrong with this, and in fact am a bit moved. That’s the child’s parents’ helplessness, their helplessness towards reality!

敢问丶苍天: (responding to above)

Well said. If the child’s father is a minor, who knows when he will…[die]… The child is singing what is in his father’s heart. Ding this ↑

最爱——黄家驹:

The lyrics are so TM fake, you can tell they were written by his old man.

敢问丶苍天: (responding to above)

Forget giving your father 2000 [RMB] a month, even if we gave your father 10,000 a month, go and ask your father man if he would do this work [be a coal miner]. His old man wrote the lyrics, because his old man has the experience to write them. Your father doesn’t work there [in the mines], so you don’t have the qualifications to comment, understand?

zhuozh怀:

Hope the little child doesn’t understand the meaning of the lyrics, and only thinks he’s just singing a song!

aikanxiu:

The lyrics are what’s in his father’s heart…this society is cruel…

邓卓祥:

I hope that as this child’s parent, you won’t transfer your dissatisfaction and disappointment with society onto your child. Childhood should be happy.

海上斑马:

Did you guys see? He even mimics their [Xuri Yanggang’s] movements and mannerisms!