'Miss Dong' by Song Dongye (and Zuo Li)

《董小姐》 ‘Miss Dong’ was included in Chinese indie pop record label Modern Sky’s 15th anniversary album, 《摩登天空7》 Modern Sky 7, released on December 27, 2012.

25-year-old Beijing singer-songwriter 宋冬野 Song Dongye said this song is based on a conversation with a female photographer friend who looks vulnerable but has a strong heart due to life experiences that are very different from those of an average person.

Although this indie pop song has been popular among Chinese “artistic youth” [hipsters] for some time, it didn’t reach the broader public until 左立 Zuo Li, a contestant of 快乐男声 Super Boy covered the song on the June 29th episode.

At time of translation, this song has generated 2,744,924 listens on Xiami.

Music Video:

Composer: Song Dongye
Lyrics: Song Dongye
Singer: Song Dongye

Lyrics (Original Chinese, Pinyin Romanization, and English Translation):

董小姐你从没忘记你的微笑
dǒng xiǎo jiě nǐ cóng méi wàng jì nǐ de wēi xiào
Miss Dong, you never forget your smile

就算你和我一样渴望着衰老
jiù suàn nǐ hé wǒ yí yàng kě wàng zhe shuāi lǎo
Even if you are like me, eager to get old

董小姐你嘴角向下的时候很美
dǒng xiǎo jiě nǐ zuǐ jiǎo xiàng xià de shí hou hěn měi
Miss Dong, when the corners of your mouth curl down, it’s so beautiful

就像安和桥下清澈的水
jiù xiàng ān hé qiáo xià qīng chè de shuǐ
just like the clear water under Anhe Bridge

董小姐我也是个复杂的动物
dǒng xiǎo jiě wǒ yě shì gè fù zá de dòng wù
Miss Dong, I too am a complicated animal

嘴上一句带过心里却一直重复
zuǐ shàng yí jù dài guò xǐn lǐ què yì zhí chóng fù
saying things only once, but repeating them over and over again in my heart

董小姐鼓楼的夜晚时间匆匆
dǒng xiǎo jiě gǔ lóu de yè wǎn shí jiān cōng cōng
Miss Dong, that evening near Gulou, time fled

陌生的人请给我一支兰州
mò shēng de rén qǐng gěi wǒ yì zhī lán zhōu
Stranger, please give me a Lanzhou [cigarette brand]

CHORUS：

所以那些可能都不是真的董小姐
suǒ yǐ nà xiē kě néng dōu bú shì zhēn de dǒng xiǎo jiě
So probably all those things are not true, Miss Dong

你才不是一个没有故事的女同学
nǐ cái bú shì yí gè méi yǒu gù shì de nǚ tóng xué
You certainly aren’t a female classmate without stories

爱上一匹野马可我的家里没有草原
ài shàng yì pǐ yě mǎ kě wǒ de jiā lǐ méi yǒu cǎo yuán
Falling in love with a wild horse, but having no grassland in my home

这让我感到绝望董小姐
zhè ràng wǒ gǎn dào jué wàng dǒng xiǎo jiě
This makes me feel hopeless, Miss Dong

董小姐你熄灭了烟说起从前
dǒng xiǎo jiě nǐ xī miè le yān shuō qǐ cóng qián
Miss Dong, you put out a cigarette, and started talking about the past

你说前半生就这样吧还有明天
nǐ shuō qián bàn shēng jiù zhè yàng ba hái yǒu míng tiān
You said the first half of your life is what it is, there’s always tomorrow.

董小姐你可知道我说够了再见
dǒng xiǎo jiě nǐ kě zhī dào wǒ shuō gòu le zài jiàn
Miss Dong, you know I’ve said enough “goodbyes”

在五月的早晨终于丢失了睡眠
zài wǔ yuè de zǎo chén zhōng yú diū shī le shuì mián
On a morning in May, I finally lost sleep

CHORUS

所以那些可能都会是真的董小姐
suǒ yǐ nà xiē kě néng dōu huì shì zhēn de dǒng xiǎo jiě
So those things may all be true, Miss Dong

谁会不厌其烦的安慰那无知的少年
shuí huì bú yàn qí fán de ān wèi nà wú zhī de shāo nián
Who will tirelessly comfort that ignorant youngster?

我想和你一样不顾那些所以
wǒ xiǎng hé nǐ yí yàng bú gù nà xiē suǒ yǐ
I want to be like you, ignoring all those things. So,

跟我走吧董小姐燥起来吧董小姐
gēn wǒ zǒu ba dǒng xiǎo jiě zào qǐ lái bā dǒng xiǎo jiě
be with me, Miss Dong. Cheer up, Miss Dong