#also i haven't watched wandering earth 2 but i fully intend to now

[fwoopersongs]

人是_

'What is Human?' Theme song performed by Zhou Shen for Wandering Earth 2.

Go forth toward every fated storm’s blind eye. You came from the volcano’s scorching heat, and the deep sea’s bitter cold [1]. Life itself was an accident, the flip side of the coin is dust [2]. For the fluke which allowed us to fall in love, we crafted ships, move mountains [3].

To march into war is destiny old as time, humanity shall step barefoot into the night [4]. Only I can decide on how I shall await. Let death covet me [5], let fear kiss me. Come destroy all that I love deeply, still, there’s no snatching away my choice.

Snap of the fingers - I am obliterated, but fate cannot defeat will to live on. Let life be as the fervent fireworks, the splendor before they’re extinguished shall even light up a child’s eyes [6].

The unknown unveils the chess game: only by abandoning yesterday can the formation be broken [7]. So goodbye, my moonlight, my blue, my love [8].

The giant steel monster is roaring; we refuse to go into that good night [9]. Shattering is the promise of new life. My wish, then, is to be dust [10]. Let death covet me, let fear kiss me. Come destroy all that I love deeply, still, there is no snatching away my choice.

Snap of the fingers - I am obliterated, but fate cannot defeat will to live on. Let life be as the fervent fireworks, the splendor before they’re extinguished shall even light up a child’s eyes.

If enormous waves have submerged the road we took here, I am the sail, and the boat, (What is a human? What is a human?) a minuscule speck of hope [11]. (What is a human? What is a human?) We are still moving forward, without a light to guide. Go forth. Lose it all. Don’t STOP [12].

Let time and space whittle me away. You do not need to remember me [13]. Come destroy all that I love deeply, still, there is no snatching away my choice.

Snap of the fingers - I am obliterated, but fate cannot defeat will to live on. It is a race that sings loud in the face of a hazy unknown. Life is like a firework, so then light it up, the child’s eyes, the sight of the future [14].

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Notes

This song came for my HEART. I’ve been looping it non-stop since stumbling across this at lunch on Friday. Made 4 hours of my workday feel three times as long.

[1] 你来自火山炙热 与苦寒的深海 You came from the volcano’s scorching heat, and the deep sea’s bitter cold. This is about the origins of life of course, particularly the theory of how it could have come from volcanically active hydrothermal environments on land and sea. It sounds incredibly romantic phrased like this though.

[2] 生本 就是 意外 硬币反选为尘埃 Life itself was an accident, the flip side of the coin is dust. LOVE the emphasis of 'life' coming to be as chance with the coin toss. Just look at the surface of our moon.

[3] 为侥幸可以相爱 造了船 移著山 For the fluke which allowed us to fall in love, we crafted ships, move mountains. References to stories of how humans have before and still will respond in the face of impending disaster and impossible odds. Like Noah's Ark and the foolish man that moved a mountain.

[4] 出征是古老的宿命 人将赤足踏入夜晚 To march into war is destiny old as time, humanity shall step barefoot into the night. Literally 出征 is leaving on a campaign (military). Overlaying this line with the rescue workers (?), with the previous lines about facing fate and doing what seems impossible. Like saying yes, it seems hopeless, but we’ve been doing this right from the beginning and even unprepared we will fight. And I just aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?

Also. Have you heard of 赤脚不怕穿鞋的 (the barefoot don’t fear the shod)? People who have little or are left with little have less things holding them back. Mostly all they have left is their lives. It’s actually a slightly humorous everyday sort of proverb. Gave me an achy sort of LOL here. 

[5] 让死亡觊觎我 Let death covet me. ^ Is nowhere near how AMAZING AND FEARLESS this sounds. It sees you. It really wants you. It can’t have you. But it’s still LOOKING, hungrily. That’s the feeling.

[6] 让生命如剧烈的烟火 璀璨熄灭前也将点亮 孩童的双眸 Let life be as the fervent fireworks, the splendor before they’re extinguished shall even light up a child’s eyes. I have nothing but appreciation for this part and whoever put together that MV. My heart still pounds after seeing it so many times LOL.

[7] 未知 摊开 棋局 舍弃昨日才可破 The unknown unveils the chess game: only by abandoning yesterday can the formation be broken. Joined this together in the translation, but in my head it also exists as like: An unknown. Cards revealed. A chess match. Only by abandoning yesterday can the (opponent's) formation be broken. And I say this for every line, but this is awesome!!!!!

[8] 再见了我的月光 我的蓝 我的爱 So goodbye, my moonlight, my blue, my love. Saying goodbye to the moonlight, the blue earth and loved ones. I remember that lady who says when she was young and couldn’t sleep, she’d look at the moon. And I was like oh! me too. If you think about people throughout all of time who have taken comfort in that they are looking up at the same moon as their those they care for... This is sUCh A LINE???????? It makes me feel like I need to respond sincerely. ‘We appreciate the sacrifice.’ I need to say this back. T_T

[9] 我们拒绝走入夜晚 we refuse to go into that good night. I made this a Dylan Thomas reference ‘do not go gentle into that good night’ / 不要温和地走进那良夜, because it reminded me so much of it of it. So stubborn and so human. Achy feelings again.

[10] 破碎是新生的约定 我便愿为尘埃 Shattering is the promise of new life. My wish, then, is to be dust. So you will willingly step forth knowing there is no return so that life can go on. I read this line in another book last year that has stayed with me, in English, it goes: Everyone dies. Humanity will live on. And that conviction and willingness to sacrifice hits me in the same soft spot.

[11] 我是帆 亦是舟 是微渺 的希望 (人是什么? 人是什么? ) I am the sail, and the boat, a minuscule speck of hope (What is a human? What is a human?) HI HELLO WHAT THE HELL THIS LINE IS ON FIRE. Why? Why? 巨浪 is the imagery of like, the classic (though rare) tsunami wave. And cresting on that wave, a little boat. (When you say 舟, I think of a little leaf-shaped sailboat.) So fragile and so so so brave. The chorus in the background asking ‘what is human?’ and THIS being the answer is sort of devastating and warm at the same time. Every part of this song is so well designed?

[12] 往前吧 失去吧 不要停留 Go forth. Lose it all. Don’t STOP. The vibe of this esp with the 吧 in there is not a ‘give up, give in’ feeling, but more of a this is our absolute VERY last chance (callback to [4]), and we’re putting all that we have into it, there’s no more safety net and nothing else matters EXCEPT THIS ONE THING SO WE CANNOT STOP.

I LOVE THE SCREAM. I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[13] 你无需记得我 You do not need to remember me. Double triple underlines ‘Everyone dies. Humanity will live on.’ And the lady in the astronaut suit kissing the person through that photo. I have so many feelings about this, but feeling a bit too intensely to word them. So just !!!!!!!!!!!

[14] 未来的瞳孔 the sight of the future. It literally reads, future’s pupil, you know? It’s the part of the eye that lets in the light. The focus of screentime on the camera of MOSS (?) feels significant.

Adore that name, MOSS btw. It feels friend shaped.

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Rambling

This is one of those works where the whole body of the song and the title are one. 人是_ ‘humans are’ and then a blinking cursor… full of infinite possibilities. The use of a familiar everyday feature? hallmark? (someone find me a better word haha) of our technology and times - I think it’s so interesting and a cool detail to put in and use. Curious why it’s a horizontal and not vertical cursor though. If anyone knows, please give me a shout!

There are so many lines I love and keep thinking about. I’ve given individual shout outs upstairs, so now it’s time to jump around messily!

That we were born of extremes, that it was pure chance that we are alive and able to feel, and that a return to chaos is inevitable as fate. But you know, the coin landed on ‘life’ once, twice, who knows how many times? Man was lucky once, and since then has fought to keep that coin on ‘life’. We don’t remember every hero. But we are alive. One side is life and the other is dust. Heads or tails? But if in the most hopeless and desperate of times, there is a path to life. And there are those willing to be the path even if it means they have to stay behind. This song is their POV, our POV. Our struggle. Our fear. Our hope. Our triumph.

You don’t have to remember me. This was my choice. 

I am small. But we go on.

#人是_ #周深 #zhou shen #I LOVE THIS SONG #it just goes so hard on the lyrics #how the hell did zhou shen manage so WELL #it's not only sounds difficult to sing (though i wouldn't know xD i just tried and failed terribly) #but the emotions are challenging as well #how do you do justice to a theme like this? #even translating casually.... i'm a bit nervous HAHAHAH #it might be for a story #but the feelings are real #and i think he rose to the challenge #also i haven't watched wandering earth 2 but i fully intend to now