Enjoy ‘Where has the time gone?’ by Wang Zhengliang

The song 《时间都去哪儿了》 has been popular recently in China, especially since it was performed by 王铮亮 (Wáng Zhēngliàng) on 春晚. It came up on the radio again just now so I thought I'd have a go at annotating the lyrics in English.

The lyrics were written by 陈曦 (Chén Xī) and the tune by 董冬冬 (Dǒng Dōngdōng – I know, right?).

As always, this is an annotation not a translation – the English here isn't supposed to work as lyrics.

One thing I wasn't too sure of was whether to translate certain lines into first or second person in English. The Chinese seems ambiguous to me – either the parent is talking about themselves, or the child. I've gone with first person, but it should probably be heard both ways.

Where Has the Time Gone?

时间都去哪儿了

The old tree before the door has grown new shoots

门前老树长新芽

The dead tree in the yard is blooming again

院里枯木又开花

I've held on to so many words over a lifetime

半生存了好多话

stored them in a head of white hair

藏进了满头白发

In my memory a girl with little feet

记忆中的小脚丫

and a chubby little mouth

肉嘟嘟的小嘴巴

I gave her my love for a lifetime

一生把爱交给他

All for the sound of "mum" and "dad"

只为那一声爸妈

Where has the time gone?

时间都去哪儿了

I haven't yet enjoyed youth and I'm already old

还没好好感受年轻就老了

Raising sons and daughters for a lifetime

生儿养女一辈子

My mind is full of children crying and laughing

满脑子都是孩子哭了笑了

Where has the time gone?

时间都去哪儿了

I still haven't taken care of you properly, and my eyes are already failing

还没好好看看你眼睛就花了

Daily necessities for a lifetime

柴米油盐半辈子

In the blink of an eye, all that's left is a face full of wrinkles

转眼就只剩下满脸的皱纹了