杀死那个石家庄人

傍晚六点下班
换掉药厂的衣裳
妻子在熬粥
我去喝几瓶啤酒
如此生活三十年
直到大厦崩塌
云层深处的黑暗啊
淹没心底的景观

在八角柜台
疯狂的人民商场
用一张假钞
买一把假枪
保卫她的生活
直到大厦崩塌
夜幕覆盖华北平原
忧伤浸透她的脸

河北师大附中
乒乓少年背向我
沉默地注视
无法离开的教室
生活在经验里
直到大厦崩塌
一万匹脱缰的马
在他脑海中奔跑

如此生活三十年
直到大厦崩塌
一万匹脱缰的马
在他脑海中奔跑
如此生活三十年
直到大厦崩塌
云层深处的黑暗啊
淹没心底的景观

English #1 – Kill the One from Shijiazhuang

Finished work at 6 PM
I changed out of the drug factory uniform
The wife’s making porridge
I go drink a few bottles of beer
Lived this way for thirty years
Until the building collapsed
Ah, the deep, dark clouds
Are drowning the view in my heart

At the octogonal sales counter
In the crazy people’s market
Used a counterfeit bill
To buy an illegal gun
Defending her way of life
Until the building collapsed
Night’s darkness covers the North China Plain
Her face is soaked in distress

At Hebei prep high school
A ping-pong playing boy faced away from me
I silently observe
Unable to leave behind the classroom
Living in past experience
Until the building collapsed.
Ten thousand horses off-leash
Are running within his mind

Lived this way for thirty years
Until the building collapsed
Ten thousand horses off-leash
Are running within his mind
Lived this way for thirty years
Until the building collapsed
Ah, the deep, dark clouds
Are drowning the view in my heart

Submitted by puggy31

English #2 – Kill the One from Shijiazhuang

Shift ended at 6PM
Took off uniforms of the pharmaceutical factory
Wife is preparing porridge
I went to drink bottles of beer
Such a living for thirty years
Untill the house fell apart
Oh Darkness deep inside the cloud
Has submerged the view of heart

At the octogonal counter
In the people’s market gone wild
With a forged note
She buys a fabricated gun
As to defend her way of life
Until the house fell apart
NIghtfall engulfed the North China Plain
Sadness has drenched all her cheeks

Hebei Normal Uni High School
The Ping-pong youth turned his back on me
Sliently he gazed
At the classroom never to leave
A life of empiricism
Until the house fell apart
Ten thousand horses unleashed
Are galloping in his head

Such a living for thirty years
Untill the house fell apart
Ten thousand horses unleashed
Are galloping in his head
Such a living for thirty years
Untill the house fell apart
Oh Darkness deep inside the cloud
Has submerged the view of heart

Submitted by Gareth Zh

English #3 – Kill the One from Shijiazhuang

Translated by Ji Geng, the lyric writer and bass of Omnipotent Youth Society, and a college professor in English. I am just moving the translation he posted online.

Get off work at six in the evening
Change out of the pharmaceutical plant uniform
The wife is boils porridge.
I go out to drink a few beers.
This life played for 30 years
until the tower collapsed.
A blackness deep in the clouds
has washed away the wonders of my heart.

At the octagonal counter
in crazy People’s department store
Use a fake bill
Buy a fake gun
Guard her life
until the tower collapsed.
Night’s mask descend over the north china plain
Sorrow saturates her face.

In the middle school attached to Hebei Normal University
the ping pong boy stands with his back to me.
A silent stare
A classroom one cannot exit
Living in father’s experience
until the tower collapsed.
Ten thousand unbridled horses
gallop through his brain.

This life played out for 30 years
until the tower collapsed
Blackness deep in the clouds
has washed away the wonder of my heart.

Submitted by JingyinSeline

English #4 – Kill That Man from Shijiazhuang

Shift ends at six in the evening
Takes off the uniform of the pharmaceutical factory
Wife is preparing porridge
I go ahead to drink some beer
Such a life for thirty years
Until the house falls apart
Oh, darkness deep inside the cloud
Submerges the view inside the heart

At the octagonal counter
In the People’s Market gone wild
With a forged note
Buy a fake gun
As to defend her way of living
Until the house falls apart
Nightfall engulfs the North China Plain
Sadness drenches her cheeks

Hebei Normal Uni High School
The Ping-pong youth with his back towards me
Silently he gazes
In the classroom not to leave
Living with experience
Until the house falls apart
Ten thousand horses unleashed
Galloping in his mind

Such a life for thirty years
Until the house falls apart
Ten thousand horses unleashed
Galloping in his mind
Such a life for thirty years
Until the house falls apart
Oh, darkness deep inside the cloud
Submerges the view inside the heart

Submitted by Josh Xie

Author’s comments:
This is a revised version of the translation by Gareth Zh. I changed the lyrics from past tense to simple present tense because that better represents the original Chinese lyrics. In Chinese, verbs do not have different forms in different tenses. Instead, we add the character “了” after a verb to indicate the past tense; and we add “会”or “将” to indicate future tense. And there is no “了”, “将” or “会” in the lyrics. So, the original lyrics should be in simple present tense.