LMF 返屋企 Lyrics English Translation

LMF - 返屋企 (Returning Home) English Translation

Chinese lyrics: OIKTV
English translation by z.ky. Do not reproduce without permission.

Na na...

That hangout, the story of returning home
Does Hong Kong still count as our home?
Try stepping in someone else's shoes, think of how it is for us
How come everyone puts themselves down, to the ground
After '97 the expats packed up and flew home
Leaving behind you dejects to turn on yourselves
Ah~ despised no matter where you go
After being threatened, crawl back dejected
After the storm has passed, people still only look after themselves
No sense of direction, only speculation
Yet they keep building expensive flats, though no one lives in them, they keep building
They won't let you move in, you think they'll drag you up?
Even the privileged sigh, they've got no morale
Even putting on a show is a waste of time
How can today's Hong Kong compare to before?

No matter how far you go, you must return home
This is the where you were brought up
No matter how far you go, you must return home
Don't forget, don't forget
No matter how far you go, you must return home
This is the where you were brought up

No matter how far you go, remember to return home
Don't get mad, don't despair

Thinking back to when I was small, the whole family
Eating as one at the fold-up table
With the TV as company, watching EYT
But now everyone eats their own way
Finish up quickly, go to your room to use ICQ
The family from before now live under the Lion Rock
Look at things now, everyone with lofty ideals
Ask your kid who's Wai Yik-shun
He doesn't know, he just knows a Chan Yik-shun
The songs from before were kinda fun to sing, we were hanging on under the Lion Rock
Now the Hong Kong of today just doesn't look right
Hong Kong has no roots, Hong Kong people have no sense of belonging
No matter what you higher-ups say, your words are empty
The ones with money spout lies
The citizen's everyday life keeps degrading
Worse comes to worst, everyone's just waiting to die
Don't blame me for turning my back, every second every night

No matter how far you go, you must return home
This is the where you were brought up
No matter how far you go, you must return home
Don't forget, don't forget
No matter how far you go, you must return home
This is the where you were brought up
No matter how far you go, you must return home
Don't get mad, don't despair

Na na...

Too many words, how to express
Everyone has their own choices, no matter how casual
Who wouldn't want to stay by their family? Who to ask and converse with?
How many years are there?


Notes: The very last stanza is slightly off because I don't do well with formal style written Chinese. This song is a criticism of post-British occupation Hong Kong. It features lots of iconic imagery of working-to-middle class Hong Kong families. Wai Yik-shun was the Chinese name of Sir David Wilson, a British governor-general in Hong Kong, while Chan Yik-shun (same forename) is a Cantopop singer. EYT, or Enjoy Yourself Tonight (歡樂今宵) was an entertainment program. Here is a cultural note on Lion Rock:

"‘Lion Rock’ has a significant meaning for every Hong Kong citizen. It witnesses the development of Hong King from the 60s. The spirit of people under the Lion Rock is one of the most important elements for the success of Hong Kong. Although HK people have faced many ups and downs in the past, they are still living happily under difficulties." - artblogHK - Anybody left under the Lion Rock? by OC Gallery