Aqi Xiao sings a heartbreaking story of lost young love in the song Cong Qian Shuo. Lyricist Liu Tong writes lyrics that follow a woman’s journey from hope to resignation. The music from the One Inch Light Year team and Zhang Xian provides a sentimental background for the story.
Released: December 8, 2022
从前说
Aqi Xiao
从前说 Lyrics Translation – Aqi Xiao
The songwriter drafts lines about specific sacrifices, mentioning trading 999 train tickets just to be together. She describes defying her mother and crossing mountains for a single embrace. This poet creates a powerful image of a red wedding dress that remains a dream.
Hai jide mama shuoI still remember what my mother said.
Pei yige nanhai zi zhangda yao yongStaying with a boy as he grows up,
Qingchun lai zuo duzhumeans gambling with your own youth.
Wo yao tingzhe qinqimen de xianhuaI had to listen to my relatives’ gossip,
Deng ni wei wo songlai yishu xianhuawhile waiting for you to bring me a bouquet of flowers.
Dao houlai women liaIn the end, between the two of us,
Lian yiju bu xian bu dan de wenhouthere wasn’t even a casual greeting left,
Zhongyu ye meiyou leit finally all disappeared.
Wo wei ni ba suoyouren dou tuikaiI pushed everyone else away for you,
Zhi weile na bu queding de weilaijust for the sake of that uncertain future.
Xiansheng de yiju xihuanA single ‘I like you’ from you, sir,
Sanyan liangyu wo jiu touxiangand just a few words were enough to make me surrender.
Houlai wo shenbian you ta shenhou you jiaNow, I’ve someone else by my side and you’ve a family of your own,
Dan wo zhi xiang wen ni yiju ni aiguo mabut I just want to ask you one thing: did you ever love me?
Congqian dui mama shuohuangI used to lie to my mother,
Fanshan yueling zhi wei neng yu ni yongbao yichangcrossing mountains and ridges just to share a single embrace with you.
Huanxiang pishang hongzhuangI used to dream of wearing my red wedding dress,
Houlai ni qule lixiang wo jiageile hudui mendangbut later you chased your ideals, while I married into a ‘socially matching’ family.
Ai yu bu ai you hefangWhether we love each other or not, what does it matter now?
Congqian shuo wuju shanhaiWe used to say we didn’t fear the distance of mountains and seas,
Yong jiubai jiushi jiu zhang chepiao huan you ni detrading nine hundred and ninety-nine train tickets just to have you,
Weilai zhiyao ni zaias long as you were in my future, it was enough.
Houlai ni ba wo guihuan renhaiLater, you returned me to the sea of people,
Kuzhe shuo qian wo de weilai xiabeizi zai aicrying as you said you’d owe me a future and love me in the next life.
Xiansheng de yiju xihuanA single ‘I like you’ from you, sir,
Sanyan liangyu wo jiu touxiangand just a few words were enough to make me surrender.
Houlai wo shenbian you ta shenhou you jiaNow, I’ve someone else by my side and you’ve a family of your own,
Dan wo zhi xiang wen ni yiju ni aiguo mabut I just want to ask you one thing: did you ever love me?
Congqian dui mama shuohuangI used to lie to my mother,
Fanshan yueling zhi wei neng yu ni yongbao yichangcrossing mountains and ridges just to share a single embrace with you.
Huanxiang pishang hongzhuangI used to dream of wearing my red wedding dress,
Houlai ni qule lixiang wo jiageile hudui mendangbut later you chased your ideals, while I married into a ‘socially matching’ family.
Ai yu bu ai you hefangWhether we love each other or not, what does it matter now?
Congqian shuo wuju shanhaiWe used to say we didn’t fear the distance of mountains and seas,
Yong jiubai jiushi jiu zhang chepiao huan you ni detrading nine hundred and ninety-nine train tickets just to have you,
Weilai zhiyao ni zaias long as you were in my future, it was enough.
Houlai ni ba wo guihuan renhaiLater, you returned me to the sea of people,
Kuzhe shuo qian wo de weilai xiabeizi zai aicrying as you said you’d owe me a future and love me in the next life.
Mei houhui aiguo niI don’t regret loving you,
Jiusuan mei zai yiqieven though we didn’t end up together.
Mei shuochu wo yuanyiI never got to say ‘I do’,
Meiguanxi mei gei wo ge jia wo buguai nibut it’s okay, I don’t blame you for not giving me a home.
Congqian dui mama shuohuangI used to lie to my mother,
Fanshan yueling zhi wei neng yu ni yongbao yichangcrossing mountains and ridges just to share a single embrace with you.
Huanxiang pishang hongzhuangI used to dream of wearing my red wedding dress,
Houlai ni qule lixiang wo jiageile hudui mendangbut later you chased your ideals, while I married into a ‘socially matching’ family.
Ai yu bu ai you hefangWhether we love each other or not, what does it matter now?
Congqian shuo wuju shanhaiWe used to say we didn’t fear the distance of mountains and seas,
Yong jiubai jiushi jiu zhang chepiao huan you ni detrading nine hundred and ninety-nine train tickets just to have you,
Weilai zhiyao ni zaias long as you were in my future, it was enough.
Houlai ni ba wo guihuan renhaiLater, you returned me to the sea of people,
Kuzhe shuo qian wo de weilai xiabeizi zai aicrying as you said you’d owe me a future and love me in the next life.
从前说 Music Video
‘Cong Qian Shuo’ lyrics offer a touching look at promises broken by time and circumstance. The Mandarin ballad by Aqi Xiao is a powerful tribute to a love that could not withstand reality.