Zebra Zebra

By James & Kay Henry [US]

Zebra Zebra don’t go to sleep,

let me see your broken tail again.

I’m not trying to touch your wounds,

I just want to flip your hair.

Zebra zebra you’re back home

and I’m wasting my cold time.

Your rich city life has no open door,

eventually I’ll have to be on the road.

Zebra zebra you come from the south of red,

is it a beautiful story?

If the actor next to you can’t stay,

who will lay next to you till the sun comes?

Zebra zebra do you still remember me?

I’m the fool who sings.

Zebra zebra go to sleep,

I’ll carry my guitar and leave north.

Zebra zebra remember me,

I’m the child who talks sadness

Zebra zebra go to sleep,

I’ll carry your grass to the hometown.

—Song Dongye, “Zebra Zebra”

斑马斑马 你不要睡着啦

再给我看看你受伤的尾巴

我不想去触碰你伤口的疤

我只想掀起你的头发

斑马斑马 你回到了你的家

可我浪费着我寒冷的年华

你的城市没有一扇门为我打开啊

我终究还要回到路上

斑马斑马 你来自南方的红色啊

是否也是个动人的故事啊

你隔壁的戏子如果不能留下

谁会和你睡到天亮

斑马斑马 你还记得我吗

我是只会歌唱的傻瓜

斑马斑马 你睡吧睡吧

我会背上吉他离开北方

斑马斑马 你会记得我吗

我是强说着愁的孩子啊

斑马斑马 你睡吧睡吧

我把你的青草带回故乡

——宋冬野《斑马，斑马》

When I heard the song“Zebra Zebra,” I was intrigued. Song Dongye is a singer and songwriter from Beijing. He’s been on the scene since 2009. His 2013 album Anhe Bridge North contains one of his more popular songs “Banma Banma ( 斑 马 斑 马 )” or “Zebra Zebra.”

“Zebra Zebra” is a lament about a transient who falls in love with a broken girl he can’t comfort. She belongs to the “rich city world” that he is not a part of.He can’t give her what she wants so she doesn’t love him. Here it was: proof that amidst all that pragmatism there was a longing for something besides a marriage of convenience.

The wild zebra is a strong independent animal. While many species live in herds wild zebras are unique in that they wander where they like and choose their mates. The black and white markings act as a protection from predators and keep their black under skin cool. This enables them to survive in the arid wilderness. Whether you are a wild zebra or one that prefers herd life, no one goes through life alone. We need family and friends and someone we trust to possess the vast emotional wilderness that spreads through our open hearts.

Nowadays a young man in China is expected to own his own car, house, and be financially independent if he is to be considered fit to attract a “zebra.”This is a reality that weighs on many young Chinese men today.Things are not so different for the youth in North America.They are faced with the task of negotiating between their needs and wants, reconciling tradition and innovation and finding a way of life that fits sometimes contradictory values. For me, this is where music bridges the gaps.

A successful song should resonate in our soul. Past the things we think, deeper than what we feel, it should acknowledge and nurture the essence of our moral being. In this realm we process truth, love,and authenticity. When a song writer is able to accomplish these objectives they become a sort of savior. Redeeming the parts of us we’ve lost or chosen to leave behind.

Ultimately, happiness in a relationship rests on what you expect from it. Art and music are how we reconcile ourselves to the contradictions that sit uneasy within the culture that molds us. Idealism and pragmatism live in all cultures. This is a truth we share, a cord that binds us through the physical and emotional landscapes we exist in.Humanity searches for meaning in love, and music is often its voice.◆

当我第一次听《斑马，斑马》的时候，立刻被歌者娓娓道来的忧伤深深吸引。歌者宋冬野，是北京的一位民谣歌手、词曲创作人。2009年出道。2013年发行的首张个人专辑《安河桥北》，收录了这首《斑马，斑马》，是专辑内较为流行的歌曲之一。

《斑马，斑马》是一支流浪人的挽歌。流浪歌手爱上一个受伤的女孩，却无力安慰。她属于“繁华的都市”，他居无定所，不能给她想要的东西，所以她不爱他。这儿体现了一个现实，尽管实用主义甚嚣尘上，许多人对婚姻大事持功利态度，也有人渴望真情，企盼其他。

野斑马是高度独立的动物。许多物种都群居，而斑马是独一无二的，它们可以去自己喜欢的地方，可以选择自己的配偶。斑马身上那雅致的黑白条纹，不仅保护它们免受捕食者的捕食，也让其皮肤在骄阳下保持凉爽。因为此，他们才能在干旱的原野生存。无论你是野斑马，还是更喜欢群居，没有人独自度过一生。我们都需要家人、朋友，一些值得信任的人。有了他们，我们才可以敞开心扉，拥有一片开阔的情感原野。

现在，想要吸引一只情投意合的“斑马”，中国的年轻人得先实现有车有房，经济独立。这副重担压在当今许多年轻的中国人肩头。北美年轻人的处境，别无二致。他们都需要协调需求与欲望，在传统思想与新观念中找到平衡，从而找到一种适应诸多矛盾价值观的生活方式。于我而言，这便是音乐跨越不同文化，实现互通之处。

一首好歌，应该在我们的内心产生共鸣。源于生活，高于生活，承认并润泽精神本质。在音乐里，我们感受真与爱。当一个创作人实现了这些目标，音乐即成为一种拯救，弥补我们失去或选择遗弃的部分。

恋爱的幸福，取决于你的期望。艺术和音乐的境界，是滋润我们因文化塑造而不安的心灵。所有文化都存在理想主义与实用主义。这是我们共同面对的事实，也是连结我们的身体与情感的绳索。人类在爱里寻找意义，音乐常常是它的声音。◆（译/班超）