G.E.M. 鄧紫棋
摩天动物园 (City Zoo) lyrics with English translation
- Language
- Chinese
- Level
- Advanced
- Genre
- Pop
- Length
- 4:31
传说在伊甸 原始的爱没有欺骗
In Eden it’s said, love was pure and free of lies,
简朴过每一天 人们彼此真心一片
Living simply day by day, hearts genuine, no disguise.
心跟著独特节奏跳
Our hearts follow the rhythm that's unique,
脸挂著橘色嘴巴笑
With orange smiles that light up our cheeks.
直到蛇在身边绕 苹果让你咬
Until the serpent slithers near, tempting with the apple's bite,
直到起重机拔掉 我们的独角
Until the crane pulls away our unicorn, hidden from sight.
可怜的亚当 从此掉进蜘蛛网
Poor Adam, he fell into the spider's web, you see,
为面包打仗 先要学会吃土壤
Fighting for bread, first learning to feast on earth's debris.
朴实的大象 进化变成四不像
The humble elephant changes, evolving to something new,
举头望著八方 低头忘了思故乡
Looking up at all directions, forgetting home in the view.
人人都各自 想登峰插上 自己的旗帜
Everyone has their own ambitions, wanting to plant their flag on the peak.
纯白的鸽子 为什么牠像 变成了历史
Pure white doves, why do they seem to have become mere history?
努力要骑到宝马买到房子
Striving to ride a BMW and buy a house,
不过是为了让青蛙能变成王子
Just so frogs can turn into princes.
穿灰衣的姑娘得不到尊重
The girl in gray doesn't receive any respect.
社会大众不在乎微小昆虫
Society cares little for tiny insects.
于是一群羔羊 卑微的愿望
Thus a flock of lambs, with their humble wishes,
是努力挤进荒凉 庸俗的天堂
Are striving to squeeze into a desolate, mundane paradise.
那些被龟赢的兔他们眼睛深红
Those turtles that won against the hares have deep red eyes,
只会每天妒忌著别人成功
Only filled with jealousy for others' success every day.
于是学著蟑螂 到处爬著墙 不怕黑也不怕脏
So I learn to crawl like a cockroach, scaling the walls, unafraid of the dark or the grime.
大便也舔上 为了要前往 光鲜的监房
I even lick up the waste, all to reach the glimmering cell.
活在摩天动物园 文明和野兽周旋
Living in a sky-high zoo, where civility dances with beasts.
我看著黑白的脸 一张张变色就在一念间
I watch the faces in black and white, changing colors in the blink of a thought.
人的心太莫测幻变 纠缠在爱与恨之间
The human heart is too unpredictable, entangled between love and hate.
天使与魔鬼都在身边 画著没终点的圆圈
Angels and devils are all around, sketching circles with no end.
活在摩天动物园 我只能祈求上天
Living in a sky-high zoo, I can only pray to the heavens.
赐我清澈一双眼 一点点识破美丽的谎言
Grant me a pair of clear eyes, to slightly pierce the beautiful lies.
当你站在欲望边缘 突然间善恶难分辨
When you stand on the edge of desire, suddenly good and evil blur together.
天使与魔鬼都在身边 这时候你跪在谁跟前
Angels and devils are all around, at this moment, before whom do you kneel?
你和我⽣来都是曾经白的纸
You and I were born as blank sheets of white paper,
只是同样被写上太多歪的字
Yet both marked by too many crooked words.
长大最无奈的是 踏实怕是傻子
Growing up, the most helpless feeling is that sense of security, fearing it makes us fools.
你若不想被掰著吃 必须磨利牙齿
If you don't want to be torn apart, you must sharpen your teeth.
别任人屠宰 必要关头只能把人出卖
Don't let others butcher you; in a crucial moment, you might have to betray your own.
再无奈 也只是成功无法避开的附带
No matter how helpless, it's just a consequence of success that can't be avoided.
当鼻子爱上了雾霾 一开始察觉不出来
When the nose falls in love with smog, it doesn't notice at first.
这一种腐败 它像骨牌 慢慢地覆盖 把你毒害
This kind of decay, like falling dominoes, slowly covers and poisons you.
单纯的一群小白猪
A naive group of little white pigs,
被名和利薰陶摆布
Manipulated by fame and fortune's allure.
衣服都故意少块布 沦为了潮牌奴
Clothes are deliberately missing fabric, reduced to the slaves of trendy brands.
卖了灵魂捞财富
Sold my soul to gather riches.
一个个红得快速 却饿得变了排骨
Each one rushes to fame, yet starves to become a stick figure.
镜子里面的怪物 四处无人牠就败露
The monster in the mirror, exposed when no one is around.
当初都憧憬好莱坞
Initially longing for Hollywood.
最后通通都跑来哭
In the end, they all come running to cry.
穿灰衣的姑娘得不到尊重
The girl in gray clothes receives no respect.
社会大众不在乎微小昆虫
Society doesn't care for tiny insects.
于是一群羔羊 卑微的愿望
Thus a flock of lambs, with humble desires.
是努力挤进荒凉 庸俗的天堂
Striving to squeeze into a desolate, vulgar paradise.
那些被龟赢的兔他们眼睛深红
Those rabbits beaten by the tortoise have eyes deep red,
只会每天妒忌著别人成功
Only jealous of others' success every single day.
于是学著蟑螂 到处爬著墙 不怕黑也不怕脏
So I learn to crawl like a cockroach, climbing the walls, unafraid of the dark or the dirt.
大便也舔上 为了要前往 光鲜的监房
Licking even the filth, just to reach the bright prison.
活在摩天动物园 文明和野兽周旋
Living in a sky-high zoo, negotiating between civilization and beasts.
我看著黑白的脸 一张张变色就在一念间
I watch the black and white faces, changing colors in the blink of an eye.
人的心太莫测幻变 纠缠在爱与恨之间
The human heart is so unpredictable, tangled between love and hate.
天使与魔鬼都在身边 画著没终点的圆圈
Angels and demons all around me, drawing endless circles.
活在摩天动物园 我只能祈求上天
Living in a sky-high zoo, I can only pray to the heavens,
赐我清澈一双眼 一点点识破美丽的谎言
Grant me a pair of clear eyes, to see through beautiful lies just a little.
当你站在欲望边缘 突然间善恶难分辨
When you stand on the edge of desire, suddenly good and evil become hard to discern.
天使与魔鬼都在身边 这时候你跪在谁跟前
Angels and demons are both nearby, at this moment, whose feet do you kneel before?
谁迷失在 水泥的 森林里面
Who is lost in the concrete forest?
谁一直踩 最低的 人性底线
Who keeps treading the lowest line of humanity?
谁一直还 随意地 任凭病变
Who continues to casually let the sickness evolve?
谁其实在 回忆著 认命以前
Who is actually reminiscing about the time before acceptance?
谁迷失在 水泥的 森林里面
Who is lost in the concrete forest?
谁一直踩 最低的 人性底线
Who keeps treading the lowest line of humanity?
谁一直还 随意地 任凭病变
Who continues to casually let the sickness evolve?
谁其实在 回忆著 认命以前
Who is actually reminiscing about the time before acceptance?
Key vocabulary
- 察觉chá jué
- notice7
- 庸俗yōng sú
- vulgar7
- 必要bì yào
- necessary3
- 快速kuàisù
- fast3
- 愿望yuàn wàng
- wish3
- 成功chéng gōng
- success3
- 突然tū rán
- suddenly3
- 美丽měi lì
- beautiful3
- 苹果píng guǒ
- apple3
- 跳tiào
- jump3
About this song
G.E.M. 鄧紫棋 is a Hong Kong Chinese pop singer-songwriter known for her dynamic mix of dance cuts and piano ballads, along with songwriting and self-created material. She gained major visibility through high-profile TV performances, including I Am a Singer 4, and became associated with breakout singles such as “Bubble.”