‘I’m Eating Fried Chicken at People’s Square (我在人民广场吃炸鸡, Wǒzài Rénmínguǎngchǎng chī zhájī)’ was included in Shanghainese indie pop artist A Si (阿肆, ā sì)’s first eponymous album, released on July 4, 2013. Although this song has been popular among Chinese “artistic youth” [hipsters] for some time, it didn’t reach the broader public until Xu Mingming, a contestant of literally China’s Dream Voice (中国梦之声, Zhōngguó mèngzhīshēng) Chinese Idol covered the song on the July 14th episode.
A Si’s record company Modern Sky later pointed out that Xu Mingming performed the song without the company’s permission, and requested that Chinese Idol stop airing her performance in all forms.
At time of translation, A Si’s ‘I’m Eating Fried Chicken at People’s Square’ has generated 227,115 listens on Xiami and 394,927 listens on Douban.
Music Video:
Composer: A Si
Lyrics: A Si
Singer: A Si
Lyrics (Original Chinese, Pinyin Romanization, and English Translation):
VERSE #1:
最近你变得很冷漠 (Zuìjìn nǐ biànde hěnlěngmò)
Recently you became very cold
让我有些不知所措 (Ràngwǒ yǒuxiē bùzhīsuǒcuò)
which left me not knowing what to do
其实我没期待太多 (Qíshí wǒ méiqīdài tàiduō)
Actually I don’t expect too much
你能像从前般爱我 (Nǐnéng xiàng cóngqiánbān àiwǒ)
[I just expect that] you can love me like before
只是连约会你都逃脱 (Zhǐshì lián yuēhuì nǐ dōu táotuō)
But you even ran away from our dates
什么解释都不说 (Shénme jiěshì dōu bùshuō)
without giving any explanation
VERSE #2:
不是我不知道 (Búshì wǒbùzhīdào)
It’s not that I don’t know
爱情需要煎熬 (àiqíng xūyào jiān'áo)
that love requires endurance
不是我没祈祷 (Búshì wǒméiqǐdǎo)
It’s not that I didn’t pray
(你只是……迟到) (Nǐ zhǐshì…chídào)
(that you were just…late)
CHORUS #1:
我在人民广场吃着炸鸡 (Wǒzài Rénmínguǎngchǎng chīzhe zhàjī)
I’m eating fried chicken at People’s Square
而此时此刻你在哪里 (ér cǐshícǐkè nǐzài nǎlǐ)
But at this very moment where are you?
虽然或许你在声东击西 (Suīrán huòxǔ nǐzài shēngdōngjīxī)
Although perhaps you are “feinting to the east but attacking in the west” [appearing to do one thing while actually aiming at the other]
但疲倦已让我懒得怀疑 (Dàn píjuàn yǐ ràng wǒ lǎndehuáiyí)
But exhaustion has made me too lazy to suspect
CHORUS #2:
我在人民广场吃着炸鸡 (Wǒzài Rénmínguǎngchǎng chīzhe zhǎjī)
I’m eating fried chicken at People’s Square
而此时此刻 你在哪里 (ér cǐshícǐkè nǐzàinǎlǐ)
But at this very moment where are you?
VERSE #1
VERSE #2
CHORUS #1
CHORUS #2
VERSE #2
我在人民广场吃着炸鸡 (Wǒzài Rénmínguǎngchǎng chīzhe zhàjī)
I’m eating fried chicken at People’s Square
而此时此刻 你在 (ér cǐshícǐkè nǐzài)
But at this very moment you are…
而此时此刻 你在 (ér cǐshícǐkè nǐzài)
But at this very moment you are…
而此时此刻 你在 (ér cǐshícǐkè nǐzài)
But at this very moment you are…
我在人民广场吃着炸鸡 (Wǒzài Rénmínguǎngchǎng chīzhe zhàjī)
I’m eating fried chicken at People’s Square
而此时此刻 你在 (ér cǐshícǐkè nǐzài)
But at this very moment you are…
