Olive Tree (橄榄树) – by Qi Yu / Chyi Yu (齐豫)
This old song from Taiwan is a much-loved Mandarin folk song. It was performed by Qi Yu, and the lyrics were written by San Mao. It has a beautiful soft melody and emotional but simple lyrics, so it’s a great song to learn.
The characters in the video are traditional Chinese characters, and the simplified Chinese characters, pinyin pronunciation guide and English translation are below.
bù yào wèn wǒ cóng nà li lái wǒ de gù xiāng zài yuǎn fāng
不要 问 我 从 那里 来 我 的 故乡 在 远方
Don’t ask where I come from, my hometown is far away
wèishénme liúlàng liúlàng yuǎnfāng liú làng
为什么 流浪 流浪 远方 流浪
Why wander so far, wander so far
wèile tiānkōng fēixiáng de xiǎo niǎo
为了天空 飞翔 的 小鸟
For the little birds flying in the sky
wèile shānjiān qīng liú de xiǎoxī
为了 山 间 轻 流 的 小溪
For the little brook flowing through the mountains
为了 宽阔 的 草原
wèi le kuān kuò de cǎo yuán
For the vast grasslands
hái yǒu hái yǒu
还有还有
And also
wèi le wǒ mèng zhōng de gǎn lǎn shù
为了梦中的橄榄树 橄榄树
For the olive tree in my dreams, olive tree
bù yào wèn wǒ cóng nà li lái wǒ de gù xiāng zài yuǎn fāng
不要 问 我 从 那里 来 我 的 故乡 在 远方
Don’t ask where I come from, my hometown is far away
wèishénme liú làng wèishénme liú làng yuǎn fāng
为什么 流浪 为什么 流浪 远方
Why wander, why wander so far away?