Ciu Jian - "Nothing to my Name" (Anthem of student activists in Tiananmen Square protests)

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The music of the Father of Chinese Rock was embraced by the democracy activists slaughtered 25 years ago today.



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Translation:

I have asked you endlessly,
When will you go with me?
But you always laugh at me with,
Nothing to my name
I want to give you my dreams,
And give you my freedom.
But you always laugh at me with,
Nothing to my name.
Ohhh….
When will you go with me?

The earth beneath my feet is moving.
The river beside me is flowing.
But you always laugh at me with,
Nothing to my name.
Why do you always laugh at me so?
Why don’t I give up?
Why do you see me as,
Forever having nothing to my name?
Ohhh….
Just go with me now!

Listen - I’ve waited so long,
So I’ll make my final request.
I want to grab you by the hands,
And take you with me.
Now your hands are trembling,
Now your tears are falling.
Perhaps you are saying,
You love me with nothing to my name
Ohhh….
Just go with me now.

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Cui Jian reached the apex of his popularity during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, when "Nothing to My Name" became an anthem to student protestors. Before the protests were violently broken up on 4–5 June, Cui frequently appeared with the students and was affirmed by Wu'er Kaixi, one of the prominent leaders of the movement, as highly influential among young Chinese of the time. The following government crackdown forced many rock musicians, Cui Jian included, into hiding in the other provinces. Sanctions proved relatively temporary and Cui was able to return to Beijing shortly afterward. In early 1990, he began his first rock tour entitled the "New Long March", with ten concerts scheduled in Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Xi'an, Chengdu and others. Midway through the tour, Cui Jian gained notoriety for appearing on stage wearing a red blindfold across his eyes before performing his well-known political anthem, "A Piece of Red Cloth",[3][4][5][6] prompting the government to terminate the performance and cancel the remainder of the tour. After the tour, 1 million yuan was donated to help pay for the 1990 Asian Games, alleged by some to have been a disguised fine for his political indiscretion[citation needed].

Through the 1990s Cui Jian was banned from playing major venues in Beijing, although he was able to stage a number of one-set, word-of-mouth concerts at newly flourishing venues like The Sunflower Club. Elsewhere in China he was permitted to play to sell-out crowds in both large and small venues, only on occasion facing government interference. Cui's records have also remained off-limits for broadcast on regular state-controlled radio and television stations. Satellite television was the first to challenge this unofficial ban, beginning with Hunan TV's 2000 broadcast of an in-studio performance by Cui and his band.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cui_Jian#Tiananmen_and_aftermath