Duce Khan:: Niam Thiab Txiv
Posted on 10 July 2011
I hate it when I find myself a very very good song but through translation the meaning is not as powerful as it is in Hmong. Sadly this is one of those songs that are very powerful in Hmong but through the translation from Hmong to English the meaning of the song just dropped and become just another song hence lost through translation. This song is about a son singing to his parents, begging for forgiveness for all the wrongs he had done before and is now ready to make nice. He who has realized that he had become a son that had hurt his parents badly, now he is ready to to make it up to them and become the son he should had been.
Everyone should listen to this song and understand the meaning, we as our parent’s children always wants to try to make our parents proud, we think that it’ll be hard to truly make them proud but what we don’t understand that they are always proud of us. My parents always tell me, “we yell at you because we love and care for you, we want the best for you, not because we just want to yell at you, we lecture you in hope that you’ll become a better person” I believe this statement is true. When I was younger I never understood it, now that I am older I can see it clearly.
I hope you guys enjoy the song!
Special thanks to my friend Sara Vang for the Hmong lyrics and Shaw for the EP album!
Duce Khan Niam thiab Txivtxiv thov koj mloog kuv zaj nkauj ib zaug ntxiv
father please listen to my song one more time
txhua yam kuv ua yav tag kuv yeej ua phiv
everything I had done before it had been a mistake
tsis txawj ua neeg nyob koj thiaj li chim
I dont know how to live life therefore you are disappointed
xyov koj yuav tau hais kuv pes tsawg zaus ntxiv
I don’t know how many times you will have to tell me again
kuv ib txwm tsis xav mloog thaum koj hais kuv
I’ve never want to listen when you lecture me/talk to me
txog txoj kev ua neej li cas thiaj li nplua nuj
how to live life and become successful
tabsis kuv tej vaj tej tsev yog koj tu
but my house, it is you who clean my home
koj tu tas los kuv tseem txaj muag hais thank you
when you clean my home, I am embarrassed to utter the word “Thank You”
kuv yog hmoob meskas kuv thiaj ua tsis tau txiv tsev
I am a Hmong American therefore I don’t know how to be a house man (father figure)
kuv thiaj ua ib siab mus ua miskas qhev
so I decided to work under the American law (this line is hard to translate)
txawm koj qhia txoj kev ncaj los kuv mus taug txoj lem
even though you teach me to walk the right path, I still walk the wrong road
ziag no kuv mam paub hais tias kuv yuam kev
now I realize that I had been wrong
koj cem kuv npaum li cas los kuv tsis quav ntsej
no matter how much you lecture me, I never cared
koj muab kuv ntau kiag los kuv yeej tsis qhib pob ntseg
even if you hit me, I’ve never opened my ears to listen
xav hais tias kuv ntse tabsis kuv yog tus ruam thaum kawg
I thought I was smarter but in fact I am the idiot
txiv thov koj zam lub txim kuv ua tsis tau tus tub koj ntshaw
father, please forgive me I am not the son you hoped for
thov txim txiv thov txhob txhawj kuv mam hloov los ua tus tub koj ntshaw
sorry father, please dont worry, I will become the son you hoped for
thov txim niam thov txhob quaj kuv mam hloov los ua tus tub koj qhuas
sorry mother, please don’t cry, I will change to be the son you are proud of
thov txim txiv thov txhob txhawj kuv mam hloov los ua tus tub koj ntshaw
sorry father, please don’t worry, I will become the son you hoped for
thov txim niam thov txhob quaj kuv mam hloov los ua tus tub koj qhuas
sorry mother, please don’t cry, I will change to be the son you are proud of
niam thov koj mloog kuv zaj nkauj ib pliag
mother please listen to this song for a second
kuv muaj ib co lus uas kuv tau khaws cia
I have a few words that I had hidden
kuv muaj lus tseem ceeb uas nyob hauv nruab siab
I have a few important words that I had kept deep inside
hnub no yog hnub kuv xav hais tawm qhia
today is the day I wish to tell you
txij hnub koj yug kuv los txog niaj hnub no
since the day you gave birth to me until now
yeej tsis muaj ib zaug kuv qhia koj tias kuv hlub koj
there have never been once that I tell you I love you
tsis hnov lub suab hais los lub siab yeej qw nrov nrov
even though my mouth doesn’t say my heart is screaming
ua koj tsaug koj siv koj lub zog tu kuv hlob
thank you for using your strength to raise me
tsis tau muaj ib zaug uas kuv ua koj qhuas
there had never been a time that I made you proud
vim kuv mus kawm ntawv los kuv ua niag ruam
because when I go to school, I act as an idiot
koj twb yog tus pab kuv daws kuv tej kev khuam
it is you who helped me through everything
los kuv tsis mloog koj lus kuv lub neej thiaj li puas
but I never listened to you so now my life is ruined
koj niaj hnub sawv ntxov ua tshais rau kuv noj
you always wake up early to cook for me
yog tsis muaj koj ntshe kuv tsis yuav muaj lub zog
if I don’t have you, I’ll never have the strength
sau zaj nkauj ntawm no hais qhia rau koj
so I wrote this song to tell you
hais tias ntiaj teb no yeej piv tsis tau koj
that in this world, nothing can compare to you
thov txim niam thov txhob quaj kuv mam hloov los ua tus tub koj qhuas
sorry mother, please don’t cry, I will change to be the son you are proud of
thov txim txiv thov txhob txhawj kuv mam hloov los ua tus tub koj ntshaw
sorry father, please don’t worry, I will become the son you hoped for
thov txim niam thov txhob quaj kuv mam hloov los ua tus tub koj qhuas
sorry mother, please don’t cry, I will change to be the son you are proud of
thov txim txiv thov txhob txhawj kuv mam hloov los ua tus tub koj ntshaw
sorry father, please dont worry, I will become the son you hoped for
niam thiab txiv thov neb zam lub txim pub rau kuv thiab
mom and dad, please forgive me
twb yog kuv tsis mloog neb lus kuv thiaj zoo li no
it’s because I don’t listen to you that’s why I am in this state
5 responses to Duce Khan:: Niam Thiab Txiv
Sweetie you know the last chorus you got it mixed up. It should be “thov txim niam” first and then “thov txim txiv” second…the opposite from the first time you know
hehehe
Sara, what are you talking about? It is correct, go back and check! ahhaha Jk! Thanks Sara, I got it fixed! I didn’t even notice! LOL
What a really meaningful song.
Lee, it really is a meaningful song, I am sure many of us relates to this song one way or another!
That is a good song, but just that there is not enough meaning to its because the only main point is sorry mom and dad for not being the good son, plus i guess that the theme to yours song. its good but you still need to work a little harder and give more detail to it, so its will be a A plus essay………