Yaaj Xeeb:: Sib Xws
Posted on 09 February 2012
Okay so I found this song via Youtube and I feel in love with it. The meaning is very deep and very beautiful so I thought I would share the song. Well other than sharing, I have a little problem with this song as well. This time around I will not be able to do an American translation for the song (but I will attempt a summary) because even I myself hardly understands the song. I understood the song enough to understand the meaning of the song but there are some words that even I myself does not know what it means. Truth be told, I had to listen to this song a few times to understand what he is saying and then I realized there were Hmong lyrics and even with the Hmong lyrics I still have a hard time understanding some words. The reason that it is hard for me to catch onto this song is because Xeeb is singing in a very (and I mean VERY) strong Hmong Green dialect/accent. I can hardly understand Hmong Green to begin with, but his dialect seems to be very hard to understand, especially to the ears of a Hmong White like myself.
below is just the rough summary of each verse. I know that the translation is not very clear, I am only able to translate the portion I am able to understand. Hmoob Leeg readers, if you can correct my horrible summary of this song, please help! I really need help to understand the first portion of verse #3.
Thanks to Vang75 of youtube for the lyrics although I did went in and fix a few words that was spelled incorrectly.
FYI: some words may look weird (spelling wise due to the fact that the song is in Hmong Green)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
koj los koj qhuas koj zoo
kuv los kuv tas kuv zoo
leej twg… yog tus zoo tag tag
ib tes tsw pum ib txhum
ib tsuas pum tas ib…
yog taag le xwb nua es..es
txhaj tsis muaj… nub yuav zoo
(you’ve said you are good, I’ve said I am better. Who really is the good one? something something if its just like this, there will never be a good day)
Here is KayC’s translation of the first verse
You say you are good,
I say I am good/better.
Who is really the good one?
We don’t see our wrongs,
We only see that we are right all the time.
That’s why there will never be a good day.
It’s like water and fire that (I can’t quite hear what he’s saying at the end of this sentence)
nws taam nkaus le
dlej hab suav tawg kws
swb tsaug swb luam taag le
(she said its over something something always bumping head and mocking each other) <–took me a very very long time to understand this very small part!
**ohhh ho oh koj nplig
kuv nplo yog kuv nphib koj nphoo
yog koj paag kuv poog
yog kuv has koj has
yog koj qw kuv nthe
tes thaum twg tsw muaj qhov chaw kawg
yog ib zoo tuab neeg
caag tsw txawj swb hum
(oooh you something something something if you talk, I talk, if you scream I yell. there will never be an ending point. if we are kind people, then why don’t we know how to honor each other)
koj los koj lub sab paiv
kuv los kuv lub sab taub
ob leeg.. sab miv ib yaam hom os
tsis muaj tug twg sab ntev
qhov tseeb tseeb mas tim
tas ib swb qhuas ib xwb
ib tsw txu moog lub hwj chim
tsis sib zaam txim
ua ke lug lawm ntev
es txhaj pheej zoo le nuav
(you, your heart something. Me, my heart is tough. both of us, both have very small hearts. There’s no one with patience. The truth is because we only praise ourselves. We don’t know how to hold our power, we dont know how to forgive. We’ve been together for so long, why is it like this?)
ohhh ho oh kuv dlub
qos txig koj los dlub qos ncab
kuv hu koj tau qaug
koj hais kuv txum kag
txhaj tsis muaj nub zoo
tog thaum twg…ib mam thaj yeeb naj
koj yog tug zoo tshaaj
koj xub luag mas yom
(I am very black, you are dark as coal. I’ve call you, you get upset. You talk to me, it makes me mad therefore there’s not a good day. when will there be a day we’ll understand. You are the best, you smile first please. )
Then the song repeats back at **
2 responses to Yaaj Xeeb:: Sib Xws
This is a loose translation of the first verse. I’m too tired tonight, maybe I’ll come back another day and translate some more.
You say you are good,
I say I am good/better.
Who is really the good one?
We don’t see our wrongs,
We only see that we are right all the time.
That’s why there will never be a good day.
It’s like water and fire that (I can’t quite hear what he’s saying at the end of this sentence)
KayC, thanks for helping with the translation! I will add your translation to the post! thanks!