Chinese Folk Song "Little Cabbage" 中国民谣 "小白菜"

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Description

Zhou Yi demonstrates a sample of the original folk song, "Little Cabbage". Tan Dun used this traditional Chinese folk song as inspiration for his "Ghost Opera" and the "Concerto for Pipa and String Orchestra".

Little Cabbage (Xiao Bai Cai) is a folk song from Hebei Province. This haunting melody is of a little girl crying out over the loss of her mother. It has six verses. This video only shows the first one.

Here are the lyrics:

Little cabbage,
Fading in the field,
Lost mother at two or three,
Mama, dear mama!

这是一首河北童谣。全曲有六个段落，通过下行的哭腔，刻画了一个失去亲娘而受尽虐待，孤苦伶仃的女孩的弱小形象。
　　
歌词：
　　小白菜呀，地里黄呀；
　　三两岁上，没了娘呀。
　　娘呀，亲娘呀！

　　跟着爹爹，还好过呀；
　　只怕爹爹，娶后娘呀。
　　娘呀，亲娘呀！

　　娶了后娘，三年半呀；
　　生个弟弟，比我强呀。
　　娘呀，亲娘呀！

　　弟弟吃面，我喝汤呀；
　　端起碗来，泪汪汪呀。
　　娘呀，亲娘呀！

　　亲娘想我，谁知道呀；
　　我思亲娘，在梦中呀。
　　娘呀，亲娘呀！

　　桃花开花，杏花落呀；
　　想起亲娘，一阵风呀。
　　娘呀，亲娘呀！