Mother, suddenly you came back one day,
Stood and stared at me a while and told me,
I have a little sister who is still alive,
That I never knew of and had never seen.
I anxiously waited for you to finish speaking,
But you remained speechless.
You never let me ask the questions that would break your heart.
So I just had to guess silently.

You said my sister would come back forever,
And recognize me as her older brother.
While all of this came at me so suddenly,
I also felt I had seen it before in a dream.
I never asked you what my sister looked like,
And never asked you how she lived.
I preferred to imagine she was beautiful and sexy,
Just like the one I'd dreamed of.

I finally discovered why you were so cold,
And why you were so strict with me.
Because you wanted me to get over the man who had hurt you,
And didn't want me to be as weak as you once were.
But, I never dared to ask you about your other reasons.
I was even more sympathetic than you imagined,
Because of the humiliation you had endured for so many years,
A screaming grew inside of me.

Mother, now I have a feeling that I can't express,
But, I really need you to understand.
I could thoroughly explain what we had gone through together.
But after we had experienced so much hardship,
I realized there was a hidden danger,
In that the longer our misunderstanding lasted,
The more unpredictable would be the outcome.

Worry that that day.
Worry that that day.
Worry that that day life will change greatly.
Waiting for that day.
Waiting for that day.
Waiting for that day when my little sister returns.

Do you really understand the sister I've never seen?
Or really understand me?
If the two of us suddenly fell in love,
How would you deal with it?
Mother, I'm sorry,
If my madness ends up hurting you.
I don't know why I have started falling in love,
With a sister I've never seen.

Will she really respect you?
Will she really look up to me?
If you ever get really angry at her,
Will she really heed you as I do?
If our past warm relationship ends in disagreement,
Will we still really love each other?
If one day you two decide to split-up,
Who will I go with?

Mother, the day when my little sister returns is an opportunity,
To get over that traditional concept of family.
I know that for many years you have closed off your emotions,
Out of being such a dignified parent.
I've always wanted to help you solve these problems,
But you rarely give me any chance to try.
So I doubt your ability to bring about equality,
Because I work so hard yet you don't even recognize it.

Mom! In my heart I feel I have to speak out about how I've been wronged,
Even if I must express it from behind a happy face.
I have never compromised for the sake of survival,
Because of the changing demands on your existence and labor.
If you are willing to give me power, I will calm down,
And even forget about the dangers.
But if I start feeling hatred, I can only sentimentally recall,
And silently pass over that day.

Pass over that day.
Pass over that day.
Silently and sentimentally pass over that day.
Get over that day.
Get over that day.
Calmly and simply get over that day.

Cui Jian: Vocals, Programming
Eddie Randriamampionona: Guitars

Special thanks: Qiu Ye, Ba Te, He Biao, Yu Xinguang