Theme song- 寂静之声 The sound of silence.
Composing process: First, we took direct quotes from participants’ transcripts and distilled them into shorter sentences to provide a sense of participants' experiences. Next, we rearranged those sentences into a sequence that made sense poetically. After the completion of the lyrics, we composed a melody that communicated our interpretation of the lyrics, and arranged corresponding accompaniment music. Then, we used digital audio software to record both the vocal and accompaniment. Finally, we combined the vocal and accompaniment piano recordings in music editing software and exported the completed song in MP3 format.
Lyrics: The lyrics for the song are in Chinese, with words and phrases drawn directly from the Chinese interview transcripts. We have provided a translation below.
The Sound of Silence
独自一人 异国他乡
Alone, treading on a strange land, alone.
无法开口 言伤
Mouth open, silence.
独自一人 异国他乡
Alone, walking in a foreign world, alone.
热闹非凡 旁观
Faces smiling, silence.
你可曾体会 那无言的忧伤
Have you ever felt that sadness without the words?
你可曾听见 那无声的呐喊
Have you ever heard that mad scream in silence?
我翻山越岭 漂洋过海 难道只为 这繁花似锦下的孤单？
Sitting inside the room,
I asked myself, alone.
“Did I come,
across the mountains and the sea,
thousands of miles away from home,
to be alone?”
独自一人 异国他乡
Alone, walking on a strange road, alone
无法开口 言伤
Autumn leaves falling, barren.
独自一人 异国他乡
Alone, walking in the lamplight, alone.
落叶飞扬 影孤长
Midnight shadows swinging, soundless.
你可否明白 那无言的绝望
Have you ever felt that despair without words to compare?
你可否感受 那无声的惊慌
Have you ever felt that trembling running through the vein?
我翻山越岭 漂洋过海 难道只为 这雪花飘零下的冷淡？
Standing under the moon,
I asked myself, alone.
“Did I come,
across the mountains and the sea,
thousands of miles away from home,
to be alone?”
你是否明白？
Do you understand?
（Narration with chords)
我悔恨的是 那蹉跎的美好光阴
Regrets. Time wasted on useless things.
我愤恨的是 那南辕北辙的苦行
Rage. Endeavours exerted in vain.
愿胸怀世界的你
听到我的声音
How I wish,
you who have the minds to see the worlds,
will hear my voice，
and walk a different path.
蓦然回首时
不再像我一样
独自一人 异国他乡
无法开口 言伤
So when you go across the ocean to see the world of your dream,
it will be like your dream, unlike me,
walking in a foreign world, alone, in the sound of silence.
