This is a response to Kari's request:
Q: I love that you posted the Hmong song! Can you say a bit about what she is singing about and who the people are in the video with her?
A: First of all, I apologize because there is no English translation to this and you probably have no idea of whatsoever she is singing about. Secondly, she is one of my favorite singers in the Hmong culture, and I love this song. Mee (the singer) make travels there to make her music videos and visit her families. This is common among the Hmong culture that we tend to stay in touch with our close families.
So, in this song, Mee is singing about the Hmong people who live in the mountains in Thailand and Laos. They live in poverty among the mountain ranges in poor condition. Many tears of sorrow fill their hearts that they have to live like this everyday(I personally think it's heartbreaking because that's my people). They only have little to eat everyday such as rice, green vegetable with salt and small chili peppers. And then, she repeats the song again. In the last line that she sings: vim tsis muaj leej twg yuav paub txog ; it's translated into: because no one knows about it.
This is the lifestyle that the mountain people have to deal with everyday. They only farm for living and only about a few of the children will actually get a decent education. I felt that this song was more like an awareness that we shouldn't take anything for granted. We, here in the US, have many opened doors to a world of many opportunities while there are still many out there struggling in a dark shadow trying to reach out to the light. ( I hope that made sense. )
Hopefully this help!
<3 mai
4 comments:
Thanks for this explanation, Mai! I was wondering if she was singing with the Hmong in Thailand or if it was sort of staged. Do you know of Tou Saiko Lee? He just returned from a trip from Thailand visiting many Hmong there. In fact, he was just on campus last week talking about his trip! There is true suffering amongst the Hmong in Thailand and Laos and I'm glad that Mee is raising awareness about their situation through her music. Even though I don't understand the lyrics, I still think it's a beautiful song and now w/ your explanation I like it even more.
It was probably staged because the director would have asked the Hmong permission to be filmed in the making.
Thank you for sharing your a bit of your cultural heritage with us. It adds depth to your posts. It is hard for me (and Americans in general) to imagine this type of suffering and struggle. Music can raise awareness and interest in others' situations. The idea that we WANT to know what she is saying is a big step in understanding what others are going through.
Mai,
Thank you so much for posting this! I am currently reading Kao Kalia Yang's "The Latehomecomer," and it's nice to put a face on what's going on in Laos and Thailand today.
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