This illustration is inspired by the song Song like these years (歲月如歌) by Eason Chan (陳奕迅).
Eason Chan is one of the most influential singers in Cantopop and Mandopop, holding many records for having won certain prestigious awards in Hong Kong and Taiwan for consecutive years. His charm is in his voice - complex, layered, emotional, raw, as if he paints a picture with every musical note he sings.
Whenever I hear the opening piano melody, it reminds me of planes. This was the theme song of the TVB drama series, Triumph in the Skies I and II. It is about the lives of aircrew and airport personnel from a fictional airlines, Solar Airways (in the first season) and Skylette Airlines (in the second season).
This show made me realise how becoming a pilot / captain is no easy feat. A pilot needs at least 3000 hours of flight time to be considered for captain.
Lyrics by Gene Lau 劉卓輝.
[Verse 1]
I fell in love the moment I saw you
愛上了 看見你
I didn’t know how to be humble and just said what my heart desired
如何不懂謙卑 去講心中理想
It’s not contrived
不會俗氣
as it’s like the morning sunlight that sparks joy that radiates from my heart
猶如看得見晨曦 才能歡天喜地
Embracing you,
抱著你
I am always filled with surprises every time I return
我每次 回來多少驚喜
Maybe life is just too short
也許一生太短
Being by your side,
陪著你
my emotions are like heavy baggage, waiting for me to sort them out
陪著你 情感有若行李 仍然沉重待我整理
[Chorus]
The weather isn’t as we expected
天氣不似如期 但要走 總要飛
But I need to go, I still need to fly
天氣不似如期 但要走 總要飛
I cannot wait and say goodbye to you
道別不可再等你
whether there is a chance or not anymore
不管有沒有機
You are still so gentle and thoughtful towards me
給我體貼入微
If your hand has to leave mine tomorrow,
但你手 如明日便要遠離
I hope you will keep with you all the happy memories we created together
願你可以 留下共我曾愉快的憶記
When life can no longer be perfect,
當世事再沒完美
I hope I can forever find you amidst the song of these passing years
可遠在歲月如歌中找你
[Verse 2]
Bidding farewell as I turn my back towards you
再見了 背向你 回頭多少傷悲
I am filled with so much regret and sorrow
再見了 背向你 回頭多少傷悲
Maybe there’s no need to say it all, all that logic and reason
也許不必再講 所有道理
How can I let myself go again so I can enjoy the indulgent life?
何時放鬆我自己 才能花天酒地
Embracing you, I’ve talked about how high we will soar together
抱著你 我說過 如何一起高飛
To this day, the person I want to go away with is still you
這天只想帶走 還是你
If we reread all the letters we had exchanged in the past,
如重溫往日郵寄
would we become weary of this playful game?
但會否疲倦了嬉戲
[Chorus]