The Way Life’s Meant to Be

忽然听这首歌的时候很有感触，从未有过的悲哀。

Electric Light Orchester - Light (the cover)

It seemed to be [a pessimistic view] on that song. Yeah, well, and absolute that song… He’s walking down the same street that it was before, like say a hundred years before. But uh, even though he’s on the same bit of ground, everything that he knew is, like, buried under this new shit, y’know, that’s growing up… on top of it, all these plastic towers and stuff. Ah, the castanets. It was a bit Russian but we put castanets on it and it became Spanish.

- wiki: The Way Life’s Meant to Be.

Well, I came a long way to be here today
And I left you so long on this avenue
And here I stand in the strangest land
Not knowing what to say or do
As I gaze around at these strangers in town
I guess the only stranger is me
And I wonder (yes, I wonder)
Yes, I wonder (oh, I wonder)
Is this the way life’s meant to be?

当我长途跋涉终于又回到这里
在此你我已相隔千里
当我站在这个陌生的地方时
不知所措
当我偷偷打量这里的陌生事物时
才发现奇怪陌生的只有我而已
然后我就疑惑…
对，我就在想…
难道生活就应该是这样么？

Although it’s only a day since I was taken away
And left standing here looking in wonder
(It’s your life, it’s your life)
Ah, the ground at my feet, maybe it’s just the old street
But everything that I know lies under
(It’s your life, it’s your life)
And when I see what they’ve done
To this place that was home
Shame is all that I feel
Oh, and I wonder (oh, I wonder)
Yes, I wonder (wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder)
Is this the way life’s meant to be?

尽管我只离开了一天
呆呆地站在原地无奈地张望
（这就是你的生活，这就是你的生活）
啊，我脚下的土地，可能就是我曾经熟悉的老街
但是所有我熟悉的一切却已被深埋地下
当我看到他们对这里，
对这个曾经是家的地方所做的一切
我只能感到深深的耻辱
噢，我就奇怪了
难道这就是生活本该有的样子？

Too late, too late to cry
The people say
Too late for you, too late for me
You’ve come so far, now you know everything my friend
Look and see the wonders of our world…

人们说：
“太迟了，你哭也没用了”
“对你我而言，都太迟了”
你都已经长大了，你都已经知道太多关于这个世界的事情了
睁开双眼看看我们这个光怪陆离的世界吧！

And I wonder (oh, I wonder)
Yes, I wonder (yes, I wonder)
Is this the way life’s meant to be?

然后，我就奇怪了
是的，我就奇怪了！
难道这就是生活本来的面目么？

As I wander around this wreck of a town
Where people never speak aloud
With its ivory towers and its plastic flowers
I wish I was back in 1981
Just to see your face instead of this place
Now I know what you mean to me
And I wonder (oh, I wonder)
Yes, I wonder (yes, I wonder)
Is this the way life’s meant to be?

以前这里的人们甚至都不曾大声说话
当我在这鬼地方游荡的时候
看着这里的高塔和那些塑料花儿
我多想回到1981
去看看你的样子，而不是这个鬼地方
到现在我才真正懂得，对我而言你是多么珍贵
然后，我就奇怪了
是的，我又奇怪了
难道这就是生活的摸样么？

And I wonder (oh, I wonder)
Yes, I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder
Is this the way life’s meant to be?
Ooohh, I wonder
Oh, I wonder, wonder, wonder
Is this the way life’s meant to be?
Oh, is this the way life’s meant to be?
Mmmmm, is this the way life’s meant to be?
I wanna know now
Is this the way life’s meant to be?