Để Gió Cuốn Đi

I first heard this song at one of my favorite coffee shops that has nighttime music with simple guitar accompaniment.  (The singers form an interesting story themselves as most of them are in a loose collective that tours various coffee shops on weekend nights in a circuit to make some money off their songs. I'm always curious how much they make and how many places they stop but that's another story.)

The song is one of my favorites and like most Vietnamese songs I love, I can tolerate the newer versions for their semblance to the originals but to really like it I want it to sound like this:
Khánh Ly - Để Gió Cuốn Đi

A more modern version (and inherently less beautiful version) is here

The song was written by Trinh Cong Son and my friend Hy has done a great service by writing about the musician on his blog:  Hy's Blog

I'd like to see Hy add this song to his project (translating Trinh music to English) but I was able to find a version online already (though, Hy, I'd still be interested to see you take it on) and make a few adjustments based on my own interpretation.

Here is the English and Vietnamese:

Để Gió Cuốn Đi


Sống trong đời sống cần có một tấm lòng
Để làm gì em biết không ?
Để gió cuốn đi , để gió cuốn đi
Gió cuốn đi cho mây qua dòng sông
Ngày vừa lên hay đêm xuống mêng mông
Ôi trái tim đang bay theo thời gian
Làm chiếc bóng đi rao lời dối gian


Những khi chiều tới cần có một tiếng cười
Để ngậm ngùi theo lá bay
Rồi nước cuốn trôi , rồi nước cuốn trôi


Hãy nghiêng đời xuống nhìn hết một mối tình
Chỉ lặng nhìn không nói năng
Để buốt trái tim để buốt trái tim
Trong trái tim con chim đau nằm yên
Ngủ dài lâu mang theo vết thương sâu
Và sớm mai chim bay đi triền miên
Và tiếng hót vang trong trời gió lên


Hãy yêu ngày tới dù quá mệt kiếp người
Còn cuộc đời ta cứ vui
Dù vắng bóng ai , dù vắng bóng ai

For the Wind to Blow it Away
In this life, we should live with heart and soul
It is for what, do you know?
For the wind to blow
Blow it away...

The wind blows
For the clouds to pass the rivers
Day has just risen or dark night comes
Oh, see the heart that's flying with time
Acting as a ghost that cries out lies.

When the evening comes we need laughter
Just to fly away silently with the leaves
And then the water sweeps it away
Sweeps it away...

Let's take a look through a love story
Just look in silence, no words spoken
To pierce one’s heart
To pierce one’s heart

Deep within the heart
An injured bird lies still
In respite, carrying its wounds within
One morning, the bird shall fly away for good
Its song resounds in the blowing wind.

Love the coming days even though you feel exhausted from this life
Life is still there, be happy
Even though someone is missing
Even though someone is missing...

Everyone Can Fly

Just look at that Vietnamese farmer...man is he ready to fly! I looked at this picture for the better part of the afternoon wondering if a.) this is photoshopped b.) this is a model paid to muck it up a bit and shoot this picture, or c.) this is an actual Vietnamese farmer who 1.) was told the news he could get on an airplane for 15,000 VND (as a side note if you pay in US currency you have to pay more, 1 USD = about 16,500 VND right now) or 2.) was paid money to stop his harvesting and jump in the air for multiple takes of this picture. Whatever the situation it is pretty funny. And while I haven't seen anyone quite so "lowly" so to speak on the planes...Jetstar (formerly Pacific) airlines is really pulling out all the stops.

They are definitely finding a nitch in a country where to travel in essence the distance of Southern California to Northern California can take 2 days by train or bus. And their slogan "Everyone Can Fly" tends to hold true, and as McDonald's would probably say "I'm lovin' it". Here's a few of my favorites from recent flights:

- I'm an aisle man, but sometimes I get put on the window on Jetstar, but I have not yet had to sit there...there will always be some Vietnamese person who works up the courage to ask if we can change seats, because if they are flying they have got to make sure they are looking out that window.
- Traveling with a college student who decided on a whim to travel over the weekend there were audible squeals of delight on takeoff...I witnessed the most exciting moment of that guy's life I think.
- After nearly every landing (before disembarking) someone confusedly wants to know how they are going to get their luggage back that they took from them when they checked-in. "where's my luggage? can I get it now?" are common questions.
- The sounds of 20 seatbelts the second the plane touches the ground
- The frustrated sound of the other 70 people trying to figure out how those 20 got their seatbelts off so fast.
- The typical Vietnamese mentality that there is a fire on the runway (I've just got to get on this plane right now!) or there is a fire in the cabin (get out of the way! I have got to get off this plane!) when neither condition exists.
- Middle-aged man rubbing Eagle-brand green oil (a kind of cure-all oil) in his ears to deal with the pressure changes associated with descent.

Regardless of the countless memories, I'm happy to see that its becoming a viable option for most Vietnamese now.