First, the original lyrics are as follows:
No light
Use dangerous common sense
Calculate three seven or six fourIt's obvious
Selling blood cannot save poverty
Money isolates the universal windWho uses black iron to exchange for gold
Who uses their mind to exchange for garbage
Who uses black iron to exchange for gold
Who uses their mind to exchange for garbageThe unknown
Tomorrow still needs to ask the market
Freedom may ask the WestIt's normal
A sad song becomes a hit
The knight's worried look is even more redundantWho uses luck to exchange for breath
Who uses their soul to exchange for rice
Who uses luck to exchange for breath
Who uses their soul to exchange for ricePlease choose
Stay in the fate of the robber's shop
Or go to the kindergarten of GodIt cannot be said
So singers become hounds
The iron curtain traps the youth heavilyWho uses dark clouds to exchange for stars
Who uses a dagger to exchange for light
Who uses dark clouds to exchange for stars
Who uses a dagger to exchange for lightFangbei Road
Fifty yuan buys a new atmosphere
The distance is still mistyDo not choose
Tomorrow will not ask the market
Freedom may ask the heart
I divided these lyrics into four sections. The first section is from "No light" to "mind to exchange for garbage," the second section is from "The unknown" to "soul to exchange for rice," the third section is from "Please choose" to "dagger to exchange for light," and the fourth section is from "Fangbei Road" to "Freedom may ask the heart."
The opening line refers to the year 1937, which was the year of the full-scale invasion of China by the Japanese army. By juxtaposing it with "six four," it can be seen as comparing the nature of the two events. Interestingly, the period of "six four" also coincided with a period of close relations between China and Japan. Sometimes, I interpret "dangerous common sense" as "unconstitutional attempts," but that seems too far-fetched. Another interpretation is that "three seven" refers to Mao and "six four" refers to Deng. If we interpret it this way, "calculate three seven or six four" means choosing between two eras.
"Selling blood cannot save poverty" is probably referring to the appropriation and sale of state-owned assets after the reform and opening up. In addition to this meaning, the literal meaning of "selling blood" was also quite common during this period of reform and opening up, and it can be seen widely in various literary works.
"Money isolates the universal wind" means that when the economy develops rapidly, social contradictions can be eased, and political reforms can be put on hold or even reversed.
"Who uses black iron to exchange for gold, who uses their mind to exchange for garbage" - "black iron" refers to means of production, and "gold" initially refers to currency and later luxury goods. If we further extend "means of production" to "labor," it means "wage labor," which is a typical form of exploitation.
The first section ends here. While describing the situation of the proletariat, the first section also criticizes the retrogressive measures of the Deng group in some areas.
"What is unknown" refers to what is unknown. Some interpretations suggest that it refers to something else that is unknown in the lyrics. I have two interpretations: one is that the "unknown" refers to the "unknown" in the previous context, and the other is that the "unknown" refers to the "unknown" in the following context. According to the first interpretation, the "unknown" here means "not allowed to know." According to the second interpretation, it may express a sense of melancholy about the future. If we combine the two interpretations, the meaning of the previous and following context will be more continuous and logical: I (as an intellectual) do not know (do not have time to think) why the proletariat is placed in such a situation because I myself have to look at the ever-changing market for my own future, and I have to compete with thousands of people like me.
"Tomorrow still needs to ask the market," the phrase "still needs" can also have two interpretations. One is a helpless "still needs," and the other is a "still wants to try again." How to interpret it depends on who the subject is: if the subject is "me," then it is the former; if the subject is the rulers, then it is the latter. Based on the previous interpretation of "unknown," I tend to interpret it as the former because it makes the meaning more continuous and logical.
"Freedom may ask the West" should mean this: What is freedom? Maybe it is Western-style freedom. The meaning here is that in the domestic environment at that time, domestic intellectuals and dissenters could only parrot the cry for freedom, and coupled with "money isolates the universal wind," this cry naturally cannot gather enough people, so the dissenters all end up in failure.
For these reasons, the following two lines are "normal."
"A sad song becomes a hit" - "sad song" has two interpretations, one specifically refers to "The Internationale," and the other refers to all songs that do not sing praises for the rulers. And "hit song" also has two meanings, one is its literal meaning, the meaning of "popular song," and the other is a pun on "forbidden song." The two meanings of "hit song" can also be combined: they are popular among intellectuals, but the rulers prohibit them, so they cannot spread to the lower classes. The imagery of "revolution and counter-revolution" immediately emerges.
"The knight's worried look is even more redundant" can also be interpreted in two ways, but their ultimate meaning is the same. If we interpret "knight" literally, it means that the "knight with a worried look" is now redundant. If we interpret it as "actually," it means that "worrying now is useless." This line may be saying that social development is not yet sufficient, and the time for change has not yet come. Instead of worrying excessively, it is better to accumulate strength.
Taken together, these sections can be understood as follows: since "tomorrow still needs to ask the market, freedom may ask the West," the expression of dissatisfaction through "sad songs" will naturally become popular among the masses, but the rulers will try their best to prohibit them. However, the contradictions have not escalated to a sufficient degree, so any rare outspoken individuals will be quickly suppressed by the rulers.
"Who uses luck to exchange for breath, who uses their soul to exchange for rice" - if the previous two "exchange" phrases describe the proletariat, these two lines describe intellectuals. Rulers have always feared the combination of intellectuals and the proletariat because it often leads to revolution. Therefore, intellectuals have only two destinies: either being suppressed or being bought off. "Using luck to exchange for breath" represents the former, and "using their soul to exchange for rice" represents the latter.
The second section is explained, and I believe it generally describes the situation of intellectuals.
"Please choose" - the person saying this is the ruler, but who are they saying it to? I believe it is directed at the youth. "The fate of the robber's shop" and "the kindergarten of God" correspond to two different systems. According to one interpretation, the former is the Western-style capitalist system, and the latter is the authoritarian capitalist system of China and the Soviet Union. According to my interpretation, the former refers to the authoritarian capitalist system established gradually after 1978, and the latter refers to the authoritarian socialist system from 1956 to 1978. Regardless of which interpretation, the choice is equally bad. The first interpretation, in addition to being bad, also carries a sense of nationalism. The rulers have created such a multiple-choice question for the youth, but in reality, the youth who are ruled by them do not have the power to choose. The word "stay" also clearly indicates the rulers' attempt to keep people short-sighted and prevent them from looking forward.
But who can see through this false multiple-choice question? "It cannot be said," the rulers do not allow their deception to be exposed, so all culture must develop under their guidance, and singers can only become hounds. The youth are thus trapped behind the iron curtain set by the rulers.
The two "exchange" phrases that follow are different from the previous two sections. The "exchange" in the previous sections refers to an exchange of goods, while in this section, I tend to interpret the "exchange" as a substitution of day for night. The rulers block the sun and stars, so everyone has a dagger hanging over their heads, creating a situation where everyone is in danger.
The third section ends. I believe the third section discusses the situation of the youth. The following fourth section is a summary and answer to some of the previous questions.
"Fifty yuan buys a new atmosphere" - according to the title of the song, it means getting a haircut: "Enter the shop with dark clouds, leave as a fair-faced scholar." But considering the background of the lyrics, it should refer to the advertising war between Chilean advertisers and Pinochet's dictatorship.
"The distance is still misty" - there are two interpretations of "distance." If we interpret it as time, it means that achieving democracy is just the beginning, and there is still a long way to go. If we interpret it as space, it means that Chile has already "bought a new atmosphere" while the people across the Pacific Ocean are still living under the shadow of authoritarian rule.
"Do not choose" is obviously an answer to the previous "Please choose." The following two lines naturally represent the author's ideals: people's lives should not be guaranteed by the market or authoritarian governments (in fact, neither of them can guarantee it), and freedom should come from the heart, without reference to any country, any person, or any past system.
This song is indeed profound. The summary and interpretation are as follows:
The proletariat lives in poverty and ignorance, sometimes even needing to sell blood to make a living. They can only use common sense to calculate their interests, even though the rulers do not allow them to have even this common sense. Due to the era temporarily stabilizing them as slaves, they do not care about the external environment.
Intellectuals live in confusion. The knowledge they previously learned is useless in this era, and they have not had time to grasp the emerging concepts. They can only parrot the cry for freedom, but at the same time, they are drawn into the market and have no time to think deeply. They refuse to sing praises for suffering, but they are suppressed or bought off by the ruling class, unable to unite with the proletariat.
The rulers instill in the youth that their legitimacy is based on a series of multiple-choice questions: "Can you swim across the Pacific if it's not covered?" "Different countries have different national conditions and different social problems." "In short, the people's minds are not yet open, so it is better to maintain the status quo." They decorate the peace on one hand and intensify oppression and censorship on the other, not allowing the youth to realize the truth, trying to make the youth become one of the first two types of people.
What can be done? I don't know. However, countries like Chile and South Korea have already achieved peaceful transitions, so what reason do the rulers here have to continue ruling in this way? Of course, in addition to the Western model, we need to go further and pursue higher freedom and happiness.