On June 1, the WeChat account 功不唐捐的孤岛 (“Island of Efforts Paying Off”) posted a folk song titled “Don’t Drink the Celebratory Toast.” The video for the song features lyrics, in white subtitles against a black background, urging listeners not to forget the depredations of Shanghai under lockdown, nor succumb to the government’s triumphalist narrative. The song, which also references the viral catchphrase “We are the last generation,” was immediately censored and deleted.
CDT editors have translated the lyrics and created a bilingual subtitled version of the video. A full transcript of the translated lyrics is included at the bottom of this post:
“Don’t Drink the Celebratory Toast”
Don’t cozy up to the dogs at the gate.
Don’t drink the celebratory toast.
On this day of triumph,
Don’t give up your right to revenge.
Don’t fall for their words.
Don’t forget yesterday’s tears.
On this day of jubilation,
Don’t forgive and forget.
Don’t hope for normalcy.
Don’t pine for old beliefs.
On this day of awakening,
Know that we are the last generation.
Don’t dance for their charity.
Don’t sing the praises of misery.
On this day of harmony,
Don’t be afraid to stay silent.
Don’t wipe the blood from your mouth.
Don’t mend the wounds from your shackles.
On this day of happy endings,
Don’t take the candy they offer you.
Don’t hope for normalcy.
Don’t yearn for lost beliefs.
On this day of awakening,
Know that we are the last generation.
[whistling]
Don’t tear that page from your diary.
Don’t bury those open secrets.
On this day of sunshine,
Don’t forgive the tyranny of darkness.
Don’t say “It’s always been this way.”
Don’t get used to the new normal.
On this day of peace and tranquility,
Don’t pretend we’re not in the eye of the storm.
Don’t hope for normalcy.
Don’t blindly trust your old beliefs.
On this day of awakening,
Know that we are the last generation.
Don’t hope for normalcy.
Don’t blindly trust your old beliefs.
On this day of awakening,
Know that we are the last generation.
We are the last generation.
[whistling]
We are the last generation.
(Sorry.)
Thank you. [Chinese]
Cindy Carter contributed to this post.
