Week One Vocabulary:

Line 1: 無法可修飾的一對手 (there is no way to decorate your hands)

無法 / mòuhfaat / no method
可 / hó (yíh) / able
修飾 / sāusīk / decorate
的 / dīk / posessive (i.e. "ge" in spoken Cantonese)
一對手 / yātdeui sáu / (one pair of) hands

Line 2: 帶出溫暖永遠在背後 (your hands always behind me keeping me warm)

帶出 / daaichēut / bring out
溫暖 / wānnyúhn / warm
永遠 / wíhngyúhn / always
在背後 / joih buihauh / behind, at or in the back of

Line 3: 縱使囉囌始終關注 (always nagging but care about me)

縱使 / jungsí/ although (formal/written)
囉囌 / lōsō / nag
始終 / chíjūng / always,throughout
關注 / gwāanjyu / pay close attention to

Line 4: 不懂珍惜太內咎 (I feel guilty for not cherishing your love)

不懂 / bātdúng (m dúngdāk) / don't understand
珍惜 / jānsīk / cherish
太 / taai / too
內咎 / noihgau / guilty

Some interesting statistics about this song:

1. It contains (all) 6 Cantonese tones: high level, high rising, mid level, low falling, low rising, low level. I know there are actually more tones in Cantnoese, but the Yale system that I study uses only these 6 tones.

2. It contains 18 of the 19 Cantonese initial sounds (~ 95% coverage).

3. It contains 38 of the 51 Cantonese final sounds (~ 75% coverage).

I am using this song as a pronounciation exercise by reading it out loud like a poem and emphasizing my initial and final sounds, as well as my tones. I have never done this type of analysis on a song before, but I will do it again on the next song that I learn and compare the two.

i like Beyond very much, a fan, Beyond is the only one, they r a legend

Sorry - I am falling behind! Here are the next four lines.

Line 9: 春風化雨暖透我的心 (Spring wind changed into/became rain and warmed my heart)

春風 / chēunfūng / spring wind

化雨 / fayúh / becomes rain

暖透 / nyúhntau / warm (content)

我的心 / ngóh dīk sām / my heart

Line 10: 一生眷顧無言地送贈 (All my life you take good care of me without saying a word)

一生 / yātsāng / one life

眷顧 / jyungu / love (very old expression)

無言 / mòuhyìhn / don't have the words

地 / deih / hōi sām deih (happy)

送贈 / sungjahng / to give away

Line 11: 是妳多麼溫馨的目光 (It is your warm eyes...)

是妳 / sih néih / haih néih (is you)

多麼 / dōmō / very

溫馨 / wānhīng / makes me feel wary

的 / dīk / ge (posessive)

目光 / muhkgwōng / expression in one's eye

Line 12: 教我堅毅望著前路 (that taught me to be strong and face the road ahead)

教我 / gaau ngóh / teach me

堅毅 / gīnngaih / strong (determined)

望著 / mohngjeuhk / (mohng jyuh) look at

前路 / chìhnlouh / front road (the way ahead)

Thank you both! This song will take me a while. There are a lot of new words for me to learn.

I plan on learning more songs if this experiment is successful.

Melody, Jacob and Mei helped me with the translations.

Here is my Week Two Vocabulary:

Line 5: 沉醉於音階她不讚賞 (I became intoxicated with music you didn't admire)

沉醉於 / chàhmjeui yū (a very beautiful word, it might show up in poetry) / be intoxicated with
音階 / yāmgāai / musical scale
她 / tā (kéuih) / she
不讚賞 / bāt jaanséung (m jaanséung) / admire

Line 6: 母親的愛卻永未退讓 (nonetheless, she will never give up her love for her son)
母親 / móuhchān / mother
的 / dīk / possessive ("ge" in Cantonese)
愛 / ngoi / love
卻 / keuk / however
永未 / wíhngmeih / never
退讓 / teuiyeuhng / give in

Line 7: 決心衝開心中掙扎 (he is determined to remove the struggle from his heart)
決心/ kyutsām / determined
衝開 / chūnghōi / rip open
心中 / sāmjūng / inside your heart
掙扎 / jāngjaat / struggle

Line 8: 親恩終可報答 (in the end, I am able to repay my parent's kindness)
親恩 / chānyān / parents
終 / jūng / in the end
可 / hó (yíh) / able
報答 / boudaap / repay