Dedicated to all Singaporean workers. I really pity those penniless and homeless elderly. They slogged so hard all their life and get nothing in return, not even a roof over their heads when they grow old and on the other hand you have rising housing and food prices. Those who are lowly-educated might find it even tougher to survive these days, especially when they have to compete with foreigners who are able to work longer hours for lower pay. Local unis are also swarmed with foreign talents these days; students and lecturers. To raise their international profiles, they would rather employ foreign profs. That leaves local Singaporeans with similar qualifications unemployed.
Song lyrics:
Verse-1:
æˆ'地å'¢ç¬æ‰"å•¥ä»"
ngo5 dei6 ni1 baan1 daa2 gung1 zai2
We are poor working people
é€šè¡—èµ°ç³´ç›´é ¬ä¿‚å£žè...¸èƒƒ
tung1 gaai1 zau2 dek6 zik6 tau4 hai6 waai6 coeng4 wai6
Getting ulcers, running around
æµå€‹äº›å°'åˆ°æœˆåº•é»žå¤ æ´—ï¼ˆå¥€éŽé¬¼ï¼‰
wan2 go3 se1-siu2 dou3 jyut6 dai2 dim2 gau3 sai2 (ngan1 gwo3 gwai2)
Chicken feed is our reward
確係èªçœŸæ¿•æ»¯
kok3 hai6 jing6 zan1 sap1 zai6
Round deal is what we get
Verse-2:
最弊波士éƒå•²ç™¼å¨ï¼ˆç™²éŽé›žï¼‰
zeoi3 bai6 bo1 si6*2 juk1 di1 faat3 wai1 （din1 gwo3 gai1）
The boss is ever ready to explode
一å'³å--ºè™•ä¿‚å""係就亂嚟å
jat1 mei6 hai2 syu3 hai6 m4 hai6 zau6 lyun6 lai4 fai6
His barks are long, his face longer
ç¿³è¦ªåŠ è--ªå¡Šé¢å—±èµ•æƒ¡ç‡ï¼ˆæ‰¬ä¸‹è¨ˆï¼‰
ai3 can1 gaa1 san1 faai3 min6 naa4 hei2 ok3 tai2 （nau2 haa5 gai3）
When we ask for a raise
ä½ å°±èªçœŸé--‹èƒƒ
nei5 zau6 jing6 zan1 hoi1 wai6
Brother, you're in a treat
Chorus:
（åŠæ--¤å...«å...©ï¼‰åšåˆ°éš»ç©å'å˜...樣
(bun3 gan1 baat3 loeng2)
... zou6 dou3 zek3 zik1 gam3 ge3 joeng6
... Working like a dog
（åŠæ--¤å...«å...©ï¼‰æ¿•æ°´ç‚®ä»—點會響
... sap1 seoi2 paau3 zoeng6*2 dim2 wui5 hoeng2
... Things keep on going wrong
（åŠæ--¤å...«å...©ï¼‰å¤ è--'å'€ï¼Œæ¥‚鎗走去æ¶
... gau3 goeng1 aa3, zaa1 coeng1 zau2 heoi3 coeng2
... Why don't we grab a gun and hold 'em up?
(* coda of Chorus-1)
出å'—åŠæ--¤åŠ›ï¼Œæƒ³è©±å›‰ç•ªè¶³å...«å...©
ceot1 zo2 bun3 gan1 lik6, soeng2 waa6 lo4 faan1 zuk1 baat3 g?/loeng2
At least making our effort worthwhile
家陣惡æµé£Ÿï¼Œé‚Šæœ‰åŠæ--¤å...«å...©å'ç†æƒ³ï¼ˆå¹æ¼²ï¼‰
gaa1 zan6 ok3 wan2 sik6, bin1 jau5 bun3 gan1 baat3 loeng2 gam3 lei5 soeng2（ceoi1 zoeng3）
It's tit for tat, tat for tit
(Verse3)
æˆ'地å'¢ç¬æ‰"å•¥ä»"
ngo5 dei6 ni1 baan1 daa2 gung1 zai2
We are poor working people
一ç"Ÿä¸€ä¸--為錢幣åšå¥´éš¸
jat1 sang1 jat1 sai3 wai4 cin4*2 bai6 zou6 nou4 dai6
Slaves to money for life
å€‹ç¨®è¾›è‹¦æŠ˜å¢®è¬›å‡ºåš‡é¬¼ï¼ˆæ¬»ä¿¾ä½ ç‡ï¼‰
go3 zung2 san1 fu2 zit3 do6 gong2 ceot1 haak3 gwai2 （sei2 bei2 nei5 tai2）
Our misery, it's unspeakable
å'ªè©±å†‡ä¹œæ‰€è¬‚
mai6 waa6 mou5 mat1 so2 wai6
The burden, unbearable
First time Instrumental
Second time Fine
(Chorus-2)
（åŠæ--¤å...«å...©ï¼‰å°±ç®—有ç¦éƒ½å†‡ä½ 享
(bun3 gan1 baat3 loeng2)
... zau6 syun3 jau5 fuk1 dou1 mou5 nei5 hoeng2
... Happiness is not ours to share
（åŠæ--¤å...«å...©ï¼‰é‡æ...˜éŽæ»¾æ°´æ•¥è±¬è...¸
... zung6 caam2 gwo3 gwan2 seoi2 luk6 zyu1 coeng4
... Sufferings are ours to bear
（åŠæ--¤å...«å...©ï¼‰é›žç¢Žå'多都è¦å•„
... gai1 seoi3 gam3 do1 dou1 jiu3 doek3
... A little more is a little more, we care
Go back to Chorus-coda (then finish after Verse-3)
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Perhaps the government can do a lot more for the less fortunate citizens of Singapore. I saw some clips of poverty which brought back memories of Singapore in the 50'd and 60's. This is not one of the better legacies of LKY. Shame on you Singapore. I do remember the song though.
James (ex-SJI but now in Perth, WA)
rajahjim1 8 months ago 4