This wonderfully evocative song comes from Zhang's 1968 EMI LP "Love and Hatred" S-CPAX-335, which has 12 excellent tracks on it. I first heard this song in 1989 along with several others from the album. I didn't know the singer's name and it wasn't until 2012 that I realised it was Chang Loo. During my Chinese Music Project, she had been one of the singers that had caught my 'ear', and I was delighted to discover that my mystery nightingale was her!
In 2009, during my early months as a videomaker, I had uploaded " Shepherd's Tears" as a "mystery mandarin song" By the time I had discovered its identity, nearly 40,000 views had registered. Now, at last, here is the song together with a video that reflects the lyrics. On the song thread, I was informed that Chang's sister, Xiao Lu, was also a fine singer. I subsequently made two videos of songs by her.
Zhang was born on January 21 1932. She started singing as a 14 years old at a Shanghai radio station without telling her mother. Her father had died when she was four, and she wanted to help her family out. She was introduced as "Miss Zhang Da". She became popular in clubs and sang at the Cotton Tree Restaurant and the Luo Lan cafe. Zhang started her recording career in 1946, and made her first film early in 1948. She moved to Hong Kong in 1952. In 1959, she married musician Ollie Delfino from Singapore, and they had two sons. Zhang died on January 26, 2009 ... New Year's Day.
English Translation
Green green grass ah, streams always full of water
Wind-blown pastures beneath the cattle and sheep,
Cattle, sheep and horses, fat and strong,
Shepherds who look after the sheep and worry about their welfare
Smiling as the wind blows the tea and rice plants
Rainy days penetrating and ruining the clothes
Ice and snow adding to the hardships
Of the shepherds who look after the sheep and worry about their welfare
Ice and snow adding to the hardships
Of the shepherds who look after the sheep and about their welfare
Pinyin
Cǎo er yō qīngqīng xīshuǐ cháng,
fēng chuī ya cǎo dī jiàn niú yáng,
Niú yáng féi lái mǎ yòu zhuàng,
fàngyáng de rén er chóu mǎn cháng.
Rì shěn ya fēng chuī chá dāng fàn,
yǔtiān ya lín tòu pò yīshang,
Bīngtiānxuědì gèng nándāng,
fàngyáng de rén er chóu mǎn cháng.
Bīngtiānxuědì gèng nándāng,
fàngyáng de rén er chóu mǎn cháng.
草儿哟青青溪水长，
风吹呀草低见牛羊，
牛羊肥来马又壮，
放羊的人儿愁满肠。
日哂呀风吹茶当饭
雨天呀淋透破衣裳，
冰天雪地更难当，
放羊的人儿愁满肠。
冰天雪地更难当，
放羊的人儿愁满肠。
