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Abigail Washburn — Song of the Traveling Daughter
Album: Song of the Traveling Daughter
Avg rating:
6.6

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1036









Released: 2005
Length: 3:06
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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(World sits outside the door)
Men wai you ge shijie
(A voice in your heart is calling)
Xinzhong you ge shengyin
(The ends of the world await)
Sifang jiu deng ni lai
(Traveling daughter)
Younu

(Feel the sunshine on your face)
Lianshang gandao taiyang
(Starlight guides your feet)
Jiaobu suizhao xingguang
(Earth and Sky will carry you)
Tiandi zai ni zouyou

(Journey after journey)
Zoule yi shan you yi shan
(One mountain to the next)
Zhe shan guole ne shan lai
(Voice in your heart is calling)
Xinzhong you ge shengyin
Comments (74)add comment
 xkolibuul wrote:

Mandarin chinese


no Kidding!
Posted 1 year ago by folkes.tom    [ Reply ]
Abigail's voice is a delight to the ears. What a joy to listen to! Straight 9 for me.
Posted 2 years ago by cavemanleong    [ Reply ]
Irish / Appalachian US music
A featured instrument, the banjo, is of African origin
Singing In Mandarin

We live in a Post-Modern World.
Posted 2 years ago by Ok_Sobriquet    [ Reply ]
I would call this "lüpfig" in swiss german :)
Posted 2 years ago by vandale_    [ Reply ]
I'm not the biggest banjo fan, but any song titled "Song of the Traveling Daughter" that starts with 
(World sits outside the door)
(A voice in your heart is calling)
gets my vote. 

Posted 3 years ago by ExpatLarry    [ Reply ]
 uksminas wrote:
what language is used here?
 
Mandarin chinese
Posted 4 years ago by xkolibuul    [ Reply ]
what language is used here?
Posted 4 years ago by uksminas    [ Reply ]
 hayduke2 wrote:

{#Hearteyes}    sweet young thang

 
A "thang" indeed, and she makes those 5 string sound like angels' harps ablaze. 
Posted 5 years ago by misterbearbaby    [ Reply ]
saw her & Bela Fleck play on Later with Jools Holland. Digging it.
Posted 7 years ago by sleepinggypC    [ Reply ]
 calypsus_1 wrote:

Abigail Washburn by ~alucinante
©2008-2010 ~alucinante

Abigail Washburn Performing With Bela Fleck.
 
{#Hearteyes}    sweet young thang
Posted 7 years ago by hayduke2    [ Reply ]
 Businessgypsy wrote:
 BryseEayo wrote:
I hope most of you know of the television show Firefly. This is exactly the music that the show's made for.
Mal: "Pupils were fixed and dilapidated-"

Simon: "Dialated-"

Mal: "Dialated! Dialated! Ching-wao tsao duh liou mahng! (Frog-humping sonofabitch)

 

You nailed it. Goes great with the pidgin arabic signage.



 
Did you see the Castle where Fillion was putting on his Firefly costume at the beginning?  His daughter asks him what he is supposed to be, and he replies "some kind of space cowboy"
her: "but didn't you wear that 5 years ago?"
him: "yeah, but I liked it!"

I liked both shows...
Posted 8 years ago by ch83575    [ Reply ]
Any fans of the late dave carter and tracey grammer
— the mountain?
Posted 10 years ago by averybadcat    [ Reply ]
just put my dancing shoes on  {#Dancingbanana}
Posted 10 years ago by Jannne    [ Reply ]
{#Boohoo}{#Dance}{#Guitarist}fiddle, banjo, beauty.....
Posted 11 years ago by oldfart48    [ Reply ]
 Gajdzin wrote:
Wow, somebody knows Firefly? GOOD stuff :) I watched it with my wife, who is Chinese Malaysian, and she would translate me all those Mandarin bits (although they were sometimes so mispronounced by the American actors, that she had problems understanding them...) Good times.
 
Well, as a 50-something redneck, I don't know much about Chinese except General Tso chicken.  Did like Firefly, though.  Reminded me of a cowboy western set in some intergalactic future.  Of course, having Moreena Baccarin in scenes didn't hurt.  Gina Torres and Jewel Staite were bright spots, too, to be honest.
Posted 11 years ago by unclehud    [ Reply ]
Wow, somebody knows Firefly? GOOD stuff :) I watched it with my wife, who is Chinese Malaysian, and she would translate me all those Mandarin bits (although they were sometimes so mispronounced by the American actors, that she had problems understanding them...) Good times.
Posted 11 years ago by Gajdzin    [ Reply ]
 BryseEayo wrote:
I hope most of you know of the television show Firefly. This is exactly the music that the show's made for.
Mal: "Pupils were fixed and dilapidated-"

Simon: "Dialated-"

Mal: "Dialated! Dialated! Ching-wao tsao duh liou mahng! (Frog-humping sonofabitch)

You nailed it. Goes great with the pidgin arabic signage.


Posted 13 years ago by Businessgypsy    [ Reply ]
Her voice makes me cringe, like that lady singer with Nitin Sawhney, 2.

Posted 13 years ago by KevinM    [ Reply ]
This gets an 8 right away, because it didn't assault me - it began subtly, then gradually built and finally sucked me in.  And now, the music... I guess I'll stay sucked in, cheerfully. What an awesome piece of music!
Posted 13 years ago by Cynaera    [ Reply ]
This is awesome!
Posted 13 years ago by Leslie    [ Reply ]

Damn FINE song there!!!!


Posted 13 years ago by kingfish2004    [ Reply ]
Wonderful stuff.  For a truly hilarious cross-cultural experience, check out this video by Abigail and her band Uncle Earl:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCFJ3LURCtc 
Posted 14 years ago by jessfine    [ Reply ]

Abigail Washburn by ~alucinante
©2008-2010 ~alucinante

Abigail Washburn Performing With Bela Fleck.



Posted 14 years ago by calypsus_1    [ Reply ]
 people should choose THIS as their first dance at their weddings! 

(eddie vedder, {#Nyah})
Posted 14 years ago by coccyx    [ Reply ]
 samsamsupersam wrote:
My wife (who is from Shanghai) said she couldn't understand a word of her mandarin. I don't care. When I lived in China I wanted to start a metal band and sing Chinese with a horrible southern accent (cuz I'm from Mississippi) {#Bananajam}{#Bananapiano}{#Dancingbanana_2}
 
I just heard this for the first time.  I speak Mandarin (used to live in Taiwan; have worked in China).  Yes, it sounds exactly like Chinese with an American Southern accent. 

Posted 14 years ago by ansugon    [ Reply ]
(a. washburn)

Trans:
World sits outside the door
Men wai you ge shijie

A voice in your heart is calling
Xinzhong you ge shengyin

The ends of the world await
Sifang jiu deng ni lai

Traveling daughter
Younu

Feel the sunshine on your face
Lianshang gandao taiyang

Starlight guides your feet
Jiaobu suizhao xingguang

Earth and Sky will carry you
Tiandi zai ni zouyou

Journey after journey
Zoule yi shan you yi shan

One mountain to the next
Zhe shan guole ne shan lai

Voice in your heart is calling
Xinzhong you ge shengyin


https://www.abigailwashburn.com/music.html
Posted 14 years ago by ambrebalte    [ Reply ]
OH!  {#Tongue}  I can understand...that's truly awesome. First time I hear Something in chinese here
True, she came to work with some Mingyao (folk) bands here in Beijing. Saw a short documentary about this. WOW - makes me feel VERY happy :)
This woman is amazing!

Beijing Banjo: Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn, November 18, 2005 12:02 PM
Bluegrass and the PLA
From up and coming Beijing impresario Jon Campbell:

The Return of the Travelling Daughter: Abigail Washburn Brings her Banjo Back to Beijing

Those of you around last November might recall the brief Chinese-spiced bluegrass and old-time invasion of a four-piece outfit lead by banjo player and singer-songwriter (and former Beijing resident) Abigail Washburn. Those of you who weren't may have heard of her imminent arrival. On this, her second China tour in just over a year, she's backed up by a new full-length album (Song of the Traveling Daughter, on Nettwerk Records,) and a flurry of American (and Chinese) media attention

Her original take on traditional folk and old-time American music has an added twist: A melding of the musical and linguistic traditions of the Middle Kingdom. Two songs on her solo debut are original compositions with Chinese lyrics including the title track, a riff on the classic Meng Jiao poem 枞子吟 (‘Song of the Traveling Son').

https://www.danwei.org/trends_and_buzz/beijing_banjo_abigail_washburn.php 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://www.myspace.com/abigailwashburn
In early March, 2009, Abigail had the idea to create Afterquake, a benefit EP in memory of the May 12, 2008 Sichuan Earthquake which left more than 5 million people homeless and hundreds of thousands dead. Abigail and The Shanghai Restoration Project united to go to Sichuan Province, to the relocation schools and into the disaster zone to capture the voices of those affected by the earthquake and sample sounds from the schools and the disaster zone. They sampled, recorded, and produced Afterquake in two and a half weeks. The final result is a timeless musical document that blends folk and electronic sounds with post-earthquake samples. A portion of all Afterquake proceeds goes to the Sichuan Quake Relief organization. .

"As more and more people engage in this struggle for a new direction for the human spirit, we'll recognize that we're morphing into a global species." —-Abigail Washburn


Posted 14 years ago by ambrebalte    [ Reply ]
So very cool!  This is why I listen to RP.  Better kick some more coin your way.  Thanks.
Posted 15 years ago by Eric_Denison    [ Reply ]
My wife (who is from Shanghai) said she couldn't understand a word of her mandarin. I don't care. When I lived in China I wanted to start a metal band and sing Chinese with a horrible southern accent (cuz I'm from Mississippi) {#Bananajam}{#Bananapiano}{#Dancingbanana_2}
Posted 15 years ago by samsamsupersam    [ Reply ]
Normally Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese, etc.) is about as welcome in my ears as an icepick, but this works.  A solid 8.
Posted 15 years ago by Stave    [ Reply ]
 zaknafein wrote:
Folk music in Mandarin. How wonderfully bizarre.
Seconded.  Loved it.  Pure art.  Worldly, weird art. 


Posted 15 years ago by michaelgmitchell    [ Reply ]
Pass me the Chopsticks and put some of the soy sauce on the banjo, wont you? This one made me laugh, although I don't think thats intended by the song. {#Mrgreen}
Posted 15 years ago by giotto    [ Reply ]
Excellent musicianship, but less than authentic (though consistently affected) Chinese accent.  Plink Plunk, Ching Chong, Yee Haw!

Posted 16 years ago by versalog    [ Reply ]
 zaknafein wrote:
Folk music in Mandarin. How wonderfully bizarre.
 
{#Yes}

Posted 16 years ago by gumby    [ Reply ]
  A little too much of the  vocal tracks at the end.
Posted 16 years ago by bokey    [ Reply ]
Stewed_Mulligan wrote:
poly-ethnic culture clash....Appalacian Old-Time banjo with Chinese lyrics.... now THIS is why I listen to RP...thanx!!
I saw her at a Mountain Stage show? Have you ever been to one?
Posted 16 years ago by Jack_Jefferson    [ Reply ]
The fiddle line on this really reminds me of the music they used on Serenity, especially the opening theme. Nice!
Posted 16 years ago by nmcvaugh    [ Reply ]
I don't know what this is but it's wonderful.
Posted 16 years ago by rowdydaisy    [ Reply ]
BryseEayo wrote:
Wow this is weird. I hope most of you know of the television show Firefly. This is exactly the music that the show's made for. And a main character's last name is also Washburn... Creepy.
We have the DVD set. You nailed it. Creepy. And awesome. I loved the mashup-Chinese they spoke on Firefly. Prescient, perhaps? c.
Posted 16 years ago by cc_rider    [ Reply ]
GusinLeesburg wrote:
BORING BORING BORING - Made me fire up the MP3 player.
Sorry for you and your little mind.
Posted 16 years ago by wally42    [ Reply ]
Folk music in Mandarin. How wonderfully bizarre.
Posted 16 years ago by zaknafein    [ Reply ]
poly-ethnic culture clash....Appalacian Old-Time banjo with Chinese lyrics.... now THIS is why I listen to RP...thanx!!
Posted 16 years ago by Stewed_Mulligan    [ Reply ]
Beautiful
Posted 16 years ago by EssexTex    [ Reply ]
kerr wrote:
Possibly like a woman with no clothes on?
Posted 17 years ago by philbertr    [ Reply ]

Posted 17 years ago by Cruithne3753    [ Reply ]
I just ordered this album after hearin' an' watchin' Uncle Earl songs an' videos at their site ( very generous I must say! ;) America should be very proud of Abegail an' Uncle Earl, World Class! Please lets hear some Uncle Earl?
Posted 17 years ago by Mari    [ Reply ]
BORING BORING BORING - Made me fire up the MP3 player.
Posted 17 years ago by GusinLeesburg    [ Reply ]
I bet this genre was wide open.
Posted 17 years ago by bokey    [ Reply ]
Pretty cunning, don'tcha think?!
Posted 17 years ago by Cruithne3753    [ Reply ]
BryseEayo wrote:
Wow this is weird. I hope most of you know of the television show Firefly. This is exactly the music that the show's made for. And a main character's last name is also Washburn... Creepy.
My thoughts exactly. That was wonderful!
Posted 17 years ago by teenta    [ Reply ]
Bluegrass with Chinese lyrics. Now that's why I listen to RP!
Posted 17 years ago by DrLex    [ Reply ]
No thanks...
Posted 17 years ago by Shesdifferent    [ Reply ]
Greenman wrote:
I wonder what the Chinese think...
They love it!!! The tour over there went over really well.
Posted 17 years ago by wally42    [ Reply ]
Too worldly for me - Scottish, Asian bluegrass?
Posted 17 years ago by jcjoh    [ Reply ]
Earlier today we had Russian Bluegrass from Bering Strait. Now Chinese Bluegrass. If there is atheme here, I would like to hear more.
Posted 17 years ago by AlienRelic    [ Reply ]
Shiny Cap'n!
Posted 17 years ago by Cybrid    [ Reply ]
More Please! Love that banjo!! Thanks Bill!
Posted 17 years ago by Brimmy    [ Reply ]
Wow this is weird. I hope most of you know of the television show Firefly. This is exactly the music that the show's made for. And a main character's last name is also Washburn... Creepy.
Posted 17 years ago by BryseEayo    [ Reply ]
Abagail is awesome. The Sparrow Quaret has been touring around. Abagail, Casey Driessen, Ben Solee(cello) and Bela Fleck, they have been touring, See them! She is also part of Uncle Earl, the coolest all girl band ever! Nice Bill!! Thank you!
Posted 17 years ago by wally42    [ Reply ]
I wonder what the Chinese think...
Posted 17 years ago by Greenman    [ Reply ]
Beijing Bluegrass Banjo - Kewl!
Posted 17 years ago by driver8    [ Reply ]
This should have been on the soundtrack for Firefly! (and that's not a bad thing)
Posted 17 years ago by Frater_Kork    [ Reply ]
Possibly like a woman with no clothes on? Alpine wrote:
I wonder how she looks naked?
Posted 18 years ago by kerr    [ Reply ]
I wonder how she looks naked?
Posted 18 years ago by Alpine    [ Reply ]
That was TOO cool !
Posted 18 years ago by Little_Wing    [ Reply ]
Steven_G ..I was thinking surely the language was Celtic -... Same here. I went to look if it was Scottish or Irish Celtic. What a surprise!! Nice constructive comment Ibis99.
Posted 18 years ago by algrif    [ Reply ]
Abigail Washburn
Posted 18 years ago by Mari    [ Reply ]
Crap!
Posted 18 years ago by Ibis99    [ Reply ]
Yep. It's in Chinese I am so surprised. But the song is a great song . Like OP said, it's like between the whispering lovers..lol
Posted 18 years ago by kurtzjs    [ Reply ]
Posted 18 years ago by parrothead    [ Reply ]
tg3k wrote:
Gotta admit this is the first bluegrass I've heard sung in Chinese. Good playing, though.
Sorry T3.. but I didn't hardly believe you. I was thinking surely the language was Celtic - especially since a lot of Scotland's folk music sounds a lot like America's folk music. (Also - I can't turn RP up very loud and couldn't exactly distinguish what the language was that was being sung.) So I looked it up on AMG and found that you are totally correct!
Time singing backup in reggae, gospel, and R&B bands was nothing more than "fun," but a trip to China in 1996 changed all that. Picking up the native language faster than she imagined and falling in love with Chinese culture got her to thinking. Reconsidering the culture of her own homeland, Washburn bought a banjo and decided to explore the rich heritage of folk and bluegrass music.
Posted 18 years ago by Steven_G    [ Reply ]
Gotta admit this is the first bluegrass I've heard sung in Chinese. Good playing, though.
Posted 18 years ago by tg3k    [ Reply ]
This is good! So intimate, so surprising, so skilled. It felt, at moments, like I was a point in between whispering lovers.
Posted 18 years ago by Govi    [ Reply ]