[Intro] Hot water in late autumn Washed the dust off the road I sat alone in the night And suddenly felt quiet in my soul [Verse 1] That night I drove to Suzhou Sleep was heavy on the ring road Headlights faded one by one Like time was leaving without a sound I thought about the friends I'd meet The beer, the wind, the midnight street Some hopes I never said out loud Still kept pushing me forward somehow [Pre-Chorus] We met outside the neighborhood gate Walking neither fast nor slow The lights of a northeastern diner Warmed a table for three souls The barbecue tasted just right We laughed over cards all night The owner spoke with a Henan tone And joined in with advice of his own [Chorus] Oh years, blow slowly Across the wild, across someone lonely Walking down the road of memory I learned goodbye was not a loss to me Oh years, chase softly Across the lake, where nothing comes back fully A heart that is full inside Can walk alone, yet feel accompanied [Verse 2] Later I heard an old classmate Had left this world years ago But suddenly I saw the past That winter snow began to glow By the roadside in fourth grade break Wheel tracks crossed the frozen white I told my mom I’d go find him She nodded, and I ran into the light Back then there were no phones No messages to make it known Just a rough time in my mind And I ran toward another village road [Pre-Chorus] Twenty years were like the wind Scattering faces, names, and things But somewhere in a corner of my life He still lights a quiet lamp within Then I finally understood Some people are not strangers, even if they’re far The traces they once left behind Cannot be erased by time [Chorus] Oh years, blow slowly Across the wild, across someone lonely Walking down the road of memory I learned each meeting was precious to me Oh years, chase softly Across the lake, where nothing comes back fully A heart that is full inside Can walk alone, yet feel accompanied [Bridge] The next day we woke up at noon Three heavy heads in one small room Outside a wonton shop, a strange old sign Said “marriage detective” like a joke from life Jinji Lake opened up my heart Osmanthus fell across my clothes By the sound of Dushu Lake We sat until the daylight closed A singer missed a note or two Newlyweds smiled in the cold wind too Even two simple starch sausages Became something worth holding on to [Final Chorus] Oh years, blow slowly Through the laughter, through the tears When joy was full and sadness came I understood how loss and fullness turn with years Oh years, chase softly Through the gathering we cannot retrieve Still I choose to write it down Before it fades into the river of time beneath [Outro] You never really know Which moment will become a memory So I write this to my soon-to-be self And to that day, the wind, and you Hot water in late autumn Washed the dust off the road Another day is coming soon Yet warmth remains inside my soul
