Meej Vaj Sings

After browsing youtube, I just found out that the main male protagonist (pra-ek) from the Hmong movie, Hlub Zaum Ob, sings too.  In fact, he has been singing many years prior to acting.  For me, it's always a plus to see a pra-ek who can both sing and act.  So if you are a fan of Meej Vaj, here's two songs for you to enjoy.  In both songs, he is singing in the Hmoob ntsuab dialect but we know he speaks Hmong dawb fluently too.



Nkauj Hmoob Tawv Ncauj - Meej Vaj & Nkauj See Lis

Guy:

Nkauj Hmoob Nkauj Hmoob

Hmong girls Hmong girls

Mej puas kaam nab?

Are you willing?

Pig kis ntxuv mej tuaj pauv peb zug

Come help us farm tomorrow morning

Moog hlais peb les nplej nab lov

(We’re) going to harvest rice grains

Girls:

Tsis kam…tsis kam…tsis kam

(We’re) not willing…not willing…not willing

Guy:

Kaam los mas…Kaam los ma

(Please) be willing…(please) be willing

Hlais peb le tag

After harvesting our rice grains

Peb mam mus hlais mej le os

We will help you harvest yours

Girl:

Tsis kam os
(We’re) not willing

Nej niam nej txiv

Your mom and dad

Lawv coj zog nruj nruj kawg li

Are very strict towards the helpers/workers

Peb mus pauv nej li zog puag thaum i

We helped you once

Twb tsis tso peb los noj mov li

(And we) didn’t even get to eat

Guy:

Puag thaum i kuv tseem miv miv

That time I was still young

Xyoo nuav ces kuv twb tav nraug lawm ne

But this year I am all grown up

Kuv maam tso mej lug noj mov kuam txaus

I will let you have lunch to your heart’s content

Maam dle zaub pub mej aub lug tsev os

(I will) pick mustards free (of charge) for you to carry home

Girl:

Tsis kam os

(We’re) not willing

Nej daim teb nce nce toj

Your farm land is very hilly

Thaum los tsev mob mob peb txhais ceg

On the return trip (the path) will be tiresome (the literal translation is that their legs are already tired from working all day and they want an easy rather than a rugged path home)

Peb tsis kam mus halis nej li nplej os

We are not willing to help you harvest your rice grains

Music Break

Guy:

Kaam los mas…Kaam los ma

(Please) be willing…(please) be willing

Hlais peb le tag

After harvesting our rice grains

Peb mam mus hlais mej le os

We will help you harvest yours

Girl:

Tsis kam os
(We’re) not willing

Nej niam nej txiv

Your mom and dad

Lawv coj zog nruj nruj kawg li

Are very strict towards the helpers/workers

Peb mus pauv nej li zog puag thaum i

We helped you once

Twb tsis tso peb los noj mov li

(And we) didn’t even get to eat

Guy:

Puag thaum i kuv tseem miv miv

That time I was still young

Xyoo nuav ces kuv twb tav nraug lawm ne

But this year I am all grown up

Kuv maam tso mej lug noj mov kuam txaus

I will let you have lunch to your heart’s content

Maam dle zaub pub mej aub lug tsev os

(I will) pick mustards free (of charge) for you to carry home

Girl:

Tsis kam os

(We’re) not willing

Nej daim teb nce nce toj

Your farm land is very hilly

Thaum los tsev mob mob peb txhais ceg

On the return trip (the path) will be tiresome

Peb tsis kam mus halis nej li nplej os

We are not willing to help you harvest your rice grains



Ua Siab Txhob Tuaj Lawm – Meej Vaj thiab Nkauj See Lis

Girl:

Koj yog hmoob ntsuab kuv yog hmoob dawb

You are green Hmong, I am white Hmong (green and white is a reference to the color of the skirt worn by Hmong women—and, each group of women speak a different dialect of the Hmong language.  Actually, Hmoob ntsuab or green Hmong women’s skirts are not green; they’re rather indigo—a bluish color.  But while the color blue remains blue in many other languages, the color blue often gets changed into green in Hmong vocabulary—for instance, we don’t say that the sky is blue or the water is blue but rather that the sky is green and the water is green [tsis yog ntuj xiav, pas dej xiav tiam sis ntuj ntsuab, pas dej ntsuab].

Ua ib siab mog tsis txhob tuaj lawm

Let (us) go and don’t come (visit me) anymore

Vim nej niam lawv tsis nyiam peb mog

Because your mother doesn’t like me (the literal translation is “us;” in the old days when young men and women court, they usually refer to each other in third person perspective in order to sound more elusive rather than direct in the expression of their emotions so to appear as more humble)

Txawm hlub mus los paub tias tsis tau

Even if (we) continue to love (one another, I know) that (we) won’t get to be together

Guy:

Kuv ncus koj heev yuav tso tsis tau

I miss you dearly (I) won’t be able to let you go

Txawm yog tej laug yuav hais les caag

No matter what the elders say (referring to his parents)

Koj txhob muab xaav ua kev tu sab

Don’t ponder over too much (to the point where it will) saddened you

Puab hais les caag los txhob moog noog

No matter what they say, don’t listen to it

Girl:

Txawm txoj kev hlub yuav siab tshaj ntuj

Even if (our) love is greater (higher) than the sky

Los luag tsis pub ntshe yuav tsis tau

But if they won’t let us (be together) then there’s nothing else that can be done

Mus ua lub neej yog tias tej laus

(If we) become a family but the elders

Tsis nyiam tsis hlub laj muab neej xaus

Don’t like, don’t love (me) then life will be difficult to the end

Cheem thaum tsis tau sib nco heev mog

Let (us) stop now when (we) haven’t missed each other that much

Guy:

Kuv yuav tsis kaam tso tseg les mog

I am not willing to let go

Vim qaab ntuj nuav koj txhaj les yog

Because in this world (under the sky) you are the one

Tug ntuj tso lug pub kuv xwb os

The one that the heavens sent to me

Lub neej tom ntej yuav tsum muaj koj

In the future (I) must have you

Lug nrug kuv nyob ua kuv quas puj

To live with me as my wife

Music Break

Girl:

Txawm txoj kev hlub yuav siab tshaj ntuj

Even if (our) love is greater (higher) than the sky

Los luag tsis pub ntshe yuav tsis tau

But if they won’t let us (be together) then there’s nothing else that can be done

Mus ua lub neej yog tias tej laus

(If we) become a family but the elders

Tsis nyiam tsis hlub laj muab neej xaus

Don’t like, don’t love (me) then life will be difficult to the end

Cheem thaum tsis tau sib nco heev mog

Let (us) stop now when (we) haven’t missed each other that much

Guy:

Kuv yuav tsis kaam tso tseg les mog

I am not willing to let go

Vim qaab ntuj nuav koj txhaj les yog

Because in this world (under the sky) you are the one

Tug ntuj tso lug pub kuv xwb os

The one that the heavens sent to me

Lub neej tom ntej yuav tsum muaj koj

In the future (I) must have you

Lug nrug kuv nyob ua kuv quas puj

To live with me as my wife