If you could know the answer to three questions, any questions, what would you ask? Maybe some secrets of the universe? Maybe about how your life will turn out? Or maybe even who is going to win the Super Bowl? M Ward digs deep into his soul and asks an old man about his troubles he has been seeking the answers to. The old man replies that he once struggled with the same questions and even asked an old man himself. The answer? While it’s not given in the song, it is implied that he did the same thing, and the story continuously repeats.
There are a couple of takeaways from this story. One is that people have been chasing the same questions for ages. Maybe there isn’t an answer for them. Or maybe the answer is to not ask such questions. We sometimes lose sight of what’s going on around us when we are constantly looking at the future. Another idea is the passage of information. When we discover answers to big questions it’s our responsibility to allow that knowledge to live on long after we are gone. Wise people among us should not be ignored, instead embrace their knowledge and experience and figure out how it can be allied to our ever-changing lives.
Chinese Translation starts out with the previously discussed story, but about halfway through turns into a nice groove for the guitar to noodle over. The way this song is structured is to first tell a story that makes you think and want to ask questions. Those initial questions are answered, but they then produce a new wave of questions that are left for you to answer as the guitar seems to get farther and farther away. The upbeat tempo of the song makes it easy to bob your head and get lost, which will make you listen to the song over and over again.
You can learn more about M Ward here:
About the curator - Nick Malpezzi
Nick Malpezzi is a lover of nature, cats, beer, and music. When he’s not at his day job he is recording artists, working on films, writing music, taking pictures and enjoying life. He believes complexity is derived from simplicity, which is seen in his musical tastes and original productions.
