Bei Dao (simplified Chinese: 北岛; traditional Chinese: 北島; pinyin: Běi Dǎo; literally: "Northern Island", born August 2, 1949) is the pen name of Chinese poet Zhao Zhenkai (S: 赵振开, T: 趙振開, P: Zhào Zhènkāi). He was born in Beijing. He chose the pen name because he came from the north and because of his preference for solitude. Bei Dao is the most notable representative of the Misty Poets, a group of Chinese poets who reacted against the restrictions of the Cultural Revolution.
As a teenager, Bei Dao was a member of the Red Guards, the enthusiastic followers of Mao Zedong who enforced the dictates of the Cultural Revolution, often through violent means. He had misgivings about the Revolution and was "re-educated" as a construction worker, from 1969 to 1980. Bei Dao and Mang Ke founded the magazine Jintian (Today), the central publication of the Misty Poets, which was published from 1978 until 1980, when it was banned. The work of the Misty Poets and Bei Dao in particular were an inspiration to pro-democracy movements in China. Most notable was his poem "Huida" (回答, "The Answer") which was written during the 1976 Tiananmen demonstrations in which he participated. The poem was taken up as a defiant anthem of the pro-democracy movement and appeared on posters during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. During the 1989 protests and subsequent shootings, Bei Dao was at a literary conference in Berlin and was not allowed to return to China until 2006. (Three other leading Misty Poets — Gu Cheng, Duo Duo, and Yang Lian — were also exiled.) His then wife, Shao Fei, and their daughter were not allowed to leave China to join him for another six years.
Push up
Haha, I never knew that a kid like me
Could take his mic around the world
(World)
Flash the big S.D.
And rock the masses
From Madrid to Calabasas
Tijuana, Mexico
Bootleg demos in Tokyo
Say they know me though
'Cause I'll be puttin' in work
Commit my life to rebirth
Well respected, 'cause that's my word
And I'm sure you heard
(Heard)
'Bout a new sound goin' 'round
She might have left my hood
But she was born in my town
You didn't know, thought we was new on the scene
(Well it's alright, it's alright)
I know you know, I see you smilin' at me
(Well it's alright, it's alright)
Boom!
Here comes the
Boom!
Ready or not?
Here comes the boys from the South
Boom!
Here comes the
Boom!
Ready or not?
How you like me now?, I say
We rep the South
So what you talkin' 'bout?
I'm not runnin' off my mouth
I know this without a doubt
'Cause if you know these streets
Then these streets know you
An' when it's time to handle business
Then you know what to do
(What to do)
Me and my crew
We stay true, old skool or new
Many were called
But the chosen are few
(We are few)
We rise to the top
What you want, just in case you forgot
Rush the stage, grab my mic
Show me what you got?
You didn't know, thought we was new on the scene
(Well it's alright, it's alright)
I know you know, I see you smiling at me
(Well it's alright, it's alright)
Boom!
Here comes the
Boom!
Ready or not?
Here comes the boys from the South
Boom!
Here comes the
Boom!
Ready or not ?
How you like me now?, I say
Boom!
Here comes the
Boom!
Ready or not?
Here comes the boys from the South
Boom!
Here comes the
Boom!
Ready or not?
How you like me now?
Is that all you got?, haha
I'll take your best shot
Is that all you got?, ha ha
I'll take your best shot
Is that all you got?, I'll take your best shot
Is that all you got?, I'll take your best shot
Is that all you got?, I'll take your best shot
I'll take your best shot, I'll take your best shot
Is that all you got?
(Well it's alright, it's alright)
I'll take your best shot
Is that all you got?
(Well it's alright, it's alright)
I'll take your best shot
Is that all you got?, I'll take your best shot
(Well it's alright, it's alright)
Take your best shot, take your best shot
Is that all you got?, I'll take your best shot
(Well it's alright, it's alright)
Take your best shot, take your best shot
Boom!
Here comes the
Boom!
Ready or not?
Here comes the boys from the South
Boom!
Here comes the
Boom!
Ready or not?
Haha, how you like me now?, I say
Boom!
Here comes the
Boom!
Ready or not?
Here comes the boys from the South
Boom!
Here comes the
Boom!
Ready or not?