Neon bleeds across the bridge at dusk
Jasmine tea cools in a chipped cup
Bicycles chime through the narrow streets
Where the scent of pepper and the summer meet
The sky turns amber the lanterns glow
A lazy river learns to flow
To the rhythm of a distant guqin string—
That’s when the city starts to sing
Oh Chengdu nights slow burn and bright
Spice on my tongue stars in your eyes
We’ll walk till the moon forgets the time
In the arms of a slow sweet Chengdu night
Oh Chengdu nights tender and wild
Every old street sings like a child
We’ll laugh till the dark turns soft to light
Lost in the arms of a Chengdu night
Pots are boiling in the backstreet glow
Mala laughter stories overflow
Old men play chess beneath the pine
Steam rises soft into the wine
The sky turns amber the lanterns glow
A lazy river learns to flow
To the rhythm of a distant guqin string—
That’s when the city starts to sing
Oh Chengdu nights slow burn and bright
Spice on my tongue stars in your eyes
We’ll walk till the moon forgets the time
In the arms of a slow sweet Chengdu night
Oh Chengdu nights tender and wild
Every old street sings like a child
We’ll laugh till the dark turns soft to light
Lost in the arms of a Chengdu night
Let the pandas dream in their bamboo shade
Let the alleys hum their serenade
I don’t need a map I don’t need a plan—
Just your hand in mine that’s all I am
Oh Chengdu nights soft as a sigh
Fire in the pot peace in the sky
We’ll stay till the first light paints the line—
Lost in the heart of a Chengdu night
Oh Chengdu nights deep as a song
Here in your arms where I belong
We’ll dance till the stars all fade from sight
Burning like one slow Chengdu night
Bicycles fade the river gleams
Another city in my dreams—
But none my love will ever quite
Burn like a slow Chengdu night