I.    Lyrics (translated from Chinese)

Ti-ti-ta. Ta-ta-ti. Give me a pair of small wooden sandals.
Ti-ti-ta. Ta-ta-ti. Ti-ti-ta. Ta-ta-ti. Ti-ti-ta. Ta-ta-ti.
Give me a pair of small wooden sandals. Let me knock up my childhood.
Like using dull little instrument. From this side of the alley to that side of the valley. From this side of the valley to that side of the valley.
Ti-li-ta-la. Ta-la-ti-li. Ti-li-ta-la. Ti-li-ta-la.
Ti-tita. Ta-ta-ti. Ti-ti-ta. Ta-ta-ti. Ti-tita. Ta-ta-ti.
Give me a pair of small wooden sandals. Summer in the childhood is calling me.
To run to catch up other little tricks. From this side of the alley to that side of the valley. From this side of the valley to that side of the valley.
Ti-li-ta-la. Ta-la-ti-li. Ti-li-ta-la. Ti-li-ta-la.
Stamp and tread. Tread and stamp. Stamp and tread. Tread and stamp. Stamp and tread. Tread and stamp.
Give me a pair of small wooden sandals. Summer in the childhood is so boisterous.
Clusters of small sandals are everywhere. From sunrise to sunset. From sunrise to sunset.
Stamp and tread, tread. Tread and stamp, stamp. Stamp and tread, tread. Tread and stamp, stamp.
Ti-tita. Ta-ta-ti. Ti-tita. Ta-ta-ti. Ti-tita. Ta-ta-ti.
Give me a pair of small wooden sandals. The magic rhythm has led me.
Walk back into fairy tale’s little world. From this side of the alley to that side of the valley. From this side of the valley to that side of the valley.
Ti-li-ta-la. Ta-la-ti-li. Ti-li-ta-la. Ta-la-ti-li.

Lyrics written by Yu Kwang-chung (余光中)

踢踢踏 踏踏踢 給我一雙小木屐
踢踢踏 踏踏踢 踢踢踏 踏踏踢 踢踢踏 踏踏踢
給我一雙小木屐 讓我把童年敲敲醒
像用笨笨的小樂器 從巷頭到巷底 從巷頭到巷底
踢力踏拉 踏拉踢力 踢力踏拉 踢力踏拉
踢踢踏 踏踏踢 踢踢踏 踏踏踢 踢踢踏 踏踏踢
給我一雙小木屐 童年的夏天在叫我
去追趕別的小把戲 從巷頭到巷底 從巷頭到巷底
踢力踏拉 踏拉踢力 踢力踏拉 踢力踏拉
跺了蹬 蹬了跺 跺了蹬 蹬了跺 跺了蹬 蹬了跺
給我一雙小木柂 童年的夏天真熱鬧
成群的木柂滿地拖 從日起到日落 從日起到日落
跺了蹬蹬 蹬了跺跺 跺了蹬蹬 蹬了跺跺
踢踢踏 踏踏踢 踢踢踏 踏踏踢 踢踢踏 踏踏踢
給我一雙小木屐 魔幻的節奏帶領我
走回童話的小天地 從巷頭到巷底 從巷頭到巷底
踢力踏拉 踏拉踢力 踢力踏拉 踏拉踢力

Video
Christine Hsu (許景淳)

Audio
Tang Hsiao-Shih (唐曉詩)
http://lth.e-lib.nctu.edu.tw/data/sound/poem-010-sd19970001a-t.mp3

II.    About this Song

Exposition of the music:
Exposition of the music – Lyrics of this song came from a poem in Yu Kwang-chung’s “Small Wooden Sandals nostalgic suite.” It describes the sound of wooden sandals when kids wore and played on the streets in Taiwan’s early years. Li Tai-Hsiang added sounds made by sandals into the song to make the whole song have childhood’s carefree moods.

III.    Manuscript

Handwritten notes of “Small Wooden Sandals” (1979)	Handwritten orchestra manuscript of “Small Wooden Sandals in E minor” for guitar (1979)

      

To view the story of Li Tai-Hsiang, please go to Li Tai-Hsiang, the Native Musician of Taiwan.
Text and images are provided by The Native Musician of Taiwan－Tai-Hsiang Li Digital Archive, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan