无尽的前沿

Way back in the year of 2017/那是很久以前的2017
The sun was growing hotter/阳光日渐毒辣
And oil was way beyond its peak/石油不再风光
When crazy Hector Johnson broke into a refinery/当时疯子约翰逊闯进炼油厂
And the black gold started flowing/血色黑金四处流淌
Just like Boston tea/如同波士顿倾茶的火花

It was the summer of the riots/那是个暴|乱的夏日
And London sat in sweltering heat/伦敦热得咝咝响
And the gangs of Mini Coopers/开宝马的流氓
Took the battle to the streets/把战争带到了大街上
But when the creed was handed down/但热情不如夏日久长
For no more trucks and no more cars/皮卡也不如宝马爽
They threw cans of petrol through the windows at Scotland Yard/于是一罐罐润滑油砸向苏格兰场

(chorus)
Gasoline
Will be free, will be free/汽油不要钱，不要钱
Gasoline
Will be free, will be free/汽油不要钱，不要钱

When the Mounties stormed the palace of the Saudi family/骑兵队扫荡了沙特王宫
They held them up for ransom/国王全家肉票的干活
Without disturbing their high tea/虽然下午茶供应照旧
But their getaway was shaky/但逃跑却不那么轻松
They stalled in the Riyadh streets/好不容易窜上利雅得大街
Cause you can't make it very far/很快又被逮走
When your tank is on empty/因为汽车没有油

The final can of gasoline was loaded on a truck/卡车载着最后一桶汽油
And driven through the streets of Agra to the palace aquaduct/在阿格拉圣城的街道疾驰
You see, all the majesty of worship that once adorned these fatal halls/然而千年的膜拜影踪全无
Was just a target to the angry/王宫只是怒火的发泄口
As they blew up the Taj Mahal/如泰姬陵一般化作青烟

(repeat chorus)

Gary ran a market way down in Tennessee/田纳西有个开菜场的加里
Where all the farmers got together and talked about this great country/农民们在那儿谈天说地
But when the government turned its back on farming/当政府不顾乡下人的死活
Man, what I hear/喔！我的上帝
They dragged the pumps out of the ground/他们从地里扯出了水泵
With a big vintage John Deere/还有那老掉牙的约翰迪尔农机

I've got soldiers on my payroll/美国大兵是我家养
Standing guard on my front drive/门口有兰博放哨站岗
Snipers on the roof poised at those/房顶的瓦西里等我一声令下
Who don't want me alive/想干掉我的自己先见阎王
Cause they audited my taxes/朝廷告我偷税漏税
My family under threat/还说要杀我全家
Cause I've got a message and a megaphone/幸好我有杀手锏和大喇叭
And I'll scream it to the death/要把这消息吼到天崩地塌

(repeat chorus)

You got the farms in Argentina/阿根廷有我们的燃料农场
Making fuel from sugar cane/种出甘蔗榨汽油
You got the bastards in Washington/华盛顿有我们的杂种政客
Afraid of popping the greed vain/恬不知耻又贪财
Cause the money's in the pipeline/输油管里流着他们的钱
And pipeline's running dry/流淌百年如今干竭
And we'll be the last to recognize/善良的人们觉悟吧
Where there's shit there's always flies/哪里有狗屎哪里就有苍蝇嗡嗡

p.s. Sheryl Crow的这首新歌整一出后现代启示录，各式角色粉墨登场，嬉笑怒骂一应俱全，说来说去一句话而已：千里做官只为财，百年征战皆因油。。。

同样选择了上海音乐厅作为演出场地，前年带来大量打击乐和bass的Yann Tiersen相当失败，而今次Keren Ann的歌声、吉他和口琴则是完全不同，我想在上海再也找不到第二个能和音乐厅比肩的地方可以带给大家如此深入心灵的民谣体验了。

不大的场地，完美的回响，平易的票价，自然还有歌者投入的演绎，对于这样一场计划外的感动而言，开场那些乐器平衡方面的小小问题几分钟后即可原谅。Keren的嗓音现场听来较之冷冰冰的CD多了些许性感，冷静自然还是冷静的，除了最后的for you and I、big yellow taxi两曲终了时和贝司手、鼓手大哥互动了一把，全场基本在一种淡淡的忧伤中度过，间或有歌者的小小玩笑，譬如假装跑去后台找个翻译然后冲回来说只有法语翻译问大家是不是understand英文之类。又要谈到现场调音的问题，各乐器间的平衡感始终控制得不理想，所以那些配器简单的track更令人印象深刻，les rivieres de janvier、jardin d'hiver这些曲目的中文翻译真的相当不错，感谢那位传说中的法语翻译～～第二次encore也许会成为几周内大家津津乐道的话题吧，Keren赤手空拳出场，熄灭了舞台灯光，给我们带来了清唱版的manh de carnaval，全场安静的听完这首，此刻大家的思绪估计都成功找到了自己的远方圣地而暂时离开人世的喧嚣～～

p.s. 性别比例仍然是个严重问题，现场作为少数群体的男性刨去部分纯粹做陪客来的以外，还是表现相当投入的（至少施主我很投入～汗），只是和girls相比势单力薄了些。。伟大的RAMDOM啊，什么时候能看到Vega大姐呢。。（又有人要说我做白日梦了＃＃@@）

关于民谣皇帝和皇后的八卦故事听了不少，也写了不少，这回还是老老实实聊聊音乐吧。作为Dylan一方，他的歌词晦涩难懂，而且凭良心说嗓音也颇为粗糙，虽然是个文思如泉涌的鬼才，词曲俱佳，可惜欠缺一副好嗓；而Baez则正好相反，那首现场清唱版的"Swing Low Sweet Chariot"号称在西班牙某体育场大雨中录下，年近五十的歌声依然高亢，可以想见60年代其极盛期的嗓子惊艳到何等程度。当Dylan在60年代中期改走摇滚路线之后，Baez以传统民谣的方式重新诠释了他的一些歌曲，再加上历年Dylan专为她所作的曲目，便诞生了这张"Baez Sings Dylan"的雏形。这张唱片个人认为是引人进入60年代民谣世界的最佳入门碟，几年前大学时候每在宿舍楼下的小花园里看书，便会拎着CD机放这张唱片里那20首歌，保洁的大叔虽然洋文一句听不懂，但随着Baez的歌声穿透空气，也会在周围流连作沉醉状，可见民谣的强大杀伤力～～

1963 “The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan”（Dylan）
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right ：新港民谣音乐节上两人保留合唱曲目，经典中的经典

1964 “The Times They Are A-Changin'”（Dylan）
One Too Many Mornings ：清淡小品，离愁别绪
North Country Blues ：叙事民歌，凄凄惨惨的调子很是伤怀
Boots of Spanish Leather ：少见的弗拉门戈吉他风格
Restless Farewell ：女声的表现力似有过度，歌词反而被淡化了

1964 "Another Side of Bob Dylan"（Dylan）
It Ain't Me Babe ：这首还是Dylan自己的沙哑风格演绎更有味道

1965 "Bringing It All Back Home"（Dylan）
Love Minus Zero/No Limit ：也是调子很平淡的歌，但词非常有力～貌似用到很多圣经里的典故～暗喻多多，看似情歌，却又在讲生活百态和社会思潮
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue ：听出一些反战的味道，有点凄厉

1965 "Farewell, Angelina"（Baez）
Farewell, Angelina ：我背下的第一首Dylan的歌词，实在是～说不清楚讲啥意思，但又好像明白几分个中涵义，这种vagueness正是他的拿手好戏，"海盗们白日里射瓶取乐，邻人鼓掌为击中欢呼，我将离去，因为天空已变了颜色～"
Daddy You've Been on My Mind ：听着像Jazz其实～～

1967 “John Wesley Harding”（Dylan）
I Dreamed I Saw St.Augustine ：也是有点基督教背景的才容易理解
Drifter's Escape ：传统的蓝调民歌风格，有点类似Johnny Cash那种，不过配乐柔和不少
Dear Landlord ：带点funk味道的编曲，算是玩玩新花样
I Pity the Poor Immagrant ：这首曲子Baez的歌声就比Dylan温暖许多了

1968 “Any Day Now”（Baez）
You Ain't Going Nowhere ：又是一首引起背诵冲动的歌曲，"思绪常驻冬日，你将无处可去～缚于有根之树，你将无处可去～"
Tears of Rage ：清唱版，展现Baez深厚内功的时刻
Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word ：总算是比较单纯的情歌了
Walls of Red Wing ：监狱之歌，狱中抒怀
I Shall Be Released ：一首让Baez放开唱的歌，罗伯茨的大嘴飘过～～
Walkin' Down the Line ：可以轻松听听的歌，不用去琢磨歌词～

前些日子无聊中下了"黄金罗盘"看，几天之后除了记得小演员笑起来酷似Cate Blanchett之外其他基本统统忘光（so失败的儿童片）～～不过感谢自己有看完字幕的好习惯，最后的片尾曲中听到了一个熟悉的声音，难道是。。赶紧往后拖，果然是Kate Bush，不禁又回想起大学时代来。

记得还是闹SARS那一年，兄弟们全给关在学校里，课时压缩一半，大把闲暇时间无处打发，所幸这时复旦的网络刚刚通到了上医，大家便也乐不思蜀起来。某次翻日月光华还是哪个ftp记不清了，看到一篇转载的文章"摆荡在天堂与地狱之间的神秘精灵"，心想那么牛啊，可要体会体会，这就头一回看到了"Running Up That Hill"、"Cloudbusting"这几支80年代的MV，影像以当时标准衡量应属颇有创意，而那歌声与词曲则已不受时代所限了。那时候才开始听Tori Amos和Suzanne Vega，对这类或多或少加入现代元素的当代民谣兴致正浓，所以后来几年在大自鸣钟很是花了一番心思找她的唱片，陆续收获82年的<The Dreaming>、85年的<Hounds Of Love>、89年的<The Sensual World>，余下几张或是年代久远或是不那么成功，虽多方寻觅却非我能力所及了。两年多前，远离乐迷视野12年的她又推出了双CD录音室专辑<Aerial>，虽然歌声中不再有那么多激情，但听起来的感觉还是很不错的，只是我买的那张外壳破坏颇重，只得将碟片取出保存。。前几年，因为Hayley Westenra翻唱了一首"Wuthering Heights/呼啸山庄"，知道Kate的人似乎又多了一些，这首歌是典型的Kate-style，出自78年的首张专辑<The Kick Inside>，MV中她还狠狠秀了一把舞蹈功底，各位有兴趣可以找来看看。

1963年，民谣诗人Bob Dylan发表了这首著名的Blowin' in the wind，当年他被Joan Baez带上新港民谣音乐节的舞台时远不及后者那般声名远播，但这首歌确是震撼全场，令他即刻跻身宗师行列。七年之后，客居美国的余光中写下了旁边这首"江湖上"，又过五年，被杨弦谱曲演唱，成为民歌运动的代表作之一，诗人在作品后这样写道"本诗的叠句出于美国年轻一代最有才华的诗人与民歌手……（诗中的）一片大陆可指新大陆，也可指旧大陆：新大陆不可久留，旧大陆久不能归"。

How many roads must a man walk down                   一双鞋，能踢几条街？
Before you call him a man?                                      一双脚，能换几次鞋？
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail          一口气，咽得下几座城？
Before she sleeps in the sand?                                 一辈子，闯几次红灯？
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly           答案啊答案
Before they're forever banned?                                      在茫茫的风里
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,       
The answer is blowin' in the wind.                             一双眼，能燃烧到几岁？
                                                                              一张嘴，吻多少次酒杯？
How many times must a man look up                         一头发，能抵抗几把梳子？      
Before he can see the sky?                                       一颗心，能年轻几回？
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have                    答案啊答案
Before he can hear people cry?                                      在茫茫的风里
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows           
That too many people have died?                              为什么，信总在云上飞？              
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,             为什么，车票在手里？
The answer is blowin' in the wind.                              为什么，噩梦在枕头下？
                                                                               为什么，抱你的是大衣？
How many years can a mountain exist                             答案啊答案
Before it's washed to the sea?                                        在茫茫的风里
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?                              一片大陆，算不算你的国？
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,       一个岛，算不算你的家？
Pretending he just doesn't see?                                 一眨眼，算不算少年？
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,              一辈子，算不算永远？
The answer is blowin' in the wind.                                   答案啊答案
                                                                                     在茫茫的风里

不久之前才抱怨过民歌三十的盛宴中缺少了齐姐和阿潘合作的"梦田"这道大餐，不曾想这么快就能弥补这个遗憾，15号的民歌演唱会之前还和几个朋友臆想是否可以先听一遍南方二重唱的梦田开胃，然后才上主菜～～果然是贪心不足。演唱会前在齐辣碰头，得到老板齐鲁赠送的红酒一瓶，那几位借着好彩头半夜里又是签名又是合影，忙得不亦乐乎，可惜我还要去周转。。。

曲调的每一个转合，歌者的每一个吐字，自然已烂熟于心，然而对于流窜至第三排的某痴迷分子而言，时间自然是远远不够，只恨不能按repeat从头来过，如此教科书式的两声部女声在国内只怕是别无分店了，单就"梦田"而论，翻唱者不少，其中能有几分味道的也只有南方一家而已。

p.s. 演唱会以"传说"开场，"龙的传人"收尾，比什么爱国主义教育的长篇大论都有感召力

这首<Gypsy>是民谣才女Suzanne Vega成名前的作品，写于1978年（19岁啊～～），差不多十年之后才收录在经典专辑<Solitude Standing>中，和歌词相对阴郁的邻居们相比尤显清新

You come from far away
With pictures in your eyes
Of coffeeshops and morning streets
In the blue and silent sunrise
But night is the cathedral
Where we recognized the sign
We strangers know each other now
As part of the whole design
Oh, hold me like a baby
That will not fall asleep
Curl me up inside you
And let me hear you through the heat

在日后的某次访谈中提到过这首歌的创作背景，乃是19岁的Vega为纪念童子军野营时的教官男友所作（难道是亨伯特先生的同道不成＃＃），加州果然是发酵恋情的胜地呐。。

You are the jester of this courtyard
With a smile like a girl's
Distracted by the women
With the dimples and the curls
By the pretty and the mischievous
By the timid and the blessed
By the blowing skirts of ladies
Who promise to gather you to their breast
Oh, hold me like a baby
That will not fall asleep
Curl me up inside you
And let me hear you through the heat

从这段来看，我们的教官同学还是相当“博爱”的说，绝对属于大众情人类型，70年代的风尚在其中也可见一斑，这些"flower people"的后辈们在追求快乐方面绝对不输给当年的hippie呢

You have hands of raining water
And that earring in your ear
The wisdom on your face
Denies the number of your years
With the fingers of the potter
And the laughing tale of the fool
The arranger of disorder
With your strange and simple rules
Yes now I've met me another spinner
Of strange and gauzy threads
With a long and slender body
And a bump upon the head
Oh, hold me like a baby
That will not fall asleep
Curl me up inside you
And let me hear you through the heat

这几句还是在描绘那位的可人之处，其中"The wisdom on your face denies the number of your years"堪属妙笔，不过天下没有不散的筵席，Vega同学也要说byebye了～～

With a long and slender body
And the sweetest softest hands
And we'll blow away forever soon
And go on to different lands
And please do not ever look for me
But with me you will stay
And you will hear yourself in song
Blowing by one day
Oh, hold me like a baby
That will not fall asleep
Curl me up inside you
And let me hear you through the heat

少年时代的爱情故事娓娓道来，简单、美丽，而歌词却又如此老练，若干年后Vega发表了自己的文集，不禁想找来一读，看看还有多少美文佳句不及写入歌谣。当然，我们的教官同学也有收获，当他听到这首<Gypsy>，尤其是最后这句"you will hear yourself in song blowing by one day"时，不知有何感想，会不会还记得当年的小女孩和甜蜜往事呢。。。

不久之前曾经盗用过capa写的关于“钻石与陈锈”的回忆，其实Dylan和Baez的故事要深挖起来那就真成历史研究了，当事人自己对于这段往事并不讳言，Baez在这张75年的同名专辑中另有一首，虽然也用了不少暗喻，但是比起前一首来总是给我一种不那么"Dylan"的感觉（更"Baez"一点？？），总之不需要那么一大堆注解。。。

The lady's adrift in a foreign land
Singing on issues both humble and grand
A decade flew past her and there on the page
She read that the prince had returned to the stage
Hovering near treacherous waters
A friend saw her drifting and caught her
Unguarded fantasies flying too far
Memories tumbling like sweets from a jar

And take me down to the harbor now
Grapes of the summer are low on the bough
Ghosts of my history will follow me there
And the winds of the old days will blow through my hair

叙事虽是第三人称，故事却是Baez自己。Dylan在66年5月27日那场著名的"Royal Albert Hall"后不久，便在同年7月29日发生摩托车意外而重伤，直到73－74之际才重返舞台，所以这里唱道“A decade flew past her and there on the page，She read that the prince had returned to the stage”，此时的Baez已与David Harris结束了三年的婚姻，Dylan复出的消息对她而言自然是五味杂陈，“Memories tumbling like sweets from a jar”

Breath on an undying ember
It doesn't take much to remember
Those eloquent songs from the good old days
That set us to marching with banners ablaze
But reporters, there's no sense in prying
Our blue-eyed son's been denying
The truths that are wrapped in a mystery
The sixties are over so set him free

And take me down to the harbor now
Grapes of the summer are low on the bough
Ghosts of my history will follow me there
And the winds of the old days will blow through my hair

这段还是回忆60年代的岁月，当年反战、抗议的日子已经远去，但是那火焚的标语牌依然历历在目，“Those eloquent songs from the good old days，that set us to marching with banners ablaze”，陪伴着抗议者们的正是Baez的歌声——<We Shall Overcome>、<Joe Hill>、<With God On Our Side>......如今，民谣女皇在歌中还不忘替Dylan教育记者们：60年代结束啦，你们就别再烦他了吧～～

Why do I sit the autumnal judge
Years of self-righteousness will not budge
Singer or savior, it was his to choose
Which of us knows what was his to lose
Because idols are best when they're made of stone
A savior's a nuisance to live with at home
Stars often fall, heroes go unsung
And martyrs most certainly die too young

So thank you for writing the best songs
Thank you for righting a few wrongs
You're a savage gift on a wayward bus
But you stepped down and you sang to us

And get you down to the harbor now
Most of the sour grapes are gone from the bough
Ghosts of Johanna will visit you there
And the winds of the old days will blow through your hair

“完美的偶像必是顽石，救世主在家有何用，明星陨落，英雄迟暮，若不早逝何来烈士”，这几句是整首歌的点睛之笔，当年Baez和Dylan离烈士也就是一步之遥，十年匆匆而过，民谣皇帝和皇后都已各有家室，回想当年，但觉往事随风。。。

选自Suzanne Vega专辑《Beauty & Crime》（2007）

New York City spread herself before you
With her bangles and her spangles and her stars
You were impressed with the city so undressed
You had to go out cruising all the bars
Your business trip extended through the weekend
Suburban boy here for your first time
From the 27th floor above the midtown roar
You were startled by her beauty and her crime
And she's every girl you've seen in every movie
Every dame you've ever known on late night TV
In her steam and steel is the passion you feel
Endlessly
New York is a woman she'll make you cry
And to her you're just another guy

Look down and see her ruined places
Smoke and ash still rising to the sky
She's happy that you're here but when you disappear
She won't know that you're gone to say goodbye
New York is a woman she'll make you cry
And to her you're just another guy
And she's every girl you've seen in every movie
Every dame you've ever known on late night tv
In her steam and steel is the passion you feel
Desperately
New York is a woman she'll make you cry
And to her you're just another guy

p.s. 作为正牌纽约客，Vega大姐把转投爵士名厂Bluenote旗下的第一张唱片献给了这座城市，多少有几分回顾的味道在。音乐依旧是淡淡飘来，吟唱依旧是慵懒随性，从民谣摇滚到民谣蓝调，90年代在摇滚界稍稍试水之后，现在终点又回到起点。。。Anyway，咱们还是喜欢这口呐～～