人間の心の中には生まれつきある音楽が流れていてそれに似た曲を人は好きになるんだとか。「自分の曲」は何だろうといつも考えながら歌詞を和訳しています。
I have heard that every one of us has a special music running deep inside our soul and whatever music we love in our lives has something in common with it. I always translate English lyrics into Japanese, wondering what my music sounds like.
恐怖は人間を動かします。命の危険にさらされていると感じると人間は安全を感じるためにほとんどどんなことでもしてしまいます。それを邪魔するものはそれが人間であれモノであれ排除しなくてはならず，そこに人間らしさが入る余地はありません。 Fear drives us. When you feel your life is in danger, you will do almost anything just to feel safe. So anyone and anything that get in your way have to be removed. There's no room for humanity there. Fragile (Sting)
[Verse] If blood will flow when flesh and steel are one Drying in the color of the evening sun Tomorrow's rain will wash the stains away But something in our minds will always stay Perhaps this final act was meant To clinch a lifetime's argument That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could For all those born beneath an angry star Lest we forget how fragile we are
[Chorus] On and on the rain will fall Like tears from a star like tears from a star On and on the rain will say How fragile we are how fragile we are
[Guitar Solo]
[Chorus] On and on the rain will fall Like tears from a star like tears from a star On and on the rain will say How fragile we are how fragile we are How fragile we are how fragile we are
タイトルでお気づきかもしれませんが，この曲の歌詞の大半はこちらのものです。原曲は性的なサービスを提供する人についてのものですが，警備などの危険な仕事に携わる人を歌ったものと取ることもできます。 You may see in the title, most of lyrics of this song comes from this classic. The original is about a sex worker but it could be taken as a song about a person who works something dangerous such as security. Redlight (Swedish House Mafia & Sting)
[Intro] True say True say
[Verse] You don't have to put on the red light Those days are over You don't have to sell your body to the night (True—) You don't have to wear that dress tonight Those days are over You don't have to put on the red light (True—)
[Chorus] Those days are over You don't have to put on the red light Those days are over You don't have to put on the red light Those days are over You don't have to put on the red light
[Post-Chorus] Those days are ovеr You don't have to put on the red light Thosе days are over You don't have to put on the red light
・・・道路整備や鉄道の保線管理も基本的に夜中に行われるのでこの「夜に体を売るなんてそんなのは止めてくれ」に該当するかもしれません。そう言えばDJも基本的に仕事は「夜（sell your body to the night）」ですし「（クラブなどで）色とりどりの光を浴びるでしょうから（put on the red light）」ですね。
若い配偶者を持った男性は長生きするという説がある一方で，別の説では若い男性と結婚すると女性の死亡率が上がるのだとか。なぜでしょうか？
Some claim men marrying younger partners live longer. Others warn marring a younger man increases a woman's mortality rate. Why is that? All Would Envy (Sting)
Old enough to be her dad
But the young men were just mad they nursed their grievances
And she was flattered by his charm
It wouldn't do her any harm they all had their chances
He sent her flowers and limousines
She was treated like a queen
Anything she ever wanted
It was no problem for a man like him
And everyone expected soon
That she could ask him for the moon
If she would wear his ring
Knowing glances from his friends
In the homes at the weekends of high society
But he didn't give a damn
He never felt more like a man
And all the time the clock was ticking
And all would envy the older man and his beautiful young wife
Yes, all would envy
In a house upon a hill
She was there with time to kill
She lived a life she'd only dreamed
The life was never what it seemed
To all her friends that she'd ignored
She denied she was bored
She had no time for dancing, no time for dancing
But the clock upon the wall
That was ticking in the hall
Always reminded her
That life was going on as well
But she was happy and she would swear she wouldn't change a thing
And all would envy the older man and his beautiful young wife
Yes, all would envy
Now it's 5 o'clock AM
She must have spent the night again with that old friend of hers
She loves to dance
She's missing more and more these days
But he's still stuck in his old ways
Perhaps she needs a little more romance
But the clock upon the wall is still ticking in the hall
She must be home soon, soon
Where a younger man would weep
He takes a pill and goes to sleep
Now who would envy the older man and his beautiful young wife
Who would envy?
Who would envy?
この曲はStingのShape of My Heartをサンプリングし，メランコリックな感じを出しています。別れた相手に許してくれと頼む主人公ですが，私は許さない方がいいと思います。 This song samples Sting's Shape of My Heart, which gives a melancholic feeling to it. The narrator is asking the second person who was their ex. to take them back but I think they shouldn't. You're Mines Still (Yung Bleu)
[Intro: Brooklyn Love] So you wanna be riding around with your new bitch That's real cute Don't have me drag you and her out that motherfuckin' car Key your shit Ha! I wish I would see you in that Bentley So I could flat all four of your motherfuckin' tires And you know what? I just got tickets to the Lakers game anyway Nigga, you could never
[Verse 1] If I ever made you angry, girl Just know that it get better with time (Time) They say time heals She can't see her life without me, she's so blind still Fuck that nigga, you can tell him that you're mines still
[Pre-Chorus] And she don't wanna go to sleep, she angry Lately, she's been noticing hе ain't me
[Chorus] I wish that we can change placеs Don't want no new, new faces She got my heartbeat racing They say time heals Don't go build no life without me 'cause you're mines still Oh, and I don't wanna go unless you make me Lately I've been gone, I'm feeling crazy
[Verse 2] Yeah, I'm from the bricks, we gotta whole lot of bricks You gotta whole lotta tricks and I wanna see what you do with them I just saw you in Miami, girl, what you doing here? I hope you with your girlfriends I ain't pay attention to your heart, I played ya Now she fell in love with an NBA player Had her on the stage, now she ballin at the stadium Matter fact I hope you stay with him 'Cause I don't wanna go unless you take me I know you feel the pain
[Pre-Chorus] And she don't wanna go to sleep, she angry Lately, she's been noticing he ain't me
[Chorus] I wish that we can change places Don't want no new, new faces She got my heartbeat racing They say time heals Don't go build no life without me 'cause you're mine still And I don't wanna go unless you make me Down on my knees hoping you take me
[Verse 3] Better tell that nigga you mine Heard you've been trying to tie the knot, girl, tell me you lyin' Let me beat that pussy up one more time Let me beat that pussy up one more time I know that you fiend for this I know that you did not forget So don't go to sleep
[Pre-Chorus] And she don't wanna go to sleep, she angry Lately, she been noticing he ain't me (Oh, he ain't me)
[Chorus] I wish that we can change places Don't want no new, new faces She got my heartbeat racing (Hey, yeah) They say time heals (They say) Don't go build no life without me 'cause you're mines still Oh, and I don't wanna go unless you make me Lately, I've been gone, I'm feeling crazy
人生は一度きりとわかっている，あるいはわかっているはずなのに，常に「あの時これがあったら」「あの時あれをしてもらっていたら」と考えてしまうのは何故なのでしょうか？貴重な自分の時間をそんなことに費やしても意味はありません。過去は変えられないからです。
We all know or are supposed to know we only have one life. Why are we talking about 'if's all the time, like "If I'd be given this" and "If they'd did that for me"? There no use for wasting our precious time on such a thing. We can't change the history. Just One Lifetime (Sting, Shaggy)
[SHAGGY]
The time has come, the Walrus said, *
To talk of many things,
Of ships and shoes and sealing wax,
Of cabbages and kings.
Life a the greatest gift given to humanity,
Surround yourself with a lot a positive energy,
Yuh caan buy it even if yuh have wull heap a money,
A das why we spread love ina the community.
Yuh coulda be small man or a celebrity,
Yuh coulda live uptown or di ina city,
Wi need a world full peace and serenity,
Sting come sing out fi everybody.
[STING]
The time has come, as Shaggy said,
To talk of many things,
Of ships and shoes and sealing wax,
Of cabbages and kings.
The planets turn in retrograde,
The moon seems to have fled,
The world is spinning upside down,
And landed on its head.
Just one lifetime,
And there’s only one, yes there’s only one.
Just one life to live,
Assuming that we’ll make it,
We’ve no choice but to take it.
I’m with you, the Walrus said,
We’ll dress for heavy weather,
Whatever’s on the road ahead,
We’re in this now together.
We thought we’d make a run for it,
Not knowing where we’re headed,
We packed the car with both our bags,
And filled her up unleaded.
Just one lifetime,
And there’s only one, yes there’s only one.
Just one life to live,
Assuming that we’ll make it,
We’ve no choice but to take it.
[SHAGGY]
Come Meck wi Teck a page out a di book of life,
Lego negativity and do what’s right,
Wi no longer need fi a fuss or fight,
Unite the world an show dem di right.
Dis generation a set a new trend,
Replace di word enemy wid friend,
Leaders a di world these rules can’t bend,
Dis a di message wi send to dem.
[STING]
The time had come, a reckoning,
We all knew it was coming,
We headed North on empty roads,
The engine gently humming.
The Walrus smoked a cigarette,
He claimed it was his last,
No signs of life, no gas, no food,
In all the empty towns we passed.
All we have is me and you,
It has to be enough,
I’ve got your back and you’ve got mine,
If the going it gets rough.
Just one lifetime,
And there’s only one, yes there’s only one.
Just one life to live,
Assuming that we’ll make it,
We’ve no choice but to take it.
The time has come, the Walrus said,
To talk of many things,
Of ships and shoes and sealing wax,
Of cabbages and kings.
* Lewis Carrollによる「セイウチと大工 (The Warlus and The Carpenter)」という詩に登場する「The time has come,' the Walrus said, To talk of many things: Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax — Of cabbages — and kings —」という下りを踏まえていると思われます。
** book of life ・・・ キリスト教およびユダヤ教において，天国に行ける人間の名前が書いてあると言われている書
この曲の収録されたアルバムのタイトルは44/876ですが，これは一体どういう意味なのかご存じでしょうか？実はこれは国番号です。日本は81イギリスは44そして876がジャマイカの国番号です。タイトルのこの２つの数字でStingとShaggyのそれぞれの出身地を表しています。
The album this track is in is called "44/876". Do you know what these two numbers mean? They're country codes. Like 81 is for Japan, 44 is for UK and 876 for Jamaica. So they respectively represent the country Sting and Shaggy are from. Don't Make Me Wait (Sting and Shaggy)
[Chorus: Sting & Shaggy]
Don't make me wait
Don't make me wait in vain, to love you
Can't wait to give you me last name
Don't make me wait, don't make me too long girl
Don't make me wait, don't make me wait
To love, to love you, to love you
Don't make me wait, don't make me wait
To love, to love you, to love you
A wah mi say
[Verse 1: Shaggy]
It didn't take me long to fall in love with your mind
And I won't even mention the way your body perfectly design, so fine
And judging from your outlook on life, I knew this would be more than just one night
But now I'm ready for the next level and you're telling me you need more time, no crime
Nothing wrong with waiting a little bit, yuh know this is more to me than just hittin' it
But only get a love like this once inna life time and if this is our change I ain't missing it
My whole life I never felt like this, just wanna run where I don't wanna fight this
I ain't rushing yuh to make up yo mind, just wanna put some more quality in a we time
Come on, girl
[Chorus: Sting & Shaggy]
Don't make me wait, don't make me wait
To love, to love, to love you
Don't make me wait, don't make me wait
To love, to love, to love you
I can't wait no fi love ya
Don't make me wait, don't make me wait
To love, to love, to love you
Don't make me wait, don't make me wait
To love, to love, to love you
[Verse 2: Sting]
I don't want you to think I'm rushing you
I know you like to take your time (time, time, time)
I'm already sold by the idea, of you and I
Just tell me where I need to sign (sign, sign, sign)
'Cause I've been searching for a while, girl
And I know what works for me (oh, oh)
All I need to know if this is what you want, girl
'Cause I'm already where I need to be, so don't make me wait
[Chorus: Sting & Shaggy]
Don't make me wait, don't make me wait
To love, to love, to love you
I can't wait no longer
Don't make me wait, don't make me wait
To love, to love, to love you
Fi wah
[Bridge: Shaggy]
You don't wanna rush and I don't wanna take my time
I'm putting everything on the line
They say that true love's hard to find
I'm ready now to make you mine
[Chorus: Sting & Shaggy]
Don't make me wait
Baby, now, baby, now, don't make me wait
You gotta say yeah, yeah, yeah
Don't make me wait
Baby, now, baby, now, don't make me wait
Don't make me wait
この曲は，酒やドラッグなどに溺れたせいで，愛する相手と仕事を失った人間について歌った曲だと思っていたのですが，実際には映画Lethal Weapon 3のテーマ曲です。そう考えると，歌詞に登場する「お前」は主人公の相棒だと考えるべきでしょう。
I thought this song was about a person with a problem like alcohol or drug addiction, which caused them unemployment and a breakup with their significant other. Considering it's the theme of a film Lethal Weapon 3, the second person should be the narrator's 'buddy'. It's Probably Me (Sting)
[Verse 1: Sting]
If the night turned cold and the stars looked down
And you hug yourself on the cold cold ground
You wake the morning in a stranger's coat
No one would you see
You ask yourself, who's watched for me
My only friend, who could it be
It's hard to say it
I hate to say it, but it's probably me
[Verse 2: Sting]
When your belly's empty and the hunger's so real
And you're too proud to beg and too dumb to steal
You search the city for your only friend
No one would you see
You ask yourself, who could it be
A solitary voice to speak out and set me free
I had to say it
I hate to say it, but it's probably me
[Bridge: Sting]
You're not the easiest person I ever got to know
And it's hard for us both to let our feelings show
Some would say I should let you go your way
You'll only make me cry
If there's one guy, just one guy
Who'd lay down his life for you and die
It's hard to say it
I hate to say it, but it's probably me
[Verse 3: Sting]
When the world's gone crazy and it makes no sense
There's only one voice that comes to your defense
And the jury's out and your eyes search the room
And one friendly face is all you need to see
If there's one guy, just one guy
Who'd lay down his life for you and die
It's hard to say it
I hate to say it, but it's probably me
[Outro: Sting]
I hate to say it
I hate to say it, but it's probably me
I hate to say it
I hate to say it, but it's probably me
I hate to say it
I hate to say it, but it's probably me
この曲ではメタファーの力を再認識しました。例えば第三連に登場する「鳥」という言葉です。主人公は鳥の種類については何も言っていませんが，それが「死」を表しているということがなんとなくはわかるので「鳥」はカラスであろうと考えられます。
仮にここで主人公があっさり「母の家の屋根の上には，死神が訪れている，止めようと思っても，やり方がわからない，母の家の屋根の上に，死神が訪れている，いつかは俺のところにもあいつらがやって来る」といっていたらどれほどつまらないか考えてみてください。
This song taught me the power of metaphors. For example, in verse 3, we find a word 'birds.' Although the narrator doesn't mention their species, we somehow know the birds represent 'death' and therefore they're ravens. Just imagine how this part would be boring if he plainly said "Death is on the roof of my mother's house, I've nothing to prevent it, Death is on the roof of my mother's house, Will sit on my roof some day" instead. Lazarus Heart (Sting)
[Verse 1]
He looked beneath his shirt today
There was a wound in his flesh so deep and wide
From the wound a lovely flower grew
From somewhere deep inside
He turned around to face his mother
To show her the wound in his breast that burned like a brand
But the sword that cut him open
Was the sword in his mother's hand
[Chorus]
Every day another miracle
Only death will tear us apart
To sacrifice a life for yours
I'd be the blood of the Lazarus heart
The blood of the Lazarus heart
[Verse 2]
Though the sword was his protection
The wound itself would give him power
The power to remake himself at the time of his darkest hour
She said the wound would give him courage and pain
The kind of pain that you can't hide
From the wound a lovely flower grew
From somewhere deep inside
[Chorus]
[Verse 3]
Birds on the roof of my mother's house
I've no stones that chase them away
Birds on the roof of my mother's house
Will sit on my roof some day
They fly at the window, they fly at the door
Where does she get the strength to fight them anymore
She counts all her children as a shield against the pain
Lifts her eyes to the sky like a flower in the rain
こう言っては身も蓋もないかもしれませんが，結婚の誓いに神聖な点などありません。神に対してただⅠ人の相手に変わらぬ愛を誓うなどという行為が人間にできるとは思われませんが，だからといって結婚の誓いをしている人が全員自分にウソをついていたりそういうフリをしていると言っているわけではありません。中にはそういう人もいるかもしれませんが，大部分の人はその誓いの言葉を信じているでしょう。ただ実際には，たとえそうしたいと心から願っても，人間にとって昔の自分のままでいるということは非常に難しいものです。
Probably I'm brutally honest to say that there's nothing sacred about the wedding vows. How can humans 'vow' their ever lasting love for one person to God? I'm not saying that all who have them are pretending or lying to themselves. Some could be but I believe most of them believe in what they vow. In reality, however, it's not much harder for us to stay exactly what we used to be, even if we truthfully hope so. The Secret Marriage (Sting)
[Verse 1]
No earthly church has ever blessed our union
No state has ever granted us permission
No family bond has ever made us two
No company has ever earned commission
No debt was paid no dowry to be gained
No treaty over border land or power
No semblance of the world outside remained
To stain the beauty of this nuptial hour
[Chorus]
The secret marriage vow is never spoken
The secret marriage never can be broken
[Verse 2]
No flowers on the alter
No white veil in your hair
No maiden dress to alter
No bible oath to swear
この曲でStingが扱っている内容は，以前取り上げた彼のAnd Yetで語られているものと基本的に同じ内容で，http://oyogetaiyakukun.blogspot.jp/2013/10/and-yet-sting.html 主人公が，手遅れになるまでになんとかして事態を収拾しようとします。この曲では，相手が別の男と結婚する場所へと急いで主人公ですが，果たして彼は間に合うのか？
歌詞では「日付が変わる真夜中まで，25分しか残っていない」となっていますが，わかりやすくするために，ここでは残り時間30分で15マイルということにしましょう。この場合，彼の乗っている列車が時速30マイル以上のスピードであれば，彼は間に合いますが，そうでなければ手遅れです。時速30マイルをメートル換算すると48㎞。東京の地下鉄東西線の場合，快速なら49㎞，普通なら43㎞ということなので，これらの数字だけ見れば，運よく快速に乗れれば間に合う計算ですが，実際には25分しかないので，そこを考えると間に合わない可能性が高そうです。
What Sting is talking about in this song is basically the same as he does in his And Yet I posted before. http://oyogetaiyakukun.blogspot.jp/2013/10/and-yet-sting.html The protagonist is trying to make things right before it's too late. In this song, he's hurrying to the place where the second person is going to marry other guy. Is he going to make it?
Well, as the lyrics say, "it's 25 to midnight". To make it simple, let's suppose that he has 30 minutes left and 15 miles to go. If the train he's on runs at faster than 30 miles per hour, he'd probably make it. Otherwise he'd be too late. 30 miles corresponds 48 km.
They say that rapid trains of Tozai line in Tokyo usually operate at about 49 km per hour and local ones about 43 km. These figure shows he can make it if he's lucky enough to take a rapid train but what he actually has is 25 minutes not 30 minutes. Considering these it's not very likely he can make it. Twenty Five To Midnight (Sting)
Train I ride don't be slow
If your whistle can blow
Fifteen miles down the track
Tell them I'm coming back
Counting poles counting sheep
Don't be slow I won't weep
If your wheels on the line
Were to put me on time
Just a year to the day
Since I went upon my way
To seek my fortune and fame
Be a star, change my name
And that's it more or less
Til this midnight express
I know I can't be late
Cause she said she won't wait
She'll just go marry Jack
So there's no turning back
And it's 25 to midnight and fifteen miles of track
Band I had got a break
Just one chance we had to take
Told my girl I'd be back
Left her with my friend Jack
New York City for a spell
Things didn't turn out so well
Every dive that we played
We were lucky we got paid
Mr Train driver please
If your speed you increase
Every cent I have now
Will be yours this I vow
And that's it more or less
Til this midnight express
I know I can't be late
Cause she said she won't wait
She'll just go marry Jack
So there's no turning back
And it's 25 to midnight and fifteen miles of track
We called ourselves the Latino Lovers
Hawaiian shirts and top forty covers
I didn't think I could sink this low
When drugs and booze ate all my dough
This isn't how it was meant to be
There's no such thing as a meal that's free
If I was ever to get out alive
I have to get home on time
Train I ride don't be slow
If your whistle can blow
Fifteen miles down the track
Tell them I'm coming back
And that's it more or less
Til this midnight express
I know I can't be late
Cause she said she won't wait
She'll just go marry Jack
So there's no turning back
And it's 25 to midnight and fifteen miles of track
And it's 25 to midnight and fifteen miles of track
少し聴くだけで，StingによるオリジナルとJohnny Cashのカヴァーの違いは明らかです。後者は普通の4分の4拍子なのですが，前者のリズムはかなり変則的で，それが8分の9拍子であることに気付かないと，なかなかリズムを取ることができません。音楽に詳しいわけではありませんが，このせいで落ち着かない気分になり，またそのことによって主人公の行動の結末が暗示されているように思えてきます。
Just listening to the original and the Johnny Cash cover for a minute, you'll know the difference. Although the beat of the latter is standard 4/4, the former is pretty offbeat. It's not very easy for you to keep rhythm until you realize the original is written in 9/8 meter. I don't know much about music but it makes me feel a bit unsettled and that hints the consequence of what the protagonist did. I Hung My Head (Sting)
(Johnny Cash Cover)
Early one morning with time to kill
I borrowed Jeb's rifle and sat on the hill
I saw a lone rider crossing the plain
I drew a bead on him to practice my aim
My brother's rifle went off in my hand
A shot rang out across the land
The horse he kept running, the rider was dead
I hung my head, I hung my head
I set off running to wake from the dream
My brother's rifle went into the stream
I kept on running into the salt lands
And that's where they found me, my head in my hands
The sheriff he asked me "Why had I run"
Then it came to me just what I had done
And all for no reason, just one piece of lead
I hung my head, I hung my head
Here in the courthouse, the whole town is there
I see the judge high up in his chair
"Explain to the courtroom what went through your mind
And we'll ask the jury what verdict they find"
I said "I felt the power of death over life
I orphaned his children I widowed his wife
I beg their forgiveness I wish I was dead"
I hung my head, I hung my head
Early one morning with time to kill
I see the gallows up on the hill
And out in the distance a trick of the brain
I see a lone rider crossing the plain
He's come to fetch me to see what they done
We'll ride together til Kingdom come
I pray for God's mercy for soon I'll be dead
I hung my head, I hung my head
それはともかく，こういったある種の「驚き」を感じさせる例としては，この曲の他にも，EminemのStanやBruno MarsのWhen I Was You Man，などを思いつきますが，この曲の歌詞は，それらと比較しても，同一の表現を使いながら全く別の意味を感じさせるという点で一歩も引けを取りません。英語教師（日本で言えば国語教師）であったStingだからこそ書けた見事な歌詞だと思います。
以前StingがカヴァーしたSpread A Little Happinessをここで取り上げましたが，この曲に対してSongMeaningsに寄せられたコメントのなかに面白そうなものがひとつありました。曰くSpread A Little Happinessは「このKing of Painと表裏の関係にある」そうで，そこにひかれました。歌詞に登場する主人公は感受性が強く傷つきやすいため，どうやっても傷ついてしまいます。彼では誰かに「幸せを分け与える (spread a little happiness)」ことはできないでしょうね。
Before I picked up Spread A Little Happiness covered by Sting here. Among those comments contributed to SongMeanings on the song, I found an interesting one which said the song "sounds like the balance side to King of Pain." That intrigued me a lot. The narrator in the lyrics is so sensitive and vulnerable that nothing can save him from being hurt. I don't think he can "spread a little happiness" to anyone. King of Pain (The Police)
There's a little black spot on the sun today
It's the same old thing as yesterday
There's a black hat caught in a high tree top
There's a flag-pole rag and the wind won't stop
I have stood here before inside the pouring rain
With the world turning circles running 'round my brain
I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign
But it's my destiny to be the king of pain
There's a little black spot on the sun today
That's my soul up there
It's the same old thing as yesterday
That's my soul up there
There's a black hat caught in a high tree top
That's my soul up there
There's a flag-pole rag and the wind won't stop
That's my soul up there
I have stood here before inside the pouring rain
With the world turning circles running 'round my brain
I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign
But it's my destiny to be the king of pain
There's a fossil that's trapped in a high cliff wall
That's my soul up there
There's a dead salmon frozen in a waterfall
That's my soul up there
There's a blue whale beached by a springtime's ebb
That's my soul up there
There's a butterfly trapped in a spider's web
That's my soul up there
I have stood here before inside the pouring rain
With the world turning circles running 'round my brain
I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign
But it's my destiny to be the king of pain
There's a king on a throne with his eyes torn out
There's a blind man looking for a shadow of doubt
There's a rich man sleeping on a golden bed
There's a skeleton choking on a crust of bread
There's a red fox torn by a huntsman's pack
That's my soul up there
There's a black-winged gull with a broken back
That's my soul up there
There's a little black spot on the sun today
It's the same old thing as yesterday
I have stood here before in the pouring rain
With the world turning circles running 'round my brain
I guess I always thought you could end this reign
But it's my destiny to be the king of pain
King of pain
King of pain
King of pain
I'll always be king of pain
また，和訳してしまうと失われてしまう，いわばlost in translationに当たる部分にも見逃せない技が隠されています。例えば歌詞のこの部分；
There's a dead salmon frozen in a waterfall
That's my soul up there
There's a blue whale beached by a springtime's ebb
That's my soul up there
There's a butterfly trapped in a spider's web
最初のsalmon frozen in a waterfall の箇所で「冬」を，次のblue whale beached by a springtime's ebbで「春」を，そして次のbutterfly trapped in a spider's webで夏を表しています。
また，その後のこの箇所では；
There's a red fox torn by a huntsman's pack
That's my soul up there
There's a black-winged gull with a broken back
前述のbule whaleに続き，red fox， black winged gullと色をテーマにしています。また，イギリスではキツネ狩りは冬の風物詩らしいので，前の箇所の続きとして，この部分で冬をイメージさせているのかもしれません。
かのQueen Latifahは「別に世界旅行したり，地中海をヨットで巡ったりしなくても幸せになれる。自宅の裏庭をふと覗いたら，そこに鹿が来てたりするような，ちょっとしたことで幸せを感じられるから」と言っているのですが，それを知ってこの曲を思い出しました。私自身もちょっとしたことで喜べる方なので，例えば，近所のスーパーに自分の好きな味のアイスクリームがあっただけで幸せになれます。
Queen Latifah said, "I don't have to take a trip around the world or be on a yacht in the Mediterranean to have happiness. I can find it in the little things, like looking out into my backyard and seeing deer in the fields." That reminds me of this song. I'm not hard to please. I'd be happy if a little such as finding my favorite flavor on the shelf of ice cream at a local supermarket. Spread A Little Happiness (Sting)
(Binnie Hale)
Even when the darkest clouds are in the sky
You mustn't sigh and you mustn't cry
Spread a little happiness as you go by
Please try
What's the use of worrying and feeling blue
When days are long keep on smiling through
Spread a little happiness till dreams come true
Surely you'll be wise to make the best of every blues day
Don't you realise you'll find next Monday or next Tuesday
Your golden shoes day
Even when the darkest clouds are in the sky
You mustn't sigh and you mustn't cry
Spread a little happiness as you go by
I've got a creed for every need
So easy that it must succeed
I'll set it down for you to read
So please, take heed
Keep out the gloom
Let in the sun
That's my advice for everyone
It's only once we pass this way
So day by day
Even when the darkest clouds are in the sky
You mustn't sigh and you mustn't cry
Spread a little happiness as you go by
Please try
What's the use of worrying and feeling blue?
When days are long keep on smiling through
Spread a little happiness till dreams come true
Surely you'll be wise to make the best of every blues day
Don't you realise you'll find next Monday or next Tuesday
Your golden shoes day
Even when the darkest clouds are in the sky
You mustn't sigh and you mustn't cry
Spread a little happiness as you go by
Surely you'll be wise to make the best of every blues day
Don't you realise you'll find next Monday or next Tuesday
Your golden shoes day
Even when the darkest clouds are in the sky
You mustn't sigh and you mustn't cry
Spread a little happiness as you go by
下のミュージック・ヴィデオを見て一番驚いたのは，曲自体ではなく，むしろStingとGotyeが非常に似ていることでした。声が似ていることはわかっていたのですが，これほど容貌が似ているとは思いませんでした。
それはともかく，この歌詞は，なかなか気持ちを抑えられない状況で自分をどう抑えるかという内容のようです。主人公は相手に対する気持ちを表に出さないよう自分自身に語りかけています。
What surprised me the most was not the song itself when I watched the music video below. It's rather the physical resemblance of these two artists, Sting and Gotye. I knew they sounded like (I mean vocally) but I've never realized that they resembled each other that much.
Anyway, the lyrics seem to be about keeping control of yourself emotionally in a situation that's so hard to do so. The protagonist's telling himself not to express his feeling for his love interest. Be Still My Beating Heart (Sting)
Be still my beating heart
It would be better to be cool
It's not time to be open just yet
A lesson once learned is so hard to forget
Be still my beating heart
Or I'll be taken for a fool
It's not healthy to run at this pace
The blood runs so red to my face
I've been to every single book I know
To soothe the thoughts that plague me so
I sink like a stone that's been thrown in the ocean
My logic has drowned in a sea of emotion
Stop before you start
Be still my beating heart
Restore my broken dreams
Shattered like a falling glass
I'm not ready to be broken just yet
A lesson once learned is so hard to forget
Be still my beating heart
You must learn to stand your ground
It's not healthy to run at this pace
The blood runs so red to my face
I've been to every single book I know
To soothe the thoughts that plague me so
Stop before you start
Be still my beating heart
Never to be wrong
Never to make promises that break
It's like singing in the wind
Or writing on the surface of a lake
And I wriggle like a fish caught on dry land
And I struggle to avoid any help at hand
I sink like a stone that's been thrown in the ocean
My logic has drowned in a sea of emotion
Stop before you start
Be still my beating heart
実はSynchronicityは２つのパートにわかれています。ひとつが先日取り上げたSynchronicity II http://oyogetaiyakukun.blogspot.jp/2014/01/synchronicity-ii-police.html で，もうひとつがこの曲で，歌詞ではシンクロニシティとは一体何なのかについて説明しています。Wikipediaによれば「シンクロニシティとは，２つ以上の事象を意味のあるつながりとして経験することである。その事象は必ずしも同時に起こるわけではないが，当事者はそれを意味のある偶然だと考える」ということらしい。このことを念頭に置きながら，先に取り上げたSynchronicity IIを聴きなおしてみると，全く違った光景が見えてくると思います。
Actually, the song Synchronicity has two parts. One is Synchronicity II I posted before. http://oyogetaiyakukun.blogspot.jp/2014/01/synchronicity-ii-police.html The other is this song. The song explains what synchronicity is through the lyrics. Wikipedia says, "Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events as meaningfully related, where they are unlikely to be causally related. The subject sees it as a meaningful coincidence, although the events need not be exactly simultaneous in time." Keeping this in mind, listen to Synchronicity II again. You'll see it from a completely different perspective. Synchronicity I (The Police)
With one breath, with one flow
You will know
Synchronicity
A sleep trance, a dream dance,
A shared romance,
Synchronicity
A connecting principle,
Linked to the invisible
Almost imperceptible
Something inexpressible.
Science insusceptible
Logic so inflexible
Causally connectible
Yet nothing is invincible.
If we share this nightmare
Then we can dream
Spiritus mundi.
If you act, as you think,
The missing link,
Synchronicity.
We know you, they know me
Extrasensory
Synchronicity.
A star fall, a phone call,
It joins all,
Synchronicity.
It's so deep, it's so wide
Your inside
Synchronicity.
Effect without a cause
Sub-atomic laws, scientific pause
Synchronicity
歌詞の中の主人公の言っていることから察するに，相手はどうやら経済的に恵まれた相手と結婚しているようですが，このことで以前読んだことのあるテストのことを思い出しました。
この実験では，女性被験者のグループに男性の写真を見せ，それぞれの男性について，どれほど魅力的かを10段階で評価させます。予想通り，見た目のいい男性は高得点で，そうでない男性は低い得点になります。そしてまた別のグループに同じ男性の写真を見せます。ただし今度は男性の年収も教えます。すると，見た目がいいものの年収の少ない男性の評価は下がり，逆に見た目はそれほどではないものの，年収の多い男性の評価は上がります。
性選択に際しては，人間は，生物学的要因よりも，社会経済的要因を重視しているという研究者もいますが，この実験はそれを裏付けているような気がします。
In the lyrics, as the protagonist implies, the second person seemed to be married to a wealthy person. This reminds me of an experiment that I read about before.
In the experiment a group of female subjects were first shown photos of males and asked to score their attractiveness with 1 to 10. As you expected, they scored most physically attractive males high and less attractive ones low. Then another group were shown the same photos of those males with their income tagged on. This time they scored one who looked good but with low income lower and those who looked less attractive but with high income higher.
Some researchers say that in regard to sexual selection humans place a stronger emphasis on socioemotional processes than biological factors. I think the experiment seems to support the theory. Wrapped Around Your Finger (The Police)
You consider me the young apprentice
Caught between the Scylla and Charibdes.
Hypnotized by you if I should linger
Staring at the ring around your finger.
I have only come here seeking knowledge,
Things they would not teach me of in college.
I can see the destiny you sold
turned into a shining band of gold.
I'll be wrapped around your finger.
I'll be wrapped around your finger.
Mephistopheles is not your name,
But I know what you're up to just the same.
I will listen hard to your tuition,
And you will see it come to it's fruition.
I'll be wrapped around your finger.
I'll be wrapped around your finger.
Devil and the deep blue sea behind me
Vanish in the air you'll never find me.
I will turn your face to alabaster,
Then you'll find your servant is your master,
* between the Scylla and Charibdes 板挟みになって，進退窮まった状態で
** have someone wrapped around one's finger (be wrapped around your finger)
（人）を手玉に取っている，（人）は〔主語〕の言いなりだ［いいようにあしらわれている］
例えば，冒頭に登場する「Caught between the Scylla and Charibdes」の箇所。スキュラとカリブディスや次の連に登場するメフィストフェレスが一体何なのか，きちんと理解しておかないと，最後の連で唐突に悪魔や青い海原が出てきた時に困惑します。
当然のことながら，訳文でも，最初にそこを説明しておかなければ，最後の連へ至る流れが掴めません。補足で述べたように，between the Scylla and Charibdesが「板挟みになって，進退窮まった状態で」という熟語であるにもかかわらず，最初にくどいほどスキュラとカリブディスを説明したのはそのためです。
それはともかく，最初からひとつの文脈で歌詞を引っ張り，そのスタイルに則って，最後の連で見事に逆転してみせる。この様式，どこかで覚えがあると思ったら，ミダス王のWhen I Was Your Manでした。The Policeファンのミダス王，その辺りまできっちり踏襲しているところが王の王たる所以かもしれません。流石です。
Foster The PeopleのPumped Up Kicksと同様に，この曲を聞くと米国などで起こった銃乱射事件を思い出しますが，この２曲に共通しているのは，主人公が長い間「不満や怒り」を抑圧しているという点でしょう。この曲の場合，歌詞にはそういった凶悪事件の描写は一切登場しないのですが，それでも主人公が遠からず「爆発」してしまうような気がします。
Like Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks," this song reminds me of shooting sprees occurred in the US and other countries. What these two songs have in common is underlying anger/frustration the protagonist has kept holding for a long time. Although the lyrics lacks any specific description of such an atrocious act in this song, I think the protagonist is going to 'snap' soon. Synchronicity II (The Police)
(ii)
Another suburban family morning.
Grandmother screaming at the wall.
We have to shout above the din of our Rice Crispies
We can't hear anything at all.
Mother chants her litany of boredom and frustration,
But we know all her suicides are fake.
Daddy only stares into the distance
There's only so much more that he can take.
Many miles away something crawls from the slime
At the bottom of a dark Scottish lake.
Another industrial ugly morning
The factory belches filth into the sky.
He walks unhindered through the picket lines today,
He doesn't think to wonder why.
The secretaries pout and preen like cheap tarts in a red light street,
But all he ever thinks to do is watch.
And every single meeting with his so-called superior
Is a humiliating kick in the crotch.
Many miles away something crawls to the surface
Of a dark Scottish lake.
Another working day has ended.
Only the rush hour hell to face.
Packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes.
Contestants in a suicidal race.
Daddy grips the wheel and stares alone into the distance,
He knows that something somewhere has to break.
He sees the family home now looming in the headlights,
the pain upstairs that makes his eyeballs ache.
Many miles away there's a shadow on the door
Of a cottage on the shore
Of a dark Scottish lake...............
This song was featured in an American film, Cold Mountain (2003). Alison Krauss sings this song with Sting who wrote it while she does solo on the soundtrack. I came to know the song through their performance during the 76th Annual Academy Awards for the Best Original Song.
I heard the song probably few times that year but not after that. Although about 10 years have passed since then, I instantly recognized the song when I heard a song which had similar tune with this. I think it's safe to call it a great song.
You Will Be My Ain True Love (Alison Krauss & Sting)
You'll walk unscathed through musket fire,
No ploughman's blade will cut thee down, *
No cutlass wound will mark thy face **
And you will be my ain true love, ***
And you will be my ain true love
And as you walk through death's dark veil,
The cannon's thunder can't prevail,
And those who hunt thee down will fail,
And you will be my ain true love,
And you will be my ain true love.
Asleep inside the cannon's mouth,
The captain cries, "Here comes the rout,"
They'll seek to find me north and south,
I've gone to find my ain true love.
The field is cut and bleeds to red.
The cannon balls fly round my head,
The infirmary man may count me dead,
When I've gone to find my ain true love,
I've gone to find my ain true love
歌詞が大変面白い。この曲，最初から最後まで主人公の視点で語られています。歌詞の中で実際に登場したりあるいは主人公とやりとりしたりする人間はいません。
ただこの曲の登場人物は，男性2人と女性3人の5人であるとする人もいます。男性2人のうちの１人が主人公で，もう１人が車の所有者，妻を裏切り愛人と浮気している重役です。女性3人の１人は妻，もう１人は愛人そして最後の1人が盗まれた「車」です。英語では通常，車，船，国などは女性として扱うからです。
The lyrics are very intriguing. The entire song is solely based on the protagonist's perspective. No person actually appears or interacts with him in the lyrics.
One says, however, that the lyrics has five characters, two men and three women. The two men are the protagonist who steals an expensive car and its owner, a company director who's cheating on his wife and having an affair with his mistress. Three girls are his wife, his mistress and the stolen car. In English, cars, ships and countries are referred as feminine and usually represented by the pronoun 'she.' Stolen Car (Sting)
Late at night in summer heat.
Expensive car, empty street
There's a wire in my jacket. This is my trade
It only takes a moment, don't be afraid
I can hotwire an ignition like some kind of star
I'm just a poor boy in a rich man's car *
So I whisper to the engine, flick on the lights
And we drive into the night
Oh the smell of the leather always excited my imagination
And I picture myself in this different situation
I'm a company director, two kids and a wife
I get the feeling that there's more to this one's life
There's some kind of complication, he tells her he's alone
Spends the night with his lover, there's a trace of her cologne
And the words of his mistress, as she whispers them so near
Start ringing in my ear
Please take me dancing tonight I've been all on my own
You promised one day we could its, what you said on the phone
I'm just a prisoner of love always hid from the light **
Take me dancing, please take me dancing tonight
I imagine his wife, she don't look nothing like a fool
She picks the kids up form some private school
She remembers what he told her, he was late and worked alone
But there's more than a suspicion in this lingering cologne
And the kid's just won't be quiet and she runs a traffic light
And she drives into the night
Please take me dancing tonight I've been all on my own
You promised one day we could it's what you said on the phone
I'm just a prisoner of love always hid from the light
Take me dancing, please take me dancing tonight
So here am I in a stolen car at a traffic light
They go form red to green and so I just drive into the night
Please take me dancing tonight I've been all on my own
You promised one day we could it's what you said on the phone
I'm just a prisoner of love always hid from the light
Take me dancing, please take me dancing tonight
ジャズの名曲，Round Midnightを思い出します。Stingが歌いだした瞬間，これは気に入ると確信しましたし実際にそうでした。歌詞の中で主人公は，つれない相手に自分のことを愛してくれと頼んでいます。個人的に好きなのがこの部分「食事の支度はしなくていいいから，料理ができないままでもいい，今こうして言ってることが，ずっと変わらないなんて言うつもりはないけど，騙そうなんて思ってないし，そうしたってお見通しだろ？」。美しい曲です。
The song reminds me of Round Midnight, a jazz classic. The instant Sting started singing, I knew I'd love it and I actually did. The protagonist in the lyrics loves the second person who doesn't love him back and asks her to do. My favorite lines are; "You wouldn't have to cook for me, You wouldn't have to learn to, I'm not suggesting that this proposition here, Could last forever, I've no intention of deceiving you, You're far too clever." Beautiful song. Practical Arrangement (Sting)
Am I asking for the moon ?
Is it really so implausible ?
That you and I could soon
Come to some kind of arrangement
I'm not asking for the moon
I've always been a realist
When there's really nothing more
Than a simple rearrangement
With one roof above our heads
A warm house to return to
We could start with separate beds
I could sleep alone or learn to
I'm not suggesting that we'll find
Some earthly paradise forever
I mean how often does that happen now ?
The answer's probably never
But we could come to an arrangement
A practical arrangement
That you could learn to love me
Given time
I'm not promising the moon
I'm not promising a rainbow
Just a practical solution
To a solitary life
I'd be a father to your boy *
A shoulder you could lean on
How bad could it be
To be my wife ?
With one roof above our heads
A warm house to return to
You wouldn't have to cook for me
You wouldn't have to learn to
I'm not suggesting that this proposition here
Could last forever
I've no intention of deceiving you
You're far too clever
But we could come to an arrangement
A practical arrangement
And perhaps you'd learn to love me
Given time
It may not be the romance that you had in mind
But you could learn to love me
Given time
ただ和訳するとなると話が変わってきます。例えば*I'd be a father to your boyの箇所ですが，直訳すれば「（私は）あなたの息子の父親になるでしょう」です。わかりやすく言うと「俺の息子を産んでくれ」なのですが，これではあのStingが昭和のオヤジ(いや実際には昭和のオヤジなのですが）になってしまい，個人的なイメージと大きく隔たってしまうので，「子どもを持ってもいい」としました。
追記）上記の*I'd be a father to your boyですが，ご指摘を受け「あの子の親になってもいい」に修正いたしました。
