《我们没有拱火》—当代简史一首歌

同学博客 》黄奕

我们没有拱火，

总是自己在燃，

因为世界在转，

. . . .

《We didn’t start the fire》（我们没有拱火）是美国音乐家比利·乔尔（Billy Joel）的一首歌。 它的歌词包括从1949年，也就是作者出生的那一年，到1989年这四十年间的118个重要的有关政治、文化、科技和体育事件和人物，都曾出现在美国报刊杂志的头条，可以看作是当代简史的一个小结。这首歌曾被提名为格莱美年度最佳唱片奖，也是1989年美国的排名第一的歌曲。在2003年的“摇滚时代的前 5000 首热门歌曲”中排名第611。

我个人认为这首歌的不足是偏向美英的大众文化比较多，漏掉了一些重大国际事件，比如中国的文化大革命、中苏争端而引起的共产主义阵营的破裂、中美关系的突破等等。

以下是这首歌提到的118个事件和人物，看看你知道多少。我自己在第一次听到这首歌的时候知道66个。

哈里·杜鲁门，多丽丝·德伊，红色中国，约翰尼·雷，

《南太平洋》，沃尔特·温切尔，乔·狄马吉奥

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio

乔·麦卡锡，理查德·尼克松，史蒂倍克，电视，

朝鲜战争，玛丽莲·梦露

Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe

罗森堡夫妇，氢弹，苏格·雷，板门店，

马龙·白兰度，《国王与我》，《麦田里的守望者》，

Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, “The King and I” and “The Catcher in the Rye”

艾森豪威尔，疫苗，英国有了新女王，

马西亚诺，利贝拉切，桑塔亚纳去世

Eisenhower, vaccine, England’s got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye

约瑟夫·斯大林，马林科夫，纳赛尔，普罗科菲耶夫，

洛克菲勒，康帕内拉，共产主义阵营

Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc

罗伊·科恩,胡安·庇隆，托斯卡尼尼，的确良，

奠边府陷落，《全天候摇滚》

Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron
Dien Bien Phu falls, “Rock Around the Clock”

爱因斯坦，詹姆士·迪安，布鲁克林道奇队，

戴维·克罗克特，彼得·潘，埃尔维斯·普莱斯利，

迪斯尼乐园

Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn’s got a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland

巴多特，布达佩斯，阿拉巴马，赫鲁晓夫，

格蕾丝公主，《佩顿广场》,苏伊士运河事件

Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Krushchev
Princess Grace, “Peyton Place”, trouble in the Suez

小石城, 帕斯特纳克，米基·曼特尔, 科鲁亚克,

斯帕特尼克, 周恩来,《桂河大桥》

Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, “Bridge on the River Kwai”

黎巴嫩, 夏尔·戴高乐, 加利福尼亚棒球队,

斯塔克瑟威杀人案,沙利度胺(反应停)

Lebanon, Charlse de Gaulle, California baseball
Starkweather  homicide, children of thalidomide

巴迪·霍利, 《宾虚》,太空猴子, 黑社会,

呼啦圈,卡斯特罗,艾德舍尔不赚钱

Buddy Holly, “Ben Hur”, space monkey, Mafia
Hula hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go

U2飞机，李承晚，佩约拉，肯尼迪，

查比·切克尔，《精神病》，比利时入侵刚果

U2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, “Psycho”, Belgians in the Congo

海明威，艾赫曼，《异乡异客》，

鲍勃·迪伦，柏林，入侵猪湾

Hemingway, Eichmann, “Stranger in a Strange Land”
Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion

《阿拉伯的劳伦斯》，英国的披头士热，欧尔·密斯，

约翰·格林，里斯顿战胜帕特森，

“Lawrence of Arabia”, British Beatlemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson

教皇保罗六世，马尔科姆X，英国政客性丑闻，

约翰·肯尼迪被刺杀

Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex
JFK, blown away,

生育控制，胡志明，理查德·尼克松当选总统，

登月，伍兹托克，水门事件，庞克摇滚

Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again
Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock

贝京，里根，巴勒斯坦，恐怖劫机

阿雅托拉回伊朗，俄国人去阿富汗

Begin, Reagan, Palestine, terror on the airline
Ayatollah’s in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan

幸运转轮，莎莉·莱德，重金属音乐与自杀，

美国的外债，无家的老兵，艾滋病，可卡因，伯尔尼·戈茨

“Wheel of Fortune”, Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide
Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz

海岸边的注射器，中国戒严，摇滚乐和可乐战

Hypodermics on the shores, China’s under martial law，
Rock and roller cola wars,

最后附上英文歌词

We Didn’t Start the Fire

Billy Joel

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio

Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe

Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, “The King and I” and “The Catcher in the Rye”

Eisenhower, vaccine, England’s got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc

Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron
Dien Bien Phu falls, “Rock Around the Clock”

Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn’s got a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland

Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Krushchev
Princess Grace, “Peyton Place”, trouble in the Suez

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, “Bridge on the River Kwai”

Lebanon, Charlse de Gaulle, California baseball
Starkweather, homicide, children of thalidomide

Buddy Holly, “Ben Hur”, space monkey, Mafia
Hula hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go

U2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, “Psycho”, Belgians in the Congo

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Hemingway, Eichmann, “Stranger in a Strange Land”
Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion

“Lawrence of Arabia”, British Beatlemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson

Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex
JFK, blown away, what else do I have to say

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again
Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock
Begin, Reagan, Palestine, terror on the airline
Ayatollah’s in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan

“Wheel of Fortune”, Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide
Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shores, China’s under martial law
Rock and roller cola wars, I can’t take it anymore

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
But when we are gone
Will it still burn on, and on, and on, and on

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

照片、视频、歌词均来自网上。

同学博客 》黄奕