American Pie整首歌長達八分半，敘事宏大而細節豐富，象徵和社會刻畫又很深刻。不愧是“一首足以概括世界所知道的美國的大歌曲”。我最早聽到這首歌是童年時代在父親的磁帶。這首歌也是後來的我女友和白人朋友們的最愛。我也時常和中國朋友們推薦這首歌，當朋友們得知說這首歌和vincent出自同一人之手也是哥哥出道曲目時，甚是驚訝。

A long long time agoI can still remember how

That music used to make me smile

我還依稀記得那些令我微笑的音樂。And I knew if I had my chanceThat I could make those people danceAnd maybe they"d be happy for a while

我也知道，如果有機會，我也會讓他人聞之而起舞。

享一夕歡愉。

But February made me shiverWith every paper I"d deliver

但是那年二月，灰暗充斥了每一張我遞送的報紙。 （少年時的麥克林做過報童）Bad news on the doorstepI couldn"t take one more step

壞訊息灑滿了所有門前的臺階，我甚至無法邁出一步向前的步伐。

I can"t remember if I cried

When I read about his widowed bride

我已經不太確定我是否對新婚亡夫的她而潸然淚下。（50年代搖滾巨星巴迪霍利之死）Something touched me deep inside

The day the music died

感傷浸入了我靈魂深處

我想，音樂也死了。So

Bye, bye Miss American Pie

再見，美國派Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

我駕著雪弗蘭想去堤上釋懷，卻只能面對乾涸的小溪 （雪弗蘭，大皮卡，中西部鄉村，是美國中西部最重要的生活元素）And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye

老紳士們還在喝著威士忌和麥酒Singin" this"ll be the day that I die

緩緩吟唱到：歸去吧。This"ll be the day that I die

歸去。

Did you write the book of loveAnd do you have faith in God above

你有寫過愛的書信嗎？

你相信在你我之上的神靈嗎？If the Bible tells you so?

或者，你是否有從聖經中有所體悟？Do you believe in rock and roll?

或者，你是否相信搖滾？Can music save your mortal soul?

相信音樂能夠拯救平凡的靈魂？And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

或者，就現在，你是否願意教我緩緩起舞？

Well, I know that you"re in love with him

沒事，我知道你愛上他了。"Cause I saw you dancin" in the gym

因為我看到你和他在健身房裡跳舞 （50年代中後期美國流行的生活方式）You both kicked off your shoes

你們倆都踢掉了鞋子。Man, I dig those rhythm and blues

你知道嗎，我只能把我的憂傷深深的埋葬在藍色的旋律裡。

I was a lonely teenage broncin" buck

我只是是一個破落而寂寞的少年With a pink carnation and a pickup truck

在皮卡上和著粉色康乃馨有過一夜風流But I knew I was out of luck

The day the music died

那天幸運殆盡，音樂凋亡I started singin"

Bye, bye Miss American Pie

我也開始吟唱，再見，美國派Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

我駕著皮卡想去堤上看看，但是也只能看見乾涸的河床。And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye

老男孩們還在喝著威士忌和麥酒Singin" this"ll be the day that I die

緩緩唱到：終結吧This"ll be the day that I die

終結。

Now, for ten years we"ve been on our own

如今，十年過去了，你我都過著各自的生活And moss grows fat on a rolling stone

滾石上長滿了厚厚的青苔。（滾石樂隊）But, that"s not how it used to be

不再是原來的模樣。

When the jester sang for the king and queen

In a coat he borrowed from James Dean

小孩（Bob Dylan）向國王和女王獻歌時穿著一件借來的James Dean

的夾克And a voice that came from you and me

人群中傳來了你我的聲音

Oh and while the king was looking down

國王從臺上向下望去The jester stole his thorny crown

小人盜走了荊棘CROWN （Bob Dylan的叛逆時代，從民謠走向搖滾，國王（貓王），王后（康妮弗朗西斯）的時代快要結束）The courtroom was adjourned

法庭也因休庭No verdict was returned

而沒有做出任何的判決 （芝加哥七人案審判席上吟唱的反戰歌曲）

And while Lennon read a book on Marx

那時列儂開始讀起了馬克思The quartet practiced in the park

披頭士開始在公園裡排練

And we sang dirges in the dark

The day the music died

在那四重奏行將結束時，我們在黑暗中唱起輓歌 （披頭士嬉皮風格即將終結）

We were singin"

我們都開始唱著

Bye, bye Miss American Pie

再見，美國派Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

我還是駕著皮卡想去堤上看看，奈何河流已經乾涸。Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye

老人們威士忌和麥酒交錯And singin" this"ll be the day that I die

吟唱著：逝去吧This"ll be the day that I die

逝去

Helter skelter in a summer swelter

在汗水淋漓酷暑難耐的那個夏天

The birds flew off with a fallout shelter

Eight miles high and falling fast

飛鳥飛過鐵幕（冷戰時代）

在八英里高的高空

It landed foul on the grass

錯誤地墜落在綠茵場上 （樂隊成員因酗酒而被開除）The players tried for a forward pass

球員們試圖把球向前傳With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

一邊的吹鼓手也在拼命鼓勁 （Bob Dylan摩托車瘋狂車禍）

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume

中場的空氣充滿著大麻的迷霧While sergeants played a marching tune

當軍樂隊開始奏響進行曲We all got up to dance

我們都試圖起舞 Oh, but we never got the chance

然而我們並沒有這個機會。

"Cause the players tried to take the field

因為當搖滾樂隊們試圖進場時The marching band refused to yield

軍樂團拒絕了讓渡。 （披頭士在candlestick一次表演中進行到35分鐘就被終止了，人們的歡愉戛然而止。這裡還有另一種解釋是後面很多泛泛的樂隊企圖模仿或者超越披頭士，但是都無法撼動披頭士的地位）Do you recall what was revealed

你知道著代表著什麼嗎？The day the music died?

這象徵著音樂的消亡We started singin"

於是我們逐漸懂得

Bye, bye Miss American Pie

要和美國派再見了Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dryThem good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye

驅車解愁愁更愁And singin" this"ll be the day that I die

This"ll be the day that I die

觥籌交錯的夜晚，老人們說：是時候終結了。

Oh, and there we were all in one place

後來，我們又彙集到了同一個地方 （伍德斯托克）

A generation lost in space

With no time left to start again

一代人迷失在天空裡，再也無法重啟。 （頹廢的一代）

So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick

那麼，Jack，你就不要再猶豫了Jack Flash sat on a candlestick

不如就這樣閃耀在candlestick的舞臺上"Cause fire is the devil"s only friend

因為只有無情的火焰才是惡魔的夥伴。

Oh and as I watched him on the stage

我在臺下深受躁動。My hands were clenched in fists of rage

雙手緊握成了狂熱的拳頭No angel born in Hell

Could break that Satan"s spell

沒有任何來自地獄的天使能夠打破這撒旦的魔咒。

And as the flames climbed high into the night

當火舌吞沒天空To light the sacrificial rite

照亮這個祭典時I saw Satan laughing with delight

我彷彿看見撒旦得意的大笑 The day the music died

我想音樂也死去了 （滾石當時請地獄天使作為現場保鏢，而地獄天使卻打死了現場一名黑人，同時也開始毆打其他觀眾，最後滾石不得不乘坐直升機，從空路撤離）He was singin"

他唱到

Bye, bye Miss American Pie

美國派，再見啦Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

驅車以排遣，誰知愁更愁Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye

舉杯飲酒作樂Singin" this"ll be the day that I die

卻不禁悲從中來This"ll be the day that I die

想要終結自己的生命

I met a girl who sang the blues

後來，我遇見了一個唱藍調的女孩And I asked her for some happy news

我向她打聽了些喜訊But she just smiled and turned away

她卻只是笑笑，轉身離開

I went down to the sacred store

Where I"d heard the music years before

我去了那個我聽見她藍調的宗教商品店

But the man there said the music wouldn"t play

店主卻說這首歌無法再播放了

And in the streets the children screamed

在那街上，孩童們尖叫著The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed

愛人們大叫著，詩人幻想著 （Jannis Joplin海洛因中毒而死）But not a word was spoken

卻沒有人能再說出話來The church bells all were broken

教堂的鐘聲現在也噤若寒蟬 （偉大的樂手都逝去了）

And the three men I admire most

The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost

我最崇拜的那三個人，聖父，聖子和聖靈They caught the last train for the coast

他們都趕上了去往海岸的火車 （音樂在西海岸得以繼承，加州）The day the music died

我想，我們的音樂又終結了。And they were singing

所以我們都開始唱起

Bye, bye Miss American Pie

再見，美國派Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

驅車河岸，也未能排解我們的憂愁And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye

老男孩們觥籌交錯Singin" this"ll be the day that I die

唱到：歸去吧This"ll be the day that I die

歸去

They were singingBye, bye Miss American PieDrove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dryThem good ole boys were drinking whiskey and ryeSingin" this"ll be the day that I die

歸去吧，

歸去

以上時歌詞和我的翻譯，這首歌還有很多解讀的版本，然而麥克林本人卻對解讀都不太滿意。對於我自身而言，麥克林去年到卡爾加里，我和女友同去現場，二十多年來第一次看到了已經老去的麥克林，第一次在現場傾聽這首八分半卻不乏味的歌曲，也算是滿有感慨

假裝 - 趙芷彤 詞：趙芷彤 曲：趙芷彤 窗臺的雨滴 肆無忌憚往下滴 灰色的天氣 散落一地 哭紅了雙眼 只不過自己傷心 轉身的距離 只是不提 為什麼 就這樣 只剩自己 難道這就是你不說的秘密 沒有關係 我告訴自己 一個人也可以假裝平靜 假裝驕傲 假裝微笑 假裝看不清 沒有關係 我告訴自己 你只是做個短暫的回憶 找不到你 我還在原地 哭紅了雙眼 只不過自己傷心 轉身的距離 只是不提 為什麼 就這樣 只剩自己 難道這就是你不說的秘密 沒有關係 我告訴自己 一個人也可以假裝平靜 假裝驕傲 假裝微笑 假裝看不清 沒有關係 我告訴自己 你只是做個短暫的回憶 找不到你 我還在原地 沒有關係 我告訴自己 一個人也可以假裝平靜 假裝驕傲 假裝微笑 假裝看不清 沒有關係 我告訴自己 你只是做個短暫的回憶 找不到你 我還在原地