听歌学英语:我开了个玩笑 I Started a Joke

"I Started a Joke"（《我开了个玩笑》）是1968年一个由三兄弟组成的英国乐队Bee Gees¹发行的歌曲。歌曲一经推出就轻而易举的在多个国家登上排行榜的首位，直到今天仍有歌手不断翻唱。这首歌就像它的名字一样，和世人开了一个玩笑。只因它的歌词充满了太多哲学式的矛盾，文字又太少，给听众留下了太多的空间发挥想象，所以直到40多年后，听众们仍然在喋喋不休的争论着这首歌曲到底蕴含着什么样的深意。歌词的字面意思是三组叫人有些匪夷所思的矛盾：当我开玩笑的时候，世界却哭了；当我哭了的时候，世界却笑了；当我死去的时候，世界却活的更好了。也许这首歌唱的是一种忏悔。对歌词的理解见仁见智，且至今并没有可考的作者本人的解释。

I started a joke
Which started the whole world crying
but I didn't see
That the joke was on me oh no
I started to cry
Which started the whole world laughing
Oh if I'd only seen
That the joke was on me
I looked at the skies
Running my hands
Over my eyes
And I fell out of bed
Hurting my head
For things that I've said
Till I finally died
Which started the whole world living
Oh if I'd only seen
That the joke was on me
And I looked at the skies
Running my hands
Over my eyes
And I fell out of bed
Hurting my head
For things that I've said
Till I finally died
Which started the whole world living
Oh if I'd only seen
That the joke was on me
That the joke was on me

Start表示开始，start to do sth就是指开始做某事儿。Start加上不同的介词有不同的含义。
1. Start for : begin a journey to a place 动身去某地
He started for his holiday with a light heart.
他怀着轻松的心情动身去度假。
2. Start off 动身出发；以…开始；迅速跑开
Don't start off without telling me.
别不告诉我一声就出发。
Let's start the party off with a song.
让我们首先唱支歌儿来开始今天的聚会。
The rabbit started off as soon as it smelt² the dogs.
兔子一嗅到有狗的气味便迅速跑开了。
4. start in (v.+adv.) : begin work, activity, or doing sth 开始工作〔活动,做事〕
Let's start in and clean up the kitchen.
咱们开始打扫厨房吧。
5. start over (v.+adv.) : begin again 重新开始
I suggest that you tear up the composition and start over again.
我建议你把这篇作文撕掉，再从头开始写。

1 gees   

n.（美俚）一千元（gee的复数形式）v.驭马快走或向右（gee的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• When the lunch bell rang, she peeled the gees and ate them. 中午吃饭铃响时她就剥开鸡蛋吃起来。 来自互联网
• How do you want you gees? 你要怎么样的蛋呢？ 来自互联网

2 smelt   

v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼

参考例句：

• Tin is a comparatively easy metal to smelt.锡是比较容易熔化的金属。
• Darby was looking for a way to improve iron when he hit upon the idea of smelting it with coke instead of charcoal.达比一直在寻找改善铁质的方法，他猛然想到可以不用木炭熔炼，而改用焦炭。