听歌学英语:轻歌销魂 Killing Me Softly With His Song

据说在八十年代，美国民谣女歌手Lori Lieberman在一次偶然的机缘下，去听了当时一位名不见经传的民谣歌手Don Mclean的现场演唱。Lori Lieberman被Don的一首歌“Empty chair”深深地打动了，她随后写下诗歌“Killing¹ me softly with his blues”。这首诗后来被Charles Fox和Norman Gimbel创作成了歌曲“Killing me softly with his song”,并由Lori Lieberman亲自演唱。但真正让这首歌走红的是美国老牌黑人女歌手Roberta Flack。


Strumming my pain with his fingers
用手指弹奏出我的苦楚
Singing my life with his words
用歌词唱出我的生活
Killing me softly with his song
我醉倒在他的歌声里
Killing me softly with his song
我醉倒在他的歌声里
Telling my whole life with his words
他用言语道尽我的一生
Killing me softly with his song
我醉倒在他的歌声里
I heard he sang a good song
听说他唱过一首好歌
I heard he had a style
很有自己的风格
And so I came to see him to listen for a while
于是我前去一睹其容
And there he was this young boy, a stranger to my eyes
只见翩翩陌生少年

Strumming my pain with his fingers
他用指尖拨动我心苦楚
Singing my life with his words
他用歌词吟唱我的一生
Killing me softly with his song
我醉倒在他的歌声里
Killing me softly with his song
我醉倒在他的歌声里
Telling my whole life with his words
他的歌词就这么道尽我的一生
Killing me softly with his song
我醉倒在他的歌声里

I felt all flushed with fever embarrassed by the crowd
我脸颊潮红羞怯于众
I felt he found my letters and read each word aloud
我感觉是他发现了我的信，大声地在读着一字一句。
I prayed that he would finish， But he just kept right on
我祈祷这一幕尽快结束，但他却没有停下来的意思

Strumming my pain with his fingers
用手指 弹奏出我的苦楚
Singing my life with his words
用歌词唱出我的生活
Killing me softly with his song
用轻歌他销我的魂
Killing me softly with his song
用轻歌他销我的魂
Telling my whole life with his words
他用言语道尽我的一生
Killing me softly with his song
用轻歌他销我的魂

He sang as if he knew me in all my dark despair
他的歌声，仿佛懂得我无尽的绝望
And then he looked right through me as if I wasn't there
他将我看透，仿佛我并不在那里
And he just kept on singing
他兀自吟唱
Singing clear and strong
清晰而响亮

Strumming my pain with his fingers
用手指 弹奏出我的苦楚
Singing my life with his words
用歌词唱出我的生活
Killing me softly with his song
我醉倒在他的歌声里
Killing me softly with his song
我醉倒在他的歌声里
Telling my whole life with his words
他用言语道尽我的一生
Killing me softly with his song
我醉倒在他的歌声里

歌词解析:

题目中softly这个词。很明显，它是由形容词soft变过来的哦。意思是“柔软地；静静地；温和地”
She knelt and brushed her lips softly across Michael's cheek.
她跪了下来，轻吻迈克尔的脸颊。
He bent² forward and laid a kiss softly upon her forehead.
他弯身向前，在她额头上轻轻一吻。

Strumming my pain with his fingers他的手指弹奏出的是我的苦楚。
strum，v，弹奏；轻轻地拨弄；
In the corner, a young man sat alone, softly strumming a guitar.
在角落里，一个年轻人独自坐着，轻轻地弹着一把吉他。

I heard he had a style听说他有个性/听说他有自己的风格
heard是hear的过去式，后面跟的是一个省略that的宾语从句，‘我听说了...听说什么呢，听说他很有个性，很有自己的风格。’
看下后面的have a style.style是‘风格；款式；个性’的意思
You do have a style.
你确实是个有个性的人。
And you have no style or sense of fashion.
你（的衣着）没有个性，也没有任何时尚意识。

I felt all flushed with fever embarrassed by the crowd在人群中，我感觉很窘迫，满脸羞红。
all在这里起强调作用，突出flush。flush，动词，有‘发红，脸红；奔涌；冲洗’的意思，一般和介词with连用
Please flush the toilet after using it.
方便后请冲厕所。
He flushed when he saw her.
看到她的时候，他脸红了。
She began to flush with excitement.
她由于激动脸开始发红。
The girl's forehead was flushed with fever.
由于发高烧，女孩的额头都红了。
embarrass，v，感到尴尬；使不好意思
His bad table manners embarrassed her.
他的不雅吃相使她很尴尬。
He didn't mean to embarrass you.
他不是成心让你难堪。
I did not embarrass her with my effusions.
我并没有太过热情而让她为难。

I prayed that he would finish， But he just kept right on我祈祷这一幕尽快结束，但他却没有停下来的意思
keep right on:right在这里起强调作用。
keep on,继续，反复不停地
He used to keep on at me about the need to win.
他以前总是跟我唠叨必须获胜才行。

He sang as if he knew me in all my dark despair他的歌声，仿佛懂得我无尽的绝望
as if:好像， 似乎， 仿佛
I feel as if I had been born again.
我感觉好像重生了一般。
She works hard as if she never knew fatigue³.
她工作努力，仿佛从不知疲倦似的。
despair：n/v. 绝望；令人绝望的人或事;对什么感到绝望
He fought against despair.
他在与绝望作斗争。
Don't despair.
别丧失信心。
 

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

3 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。