2015-02-06 07:11:55流浪阿狗
老歌亂談(393)Stagger Lee
1895年的耶誕夜，美國一位「皮條客」Lee Shelton，和另位他相識的在政治和生意上的競爭對手Billy Lyons，倆人在密蘇里州聖路易市的一間酒吧喝得醉茫茫，之後為賭 ( 也有說是為政治議題 ) 起了爭執，就在Lynos拿走了Shelton的斯特森 ( Stetson ) 牛仔帽時，Shelton開槍將之射殺。看起來這不過是滿普通的情緒殺人事件，卻被用作為民謠的主題，不斷地流行傳唱。
此曲最早是1911出現在民謠刊物上，1923首度被錄製為唱片，之後各種翻唱版本不斷，直至1959，Lloyd Price的版本同時獲得節奏藍調和流行榜的冠軍，而成為了最知名的版本。更驚人的是，依據統計，在上一世紀 ( 20 )，此曲所發行的版本超過了170種以上。
歌名中的Stagger，是Lee Shelton的綽號，或由於音譯問題，早期有稱之為Stack-a-Lee、Stacker Lee、Stagolee……等等。也由於這首歌的影響，Stagger已成為了個不良的綽號，通常會被聯想到「冷血殺手」。至於Lee Shelton的下場，他因此被判謀殺罪於1897入監服刑，1909獲得赦免，但於1911再因脅迫搶奪入獄，1912死於獄中。
我實在不太記得當年是聽何版本，應該不是Lloyd Price，似也非Wilson Pickett，聽來聽去，還是1971Tommy Roe的版本較為熟悉，就依此貼上了。
I was standing on the corner
When I heard my bulldog bark
He was barking at the two men
Who were gambling in the dark
It was Stagger Lee and Billy
Two men who gambled late
Stagger Lee threw a seven
Billy swore, that he threw eight
Stagger Lee told 'Billy,
I can't let you go with that
You have won all my money
And my brand new stetson hat'
Stagger Lee went home
And he got his 44
Said, 'I'm going to the bar room
Just to pay that debt that I owe'
Stagger Lee went to the bar room
And he stood across the bar room floor
Said, 'now, nobody move'
And he pulled his 44
'Stagger Lee', cried Billy
'Oh, please don't take my life
I got three little children
And a very sickly wife'
Stagger Lee shot Billy
Boy, he shot that poor boy so bad
'Till the bullet came thru Billy
And it broke the bartender's glass
Oh, Stagger Lee
Oh, Stagger Lee
........