2016-05-10 18:14:54流浪阿狗
老歌亂談(574)Bartender's Blues
James Taylor
說起美國歌手James Taylor，一般大概都會想起那首由Carole King所寫的《You've Got A Friend》，該曲是Taylor在告示牌熱門榜的第一首冠軍曲，也為他和Carole King在1971各奪得了一座葛萊美獎。
Taylor & King
此首《Bartender's Blues》為James Taylor所寫，是Taylor企圖跨入鄉村歌曲作曲領域的首作，而且以有別於一般鄉村歌曲的主題來呈現。此曲說的是一位酒保，由於經常要聽客人吐苦水或是陪笑而覺得不快樂，也感覺自己被工作陷住，需要「honky tonk angel」來救贖他。有趣的是，一般人所認知的honky tonk angel，只是在小酒館工作或打混的女人，而在Taylor的想法中，卻成了如妻子或母親般可以幫忙他的天使。當然，這一些都只是來自於Taylor個人對於小酒館的印象。
James Taylor於1977發行此曲的單曲 (《Handy Man》的B面 )，只獲得鄉村榜第88名。隔年，George Jones也推出翻唱版，雖然也只得到第6名，卻是Jones兩年來首度進榜前10名的歌曲，對Jones來說，此曲當然別具義意。2008，George Jones接受甘迺迪中心榮譽獎 ( Kennedy Center Honors )，歌手Brad Paisley即是演唱此曲向其致敬。
Now I'm just a bartender
And I don't like my work
But I don't mind the money at all
I see lots of sad faces
And lots of bad cases
Of folks with their backs to the wall
I need four walls around me to hold my life
To keep me from going astray
And a honky-tonk angel to hold me tight
To keep me from slipping away
I can light up your smokes
I can laugh at your jokes
I can watch you fall down on your knees
I can close down this bar
Go and gas up my old car
I can pack up, oh Lord, and mail in the key
I need four walls around me to hold my life
To keep me from going astray
And a honky-tonk angel to hold me tight
To keep me from slipping away
Now the smoke fills the air in this honky-tonk bar
And I'm thinking 'bout where I'd rather be
But I burned all my bridges and I sank all ships
Now I'm stranded at the edge of the sea
I still need four walls around me to hold my life
To keep me from going astray
And a honky-tonk angel to hold me tight
To keep me from slipping away