VOA慢速英语2013 紧随音乐的节拍：美国工人运动之歌

 

Marching to the Music: Songs of the American Labor¹ Movement 紧随音乐的节拍：美国工人运动之歌

Welcome to This Is America with VOA Learning English.

欢迎收听VOA慢速英语—美国专栏节目。

Most of the world observes Labor Day on May 1. But the United States has its workers holiday on the first Monday in September.  Steve Ember and Barbara Klein have a few songs from the history of the American labor movement.

世界上大部分地区都是在五月一日庆祝劳动节，但美国的劳动节却是在九月第一个星期一。Steve Ember和Barbara Klein将会向我们讲述几首史上反映美国工人运动的歌曲。

Labor songs are traditionally stories of struggle and pride, of timeless demands for respect and the hope for a better life.

劳动歌曲一贯以劳动者的斗争和自豪，要求尊严及追求更好的生活的愿望为永恒主题。

Sometimes they represent old songs with new words. One example is "We Shall Not Be Moved." It uses the music and many of the same words of an old religious song.

有些些劳动歌曲是以新词填旧曲。例如歌曲“We Shall Not Be Moved"采用了一首宗教歌曲曲谱及截取了其中大量歌词。

Here is folksinger Pete Seeger with "We Shall Not Be Moved."

现在为你播放的就是民间歌手 Pete Seeger的歌 "We Shall Not Be Moved"

Many classic American labor songs came from workers in the coal mines of the South. Mine owners bitterly opposed unions. In some cases, there was open war between labor activists³ and coal mine operators.

美国许多经典劳动歌曲都是由美国南部煤框工人创造的。煤矿矿主强烈反对工会，有时会和矿公发生正面冲突。

Once, in Harlan County, Kentucky, company police searched for union leaders. They went to one man's home but could not find him there. So they waited outside for several days.

有一次，在Harlan县矿工Kentcky带着警察来搜捕工会领导人。他们闯进这个工会领导人家里，但没找到他。于是Kentcky和警察一连几天都埋伏在工会领导人家外面等着他出现。

The coal miner's wife, Florence Reece, remained inside with her children. She wrote this song, "Which Side Are You On?"

工会领导人的妻子Florence Reece和孩子都在屋里，她写下这首歌“你支持谁？”

Again, here is Pete Seeger.

现在播出的歌仍是由Pete Seeger 演唱。

Probably the most famous labor songwriter in America was Joe Hill. He was born in Sweden and came to the United States in the early 1900s. He worked as an unskilled laborer⁴.

美国最有名的劳动歌曲作曲人应该是Joe Hill。他出生于瑞典1900年代后期来美国干粗活谋生。

Joe Hill joined the Industrial Workers of the World, known as the Wobblies. More than any other union, they used music in their campaigns, urging members to "sing and fight."

他加入了世界产业工人联合会(世界产盟)，是世界产盟盟员。世界产盟与其他工会不同之处在于开展工人运动时高歌，鼓励盟员“高歌抗争”。

One of Joe Hill's best-known songs is "Casey Jones." It uses the music from a song about a train engineer. In the old song, Casey Jones is a hero. He bravely keeps his train running in very difficult conditions.

Joe Hill的最著名的一首歌曲是【Casey Joe】。这首歌是根据一首关于一个铁路工程师的老歌改编过来的。在老歌中,Casey Joe是一个英雄。他勇敢地让他的列车在非常恶劣的条件下继续运行。

In Joe Hill's version, Casey Jones is no hero. His train is unsafe. Yet he stays on the job after other workers have called a strike against the railroad company.

在Joe Hill的歌曲里，Casey Joe不是英雄。他的火车是不安全的。当其他工人已经响应号召通过罢工来对抗铁路公司，他却继续工作 。

Pete Seeger and the Song Swappers sing "Casey Jones (The Union Scab)."

这首歌由Pete Seeger和谐the Song Swapper⁵演唱。

Another American labor song is called "Bread and Roses." That term was connected with the women's labor movement.

另一个美国劳动歌曲叫做【面包和玫瑰】，与妇女劳工运动有关。

The song was based on a poem called "Bread and Roses" by James Oppenheim. The poem was published in The American Magazine in December of 1911.

它是根据1911年12月发表在美国杂志的James Oppenheim的一首们诗【面包和玫瑰】改编而来。

The following month there was a famous strike by textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts. They won higher pay and better working conditions. Oppenheim's poem gained more attention.

1912年1月马萨诸塞州，劳伦斯纺织工人发动了著名的罢工。罢工后纺织工人的工资待遇提高了，工作条件也有所改善。 James Oppenheim 的诗也因此备受关注 。

At that time, conditions in factories were already a national issue. In 1911, a fire at a clothing factory in New York had taken the lives of 146 people. The victims were mostly immigrant women.

当时,服装厂工作环境已经一个国家的问题。 1911年,纽约一个家服装厂失火导致146人丧生。受害者大多是移民妇女。

Here is Pat Humphries with "Bread and Roses."

现在播出是由汉弗莱斯帕特演唱的【面包和玫瑰 】。

Union activists know that labor songs can unite and help people feel strong. This can be true even when the music has nothing to do with unions.

工会积极分子认为劳动歌曲可以起到团结振奋人心的作用。这应该是正确的,即使歌词与工会无关。

"De Colores" is a popular Spanish folksong. It talks about fields in the spring, little birds, rainbows and the great loves of many colors.

【De Colores】是一首西班牙流行民歌。它讲述的是春天的田野,小鸟,彩虹以及对各种颜色深深的热爱。

This song is popular with supporters of the United Farm Workers union. We listen as Baldemar Velasquez leads the band Aguila Negra in "De Colores."

这首歌很受联合农场工人联盟的盟员喜爱。现在我们来听听Baldemar Velasques领导的Aguila Negra乐队演奏的“De Colores。 ”

For many years, folksinger Joe Glazer⁶ was a union activist² with a guitar. He was also a labor historian. Labor's Troubadour was the name of a book he wrote about his life. He believed in organized labor and preserving the musical history of the American labor movement. Joe Glazer died in 2006 at the age of 88.

许多年后,又出现了一个工会积极分子，手弹吉他的民间歌手Joe Glazer。他也是一个劳动歌曲史上重要人物。【劳动的民谣歌手】是他写一本自传。他相信有组织的劳工并保存美国劳工运动具有历史意义的歌曲。Joe Glazer于2006年去世,享年88岁。

Here is Joe Glazer with "Solidarity⁷ Forever," written by Ralph Chaplin.

现在播出的【永远团结下去】是由Joe Glazer演唱， 拉尔夫?卓别林所写。

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 laborer   

n.劳动者，劳工

参考例句：

• Her husband had been a farm laborer.她丈夫以前是个农场雇工。
• He worked as a casual laborer and did not earn much.他当临时工，没有赚多少钱。

5 swapper   

交易者，以物易物者

参考例句：

6 glazer   

n.上釉工人，加光工人

参考例句：

• There's no set figure from the Glazer family [for transfers]. 格拉泽家族没有设置限制。 来自互联网
• The Glazer family have insisted that Manchester United are not for sale. 格雷泽家族已经强调曼彻斯特联是非卖品。 来自互联网

7 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。