这是一个棒球俱乐部制作的宣传资料,恰好配上了我想要找的这首《棒球波尔卡》。真是太巧了。你听一下,怎么样?还不错吧?但仅仅只是一首很普通的舞曲,没有多少意思。像这样的棒球音乐,后来又陆续有人编写了一些,比如1867年的一首也叫《棒球波尔卡》(The Base
Ball Polka),作者Jas M.Goodman;1912年的一首叫The base ball fever,作者Charles J.W.Jerreld。类似的棒球音乐还有很多,有些还有歌词,可以唱,但终究没有流行起来。
现在世界上最著名的棒球歌曲当数《带我出去看球赛》(Take Me Out to the Ball Game)。这是美国的Jack Norworth(1879-1959)于1908年创作的,如今无疑已成为经典之作:
Take me out to the ball game,
take me out to the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks.
I don't care if I ever get back.
'Cause it's root, root, root for the home team.
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes,
you're out at the old ball game.
当时Jack Norworth是坐在开往纽约曼哈顿的火车上,在一些便条纸上写下了这首歌词,只花了十五分钟时间。后来他把这些写有歌词的便条纸交给Albert Von Tilzer谱曲,最后York Music Company在年底前出版了这首歌曲。于是这首脍炙人口的歌曲就这么诞生了。
令人难以置信的是,这首歌曲的词作者Jack Norworth和曲作者Albert Von Tilzer,在创作之前,都从未看过一场棒球比赛。Jack Norworth生平第一次去看大联盟的比赛是在1940年。
Jack Norworth出生在费城,是一位很成功的歌曲作者、歌唱家和歌舞杂耍演员。他一生共创作了2500多首歌曲,包括“Shine On, Harvest
Moon”及另外几首棒球歌曲,但没有一首的名气能超过这首《带我出去看球赛》。1927年Jack Norworth修改了部分歌词,于是有了第二版。在这首歌诞生50周年之际,大联盟给Jack Norworth赠送了一张金质的终生入场券。
现在,几乎在美国任何一个球场,当比赛进行到第七局上下半局的间歇,球场的广播喇叭里就会传出这样的话音:“Ladys and Gentalman, It's time for the seventh-inning stretch.”。这句话里的“seventh-inning stretch”意思是“第七局伸伸腿”。这就是说,现在是第七局伸伸腿的时间了。这时候,美国的棒球观众有个习惯,站起来原地活动一下,这段时间就被叫作“第七局伸伸腿”,看台上的球迷都会被邀请站起来,伸伸腿,一起唱首歌。那么,这种站起来伸伸腿的习俗是怎么产生的呢?一种很流行的说法,在1910年,美国总统威廉·霍华德·塔夫脱在观看一场华盛顿参议员的棒球比赛。他坐久了有点不舒服,就站起来伸了伸腿脚,周围的观众见到总统这样,他们也就都站起来伸伸腿脚了。这个说法显然是编造出来的。事实上,当观众已经看了很长时间的球赛,坐久了很不舒服,这时候即使不邀请,有些观众自己也会站起来伸伸腿扭扭腰,这是很自然的。伸伸腿的时候,大家一起唱首歌,放松一下,最常唱的就是这首《带我出去看球赛》。
这首歌的两个版本的完整歌词是这样的:
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
1908 Version
Author: Jack Norworth
Composer: Albert Von Tilzer
Published on: 1908
Published by: York Music Company
Katie Casey was base ball mad.
Had the fever and had it bad;
Just to root for the home town crew,
Ev'ry sou Katie blew.
On a Saturday, he young beau
Called to see if she'd like to go,
To see a show but Miss Kate said,
"No, I'll tell you what you can do."
"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."
Katie Casey saw all the games,
Knew the players by their first names;
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Katie Casey knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song:
"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, your out,
At the old ball game."
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
1927 Version
Author: Jack Norworth
Composer: Albert Von Tilzer
Published on: 1927
Published by: York Music Company
Nelly Kelly love baseball games,
Knew the players, knew all their names,
You could see her there ev'ry day,
Shout "Hurray," when they'd play.
Her boy friend by the name of Joe
Said, "To Coney Isle, dear, let's go,"
Then Nelly started to fret and pout,
And to him I heard her shout.
"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."
Nelly Kelly was sure some fan,
She would root just like any man,
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along, good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Nelly Kelly knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song.
"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."
这首歌分四节,第一第三节的歌词平时很少有人唱,第二第四节是重复的合唱部分,球迷们经常唱的就是这个合唱部分。这节歌在美国人最常唱的歌里名列第三,仅排在《国歌》和《祝你生日快乐》之后。“Let me root, root, root for the home team”这句在大联盟的球场上,
“the home team”经常被替换成真实的主队名来唱。比如在旧金山,就会被唱成“Let me root, root, root for the Giants”。下面是洛杉矶道奇队球迷的例子,你可以听出他们唱成“Let me root, root, root for the Dodgers”:
当年作者写这首歌时,大概没想到后来常在球场里面唱。既然已经在球场里面坐着看球赛了,干嘛还站起来嚷嚷说“带我出去看球赛”呢?有个名字叫Pitcher Larry Anderson的人说得很有意思,他说:“当第七局伸伸腿的这些球迷站起来唱《带我出去看球赛》时,他们早已经在那里了。唱这样的内容真是太蠢了,我不知道是谁让他们这么唱的。为什么一个早就在那里的人会站起来唱‘带我出去看球赛’?第一个这么做的人一定是个傻瓜”。