"I CAN'T WRITE LEFT-HANDED" by Bill Withers, 1972
この曲は10月6日に録音したんだけど
そのあと戦争は休戦となったよね
だいたい立場が似た人なら
戦争とは何か
みんな同じように感じてると思う
サイアクだよ、って。
多くのアーティストが、戦争や政府について、社会情況についての曲を書いてるけど
僕なんかだと、若者たちのことを考える
僕も同じように若かった
政府のこととか政治のこととかは、僕はよくわからないけど
若者はとても従順だから
突然誰かがやってきて
「行きなさい」って言われると
よく知りもせず、サッと行ってしまうわけ。
すこし前のことだけど
ある若者に会った
彼には右腕がない
ベトナムから帰還したばかり
大丈夫かい、って訊いたら
大丈夫さ、でも死ぬかと思ったよ
撃たれても大丈夫だったけどね
撃たれたってことが死ぬほど怖いんだ、って。
僕は、彼の気持ちを考えてみた
きっと泣いたろうね
そしてこう言ったかも・・・
左手だと字が書けないから
手紙を、手紙を
母ちゃんに書いてくれないか
伝えてほしい、伝えてほしい
ええと
弁護士に連絡して
なんとかして、なんとかして
弟に徴兵猶予をと。
ハリス牧師にも頼んでほしい
お祈りをおねがいします
僕はそんなに長くない
もうダメだと思う
長くは生きられないと思う
ここベトナムの
会ったこともない
背の低い男だよ
彼にもご加護を
僕は何もしてないのに
肩を打たれちゃった
新兵訓練で教わった
くる日もくる日も戦闘、戦闘・・・
バラ色に見えた
正直、カッコよく思えた
でもあの日は気が緩んでたのかな
銃弾も悪さはしない
こっちに飛んでくるんでなけりゃ
でもこっちに飛んできたら？
牧師に電話してほしい
ハリス牧師にも頼んでほしい
電話を 電話を
ハリス牧師に電話して
主に僕をお守りくださいと
牧師に伝えて
僕はそんなに長くない
もうダメだと思う
長くは生きられないと思う
ここベトナムの
会ったこともない
背の低い男だよ
彼にもご加護を
僕は何もしてないのに
肩を打たれちゃった
We recorded this song on October the 6th. Since then the war has been declared over.
If you're like me, you'll remember it like anybody remembers any war, one big drag.
A lot of people write songs about wars and government, very social things, but I think about young guys who were like I was when I was young.
I had no more idea about any government or political things or anything, and I think about those kind of young guys now who all of a sudden, somebody comes up, and they're very law-abiding, so if somebody says "Go" they don't ask any questions, they just go.
And I can remember not too long ago seeing a young guy with his right arm gone, just got back. And I ask him how he was doing. He said, he was doing alright now but he had thought he was going to die. He said, getting shot at didn't bother him; it was getting shot that shook him up.
And I tried to put myself in his position. Maybe he cried, maybe he said...
I can't write left-handed
Would you please write a letter, write a letter to my mother?
Tell her to tell, tell her to tell, tell her to tell the family lawyer
Trying to get, trying to get a deferment for my younger brother
Tell the Reverend Harris to pray for me, Lord, Lord, Lord
I ain't gonna live, I don't believe I'm going to live to get much older
Strange little man over here in Vietnam I ain't, I ain't never seen
Bless his heart, ain't never done nothing to
He done shot me in my shoulder
Boot camp we had classes
You know we talked about fighting, fighting every day
And looking through rosy, rosy colored glasses
I must admit it seemed exciting anyway
But something that day overlooked to tell me, Lord
Bullets look better, I must say
Brother, when they ain't coming at you
But going out the other way
And please call up the Reverend
Call up, call up the Reverend Harris
And tell him to ask the Lord to do some good things for me
Tell him I ain't gonna live, I ain't gonna live
I ain't gonna live to get much older
Oh Lord
Strange little man over here in Vietnam I ain't never seen
Bless his heart, ain't never done nothing to
He done shot me in my shoulder
そのあと戦争は休戦となったよね
だいたい立場が似た人なら
戦争とは何か
みんな同じように感じてると思う
サイアクだよ、って。
多くのアーティストが、戦争や政府について、社会情況についての曲を書いてるけど
僕なんかだと、若者たちのことを考える
僕も同じように若かった
政府のこととか政治のこととかは、僕はよくわからないけど
若者はとても従順だから
突然誰かがやってきて
「行きなさい」って言われると
よく知りもせず、サッと行ってしまうわけ。
すこし前のことだけど
ある若者に会った
彼には右腕がない
ベトナムから帰還したばかり
大丈夫かい、って訊いたら
大丈夫さ、でも死ぬかと思ったよ
撃たれても大丈夫だったけどね
撃たれたってことが死ぬほど怖いんだ、って。
僕は、彼の気持ちを考えてみた
きっと泣いたろうね
そしてこう言ったかも・・・
左手だと字が書けないから
手紙を、手紙を
母ちゃんに書いてくれないか
伝えてほしい、伝えてほしい
ええと
弁護士に連絡して
なんとかして、なんとかして
弟に徴兵猶予をと。
ハリス牧師にも頼んでほしい
お祈りをおねがいします
僕はそんなに長くない
もうダメだと思う
長くは生きられないと思う
ここベトナムの
会ったこともない
背の低い男だよ
彼にもご加護を
僕は何もしてないのに
肩を打たれちゃった
新兵訓練で教わった
くる日もくる日も戦闘、戦闘・・・
バラ色に見えた
正直、カッコよく思えた
でもあの日は気が緩んでたのかな
銃弾も悪さはしない
こっちに飛んでくるんでなけりゃ
でもこっちに飛んできたら？
牧師に電話してほしい
ハリス牧師にも頼んでほしい
電話を 電話を
ハリス牧師に電話して
主に僕をお守りくださいと
牧師に伝えて
僕はそんなに長くない
もうダメだと思う
長くは生きられないと思う
ここベトナムの
会ったこともない
背の低い男だよ
彼にもご加護を
僕は何もしてないのに
肩を打たれちゃった
We recorded this song on October the 6th. Since then the war has been declared over.
If you're like me, you'll remember it like anybody remembers any war, one big drag.
A lot of people write songs about wars and government, very social things, but I think about young guys who were like I was when I was young.
I had no more idea about any government or political things or anything, and I think about those kind of young guys now who all of a sudden, somebody comes up, and they're very law-abiding, so if somebody says "Go" they don't ask any questions, they just go.
And I can remember not too long ago seeing a young guy with his right arm gone, just got back. And I ask him how he was doing. He said, he was doing alright now but he had thought he was going to die. He said, getting shot at didn't bother him; it was getting shot that shook him up.
And I tried to put myself in his position. Maybe he cried, maybe he said...
I can't write left-handed
Would you please write a letter, write a letter to my mother?
Tell her to tell, tell her to tell, tell her to tell the family lawyer
Trying to get, trying to get a deferment for my younger brother
Tell the Reverend Harris to pray for me, Lord, Lord, Lord
I ain't gonna live, I don't believe I'm going to live to get much older
Strange little man over here in Vietnam I ain't, I ain't never seen
Bless his heart, ain't never done nothing to
He done shot me in my shoulder
Boot camp we had classes
You know we talked about fighting, fighting every day
And looking through rosy, rosy colored glasses
I must admit it seemed exciting anyway
But something that day overlooked to tell me, Lord
Bullets look better, I must say
Brother, when they ain't coming at you
But going out the other way
And please call up the Reverend
Call up, call up the Reverend Harris
And tell him to ask the Lord to do some good things for me
Tell him I ain't gonna live, I ain't gonna live
I ain't gonna live to get much older
Oh Lord
Strange little man over here in Vietnam I ain't never seen
Bless his heart, ain't never done nothing to
He done shot me in my shoulder
