漫長的考試終于過去了。考前強記的知識點現在都忘了，但還記得復習期間聽過的幾首披頭士的歌，和歌曲中的故事。

This is the cover art for the album Abbey Road by the artist The Beatles. The cover art copyright is believed to belong to the label, Apple (Parlophone)/EMI, or the graphic artist(s), Iain Macmillan.

Norwegian Wood

村上春樹的小說《挪威的森林》最后，玲子和渡邊為直子辦一個不那么寂寞的葬禮，彈了很多披頭士的曲子。唯獨Norwegian Wood彈了兩遍。直子每次聽了這首都會想起又深又暗的森林，悲哀得不行。最后直子選擇了死亡，在黑夜中的森林里。

如果僅從英文來看，Wood似乎是「木頭、家具」的意思。村上寫過一篇雜文《只見挪威樹木，不見挪威森林》，寫到有種意見認為「Norwegian Wood并非挪威的森林，那其實是誤譯，本義應當是挪威產的家具」。但村上并不同意這個看法，他認為Norwegian Wood是故意模棱兩可的詞匯。究竟模糊了什么？就讓我們先拋開其他的，看看這首歌吧。

"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"主要由約翰·列儂所寫，收錄于1965年的專輯Rubber Soul中。歌曲表面上勾畫了歌手和神秘女子的一次失敗的感情，歌詞是這樣的：

I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me
She showed me her room, isn't it good, norwegian wood?

She asked me to stay and she told me to sit anywhere
So I looked around and I noticed there wasn't a chair

I sat on the rug, biding my time, drinking her wine
We talked until two and then she said, "It's time for bed"

She told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh
I told her I didn't and crawled off to sleep in the bath

And when I awoke I was alone, this bird had flown
So I lit a fire, isn't it good, norwegian wood?

仔細看歌詞，整件事似乎籠罩著一層煙霧，有種非現實的感覺。據村上文中所說，其實整首歌是故意在閃爍其詞，描繪的列儂的一樁風流韻事，而又不想讓妻子知道。文中說了一個「權威」的說法：

"Norwegian Wood"其實不是真正的歌名。一開始的歌名叫"Knowing She Would"。想想歌詞的前后內容，你明白它的意思吧？（即是說，'Isn't it good, knowing she would?' 這樣豈不好，知道她想要？）但是唱片公司提出異議，宣稱不能灌錄這種是非不分的詞句。你看，當時這樣的限值還很嚴格嘛。于是約翰·列儂當場玩了個諧音游戲，把knowing she would改成了Norwegian Wood。這么一來，不就真相難辨了么？這個歌名其實是一種玩笑哦。
——摘自《只見挪威樹木，不見挪威森林》 村上春樹 著， 施小煒 譯

哎，知道了所謂的「真相」，反而沒了那種美感。

Eleanor Rigby

聽到開頭的"Ah, Look all the lonely people"就被這首歌迷住了，看了歌詞，整首歌都是講孤獨和死亡的，這在披頭士的歌中并不常見。而這首歌是保羅·麥卡特尼在24歲時寫的。

Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people

Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice
In the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream

Waits at the window, wearing the face
That she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

Father McKenzie, writing the words
of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near

Look at him working, darning his socks
In the night when there's nobody there
What does he care?

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people

Eleanor Rigby died in the church
And was buried along with her name
Nobody came

Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt
From his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved

All the lonely people
(Ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
(Ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all belong?

Eleanor Rigby這個名字是保羅拼湊而成的，Eleanor是披頭士電影Help!中演出的意味女演員的名字，Rigby是利物浦普遍的姓氏。有趣的是，利物浦附近有個刻上Eleanor Rigby的墳墓，那Eleanor Rigby生前也是個孤獨的人。

在利物浦Stanley Street的Eleanor Rigby雕像，旁邊的銘牌寫著"Dedicated to All the Lonely People"(獻給All the Lonely People)

后記

感覺約翰·列儂、保羅·麥卡特尼、喬治·哈里森這些人更了解人生的悲哀和溫柔。有些時候聽聽這些比我們老得多的歌曲，會有一些經過歲月沉淀的感動。