每日英語 #119: Songs about John Henry

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Songs about John Henry

John Henry is a famous American folk hero known for his strength in hammering railroad spikes. As machines began replacing manual labor, John Henry competed against a steam-powered drill to prove human skill could still outperform machines. He won the contest, but tragically died immediately afterward.

約翰·亨利是美國著名的民間英雄，以他強大的打鐵能力聞名。當機器開始取代人力時，約翰·亨利與一台蒸汽鑽機進行了比賽，想證明人類的技藝仍然能夠勝過機器。他贏得了比賽，但不幸的是，在比賽結束後立刻去世了。

Many songs have been written about him, capturing his determination and the tragedy of his death. Here are some lyrics from the popular song “John Henry, Steel Driving Man”:

許多歌曲都寫了他的故事，展現了他的決心和悲劇性的死亡。以下是流行歌曲《約翰·亨利，打鋼鐵的男人》中的部分歌詞：

John Henry was a railroad man,

He worked from six ‘till five,

“Raise them up bullies and let them drop down,

I’ll beat you to the bottom or die.”

約翰·亨利是一名鐵路工人，

他從早上六點工作到下午五點，

“把它們抬起來，再讓它們落下，

我要比你們快到底，或者死在這裡。”

John Henry said to his captain:

“You are nothing but a common man,

Before that steam drill shall beat me down,

I’ll die with my hammer in my hand.”

約翰·亨利對他的隊長說：

“你只不過是個普通人，

在那台蒸汽鑽擊敗我之前，

我會握著錘子死去。”

John Henry’s captain came to him

With fifty dollars in his hand,

He laid his hand on his shoulder and said:

“This belongs to a steel driving man.”

約翰·亨利的隊長走向他，

手裡拿著五十美元，

他拍了拍約翰的肩膀說：

“這屬於一個打鋼鐵的男人。”

John Henry was hammering on the right side,

The big steam drill on the left,

Before that steam drill could beat him down,

He hammered his fool self to death.

約翰·亨利在右邊敲打，

而巨大的蒸汽鑽在左邊，

在那台蒸汽鑽擊敗他之前，

他愚蠢地把自己打死了。

John Henry was lying on his death bed,

He turned over on his side,

And these were the last words John Henry said,

“Bring me a cool drink of water before I die.”

約翰·亨利躺在他的病床上，

他翻過身去，

這是他最後的遺言：

“在我死之前，給我一杯涼水。”

重要單字

• 1. Folk hero (民間英雄) /foʊk ˈhɪəroʊ/
• 2. Hammer (錘子) /ˈhæmər/
• 3. Railroad (鐵路) /ˈreɪlˌroʊd/
• 4. Spike (釘子) /spaɪk/
• 5. Contest (比賽) /ˈkɒntɛst/
• 6. Steam drill (蒸汽鑽) /stiːm drɪl/
• 7. Tragically (悲劇性地) /ˈtrædʒɪkli/
• 8. Determination (決心) /dɪˌtɜːrmɪˈneɪʃən/
• 9. Captain (隊長) /ˈkæptɪn/
• 10. Shoulder (肩膀) /ˈʃoʊldər/
• 11. Hammering (敲打) /ˈhæmərɪŋ/
• 12. Death bed (病床) /ˈdɛθ bɛd/
• 13. Cool drink of water (涼水) /kuːl drɪŋk əv ˈwɔːtər/