【樂聽雜感】Love used to be

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Jewel Kilcher，創作歌手，也是詩人。1995《Pieces of You》初試啼聲即獲得了巨大成功。2015年《Picking Up the Pieces》則被視為對首張專輯的回歸，Jewel對此形容為"focusing on the singing, lyric, and emotion."

這當中〈Love used to be〉(愛曾經是)絕對是一首令人心碎的作品。毫無疑問，Jewel在歌詞中用了各種意象、巧妙的押韻來描繪「愛」的模樣。詞曲寫得都好，演繹得讓人難忘。

歌詞大量重複“Love used to be”，如光影紛繁地疊綴種種「愛」的記憶。Jewel不只是展現了旋律節奏的複沓和變調，其唱法亦演活了愛的各種姿態，澈底展現了追憶當下的複雜情緒。

Dig a six-foot hole
Inside my chest
Heart like a gravestone
Lay it down to rest
Goodbye love
Amen

以此作為分段，可以將全曲分為三個段落。其中一二段在情緒上較為內斂，而第三段以念白呈現泣不成聲的崩潰。

隨著前後歌詞意象轉換，Jewel的情緒層層疊疊，甜美的/堅強的/平淡的/追憶的/呢喃的；有時在長音表現上，像是懸針微顫，理性極力控制著情緒波濤，有時長音拖沓又像輾磨般痛苦不盡。

情感真摯而動人。

愛曾是一切，曾是披著白紗的幻影，愛曾是落瑛嘆息，曾是勇氣，是未來，是方向......

告別一段感情，告別戀人。幾番回首，夢境恁地清晰，愛情絢爛光璨。它追憶曩昔，也設幻未來。而逝者已矣，來者再不可追。愛得越真，回憶刻得越深，心便越痛。

總有某些歌會在人生的某個切片被聽見/記住，然後大哭一場後，說(或不說)Goodbye。至少在當下，是被救贖的。

不記得是什麼時候，為什麼，但Jewel的這首曲子就是這樣。Love used to be......

Love used to be the ruler
From which you measured all
Love used to be the dizzying height
From which you wished to fall
Love used to be the white and gauzy apparition
Towering in your dreams
Love used to be
Love used to be

Love used to be the horseshoe made of iron
And always smiling up
And in your arms it gathered
All manner of silky satin golden luck
Love used to be the pyramid and on top
It's eye that always sees
Love used to be
Love used to be

Dig a six-foot hole
Inside my chest
Heart like a gravestone
Lay it down to rest
Goodbye love
Amen

Love used to be a sigh like petals
Gently falling down
From the flower of my lover's
Half open rosebud mouth
Love used to be the thirst, oh, and the quenching
The question in no need of answering
Love used to be
Love used to be

Love used to be hope unflinching
The dare that believed it must
Love used to be the heady drunken feeling of
Flesh heavy with lust
Love used to be the photograph of the future
Taken by one mind four eyes could see
Love used to be
Love used to be

Dig a six-foot hole
Inside my chest
Heart like a gravestone
Lay it down to rest
Goodbye love
Amen

Love used to be a miracle
The proof that God exists
As it doubled our image, immortality delivered
By the double helix
Love used to be the bedrock you built a life upon
Into the future reaching
It used to be what woke you each day
And eased me into sleeping
Love used to be my compass
But now I'm alone and I'm adrift and I'm lost at sea
'Cause love used to be
Love used to be
Love used to be
Love used to be