Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam

一開始只覺得珍珠果醬的Yellow Ledbetter好聽，去查了歌詞背後的故事後，就成了我歌單中前幾名。

Pearl Jam - Yellow Ledbetter

在2008年的演唱會中，主唱談到這首歌背後的故事(錄音檔可見此，報導可見此，斜體字我自己延伸的)：

這大概是在第一次波灣戰爭時寫的，老布希那時候，故事大概是說一個人他的兄弟參戰。那個人就是那種另類打扮的小孩，就像我們這樣的T恤短褲長髮這類的，反正就我們這個樣子，抗議份子與藝術家，就像西雅圖的年輕人那樣，都聰明人，我們都嗑藥。然後這故事是說他的兄弟在戰場犧牲了，然後他收到一封黃色的信。所以他試著在郊區街上走一走甩開情緒，他邊走試著擺脫情緒、腦子快速運轉著、不知道該怎麼辦。他覺得隨時都會陷入深淵。他走阿走的，看到一對夫妻在房子前廊，還有個國旗。所以他揮了揮手想像他的兄弟一般(可能是指像他兄弟一般愛國)，而那些人看著他，眼神好像在說「你這廢渣」、「你是誰啊？」。他們不知道，他們不知道背後的故事，他們就憑外表來評斷。這就是當時(寫歌的)想法。

It was written around the Gulf War—this was “Papa Bush,” and it’s about a guy whose brother went to fight in the Gulf War. He was kind of an alternative-looking kid, like we were with our shorts and tights and long hair, whatever we have going on… activists and artists like many of the young people in Seattle, and smart people. We’re all drug addicts. So it’s a story about his brother being killed over there, and then he gets a yellow letter in the mail. So he tries to walk this off in this little suburban neighborhood. He’s walking it off and his mind is racing and he doesn’t know what to do. He feels like he can’t take a step without falling into some deep abyss. And so he’s walking and walking and he sees a couple on a porch with an American flag. And then he waves to them like ‘my brother,’ and the people look at him like ‘you fucking scumbag,’ like ‘who are you.’ They don’t know. They don’t know the inside. They’re just judging him by his cover. So that’s what the thought was.

歌詞的部分，記得當時查了一下有不同說法，畢竟主唱唱歌都相當模糊、歌詞也常隨興發揮，因此我湊了一點各種說法來翻譯。(歌詞基本參考此處)

前廊上躺著一封打開的黃色信件

你說"我還是想放著就好"

有次看到她在沙灘上

在沙灘上，"我還是想放著就好"

周末時我希望這些都結束了

但他們打給我說"就照我說的做"，我就再打了過去

我知道，這是為了要讓她冷靜下來

但我說"我不知道回來時是用箱子還是袋子裝的"

(網路上有些人說這句是指赴戰場的那位是怎麼運回的)

你能看到嗎，前廊的那些人

但他們沒有揮手

我看到了前面路上的那些人

我只知道我不想待在這裡