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Hey everyone, I’m Wang Ba Dan from America.
大家好，我是王霸胆，来自美国。
That was 21 Guns by Green Day, one of the most popular punk bands in America.
今天这首歌是来自绿日乐队的21 Guns，他们是美国最受欢迎的朋克乐队之一。
The title of the song, 21 Guns, is a reference to the gunshots that are fired at a soldier’s funeral as a commemoration of his or her service.
歌名《21响礼炮》，是引用自在士兵的葬礼上，为他/她曾服役军队所发出的21响礼炮，作为纪念的仪式。
Today’s article is the first of a series I’ll be doing on American culture through songs. Our theme today is Anti-war songs, in respect to the violence that’s been happening recently in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
从今天的文章开始，是这个新系列的第一篇。我会带你从歌曲中，了解美国文化。今天我们的主题是反战歌曲。这也是关于目前正发生在欧洲、非洲、中东的暴恐行为，我的一些想法。
If I wanted to sum up American values in two words, first I would use the word protest. From the beginning of America’s history, we have been a nation of protestors. We started out as a colony, taxed heavily by Britain, so we protested, went to war, and earned our freedom.
如果要我来用两个词总结出美国价值观，首先我会想用到‘protest’，反抗。从美国历史的伊始，我们就是一个不断在抗争的民族。一开始作为一个殖民地，我们当时正承受着英国的征租重税。因此我们开始在战争中反抗，去获取我们的自由。
The second word I would use is freedom. Americans love the idea of freedom, of doing what we want, when we want.
第二个词，我会想要用的是‘freedom’，自由。美国人民对热爱自由的概念，是体现在任何时候、做任何事情之上的。
However, often these values clash with each other. When our country goes to war, often they tell us we are helping spread freedom across the globe. Actually, most of the time we are just helping a tiny minority get wealthy, while good people die. Thus, the first value, protest, comes into play.
然而，通常这些价值是相互冲突的。当我们国家面对战争的时候，通常都会被美化成：我们是在帮助全球，散播自由。但实际上，大多数情况下，我们只是在帮助一小部分人获得财富、利益，然而好人却在战争中逝去。每当至此，第一个价值观——反抗——才真正走上台面来…
In every war of American history, there have been songwriters using music to protest war. Most famously, during the Vietnam War, which can be credited for bringing rock and roll into the mainstream.
在美国历史的每场战争中，都有人会为了反对战争，用音乐谱写歌曲。最著名的，便是在越南战争中，这些人把摇滚音乐，真正地带到主流文化上来，值得载入史册。
Today’s song, 21 Guns, released in 2009 in the album 21st Century Breakdown, is a protest against the violence of the Iraqi War under George Bush Jr.
今天的歌，21 Guns，于2009发行，收录在专辑《21st Century Breakdown》中。这是一首为反对由小布什发动的伊拉克战争所作。
Let’s look at some of the lyrics to understand how it communicates its anti-war message: Do you know what’s worth fighting for, when it’s not worth dying for? In English, we often say, “Is it worth it?“ or “Is sth. worth doing?“
让我们来看看其中的一些歌词，以此来了解它是如何传达反战的信息的：当你知道它并不值得你献出生命，你为何还要为之拼命？在英语中，我们通常会说，“Is it worth it?” or “Is sth. worth doing?”（“这值得吗？”或者“这件事值得去做吗？”）
Here, the singer is asking a question: If something isn’t worth dying for, then is it worth fighting for?We can imagine a soldier asking him or herself this very question.
在这里，歌手是在问一个问题：如果有些东西根本不值得为它而牺牲，那它值得我们为此去奋斗吗？我们可以想象得出，一个军人正在责问着他/她自己这样的一个问题。
Later, we have another line: Does the pain weigh out the pride?
再后面，我们有另外一句词：痛苦真的比荣耀还重要吗？?
In everyday speech, we would probably say “Does the pain outweigh the pride?” This is a useful sentence that you can use in everyday conversation. Does sth. outweigh sth. else? In this line, we think to the soldier and his or her family. Does the pain of losing a loved one, outweigh the pride of serving one’s country?
这是一句你在日常对话中，可以用到的一个实用的句子：某样东西，超过了另一样东西吗？在这句词里，我们可以想象到这个军人和他/她的家庭。失去你所爱的人带来的痛苦，会超过为国家战斗服役带来的荣耀感吗？
Finally, the chorus of the song: One, 21 guns. Lay down your arms, give up the fight.
最后，我们看一下副歌这句：鸣炮，21响！放下武器，放弃战斗吧！
“Arms” here does not mean the limbs attached to your body，It refers to weapons. For example, in the 1960s and 70s, America and Russia were engaged in an “arms race”.
“Arms”在这里并不是指接连着我们身体的双臂, 这里是表示武器、军备。例如，在60年代和70年代间，美国和苏联发起了一场“军备竞赛”。
This beautiful line can be interpreted in a couple ways. First, in a literal, anti-war way, telling soldiers to lay down their arms, give up the fight, and live in peace.
这句优美的词可以用许多方法来翻译。首先，从字面上、反战的角度来看，是在告诉军人们，放下武器、放弃战斗、和平共处。
The second theme is more spiritual. It’s a call to stop resisting the difficulties of life and just accept them. It resonates with the other lyrics of this beautiful song.
而第二种主题会更加偏向精神上的。这是一种呼唤人们停止和生命中困难抗争，转而去好好接受它们。这与该曲中其他的词产生相互共鸣。
There’s so much depth to this song, I could talk about it all day. But I’m going to leave it to you to explore this song even deeper.
这首歌中还有许多更深度的解读，我可以说上一整天，但是我准备把它留给你，去更深地去发掘这首歌。
If you’re interested in hearing some more anti-war songs, I’ve made a list in today’s post. At their core, anti-war songs are not just anti-war, they are pro-life. They value and celebrate human life, and protest the senseless pain of war and destruction.
如果你有兴趣听到更多反战歌曲。我会在今天的帖子中加入一张歌单，在它们的核心中，反战歌曲，并不只是为了反对战争。而是主张“拥护生命”，他们重视并赞美人类的生命，反对从战争和破坏中而来无谓的痛苦。
If you really want to learn English well, learning songs, not just the lyrics, but the meaning behind the lyrics, is a great way. In the coming weeks, I’ll recommend even more great songs for you to learn.
如果你真的想把英语学好，就从歌曲中去学习。不仅是学习歌词的大意，更要学歌词后面蕴含的意义，这是个很好的方法。接下来的几周内，我会继续推荐一些更棒的歌让你学习。
That’s it for today’s lesson! If you like today’s article, please help support this channel by sharing it around! And if you have any questions, feel free to message me. I read every comment! See you next time, peace out!
那么这就是今天的内容，如果你喜欢今天的文章的话，请帮忙转发，支持这个频道。如果你有更多问题，可以在后台随时留言，我每条评论都会看。那么，下次见咯！
王霸胆推荐歌单——美国反战歌曲：
1、American Woman - Lenny Kravitz
2、Where is the Love? - Black Eyed Peas
3、Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen
4、Dear Mr. President - Pink
5、Waitin’ on the world to change - John Mayer
6、The General - Dispatch
