【U2乐队歌词翻译和解读】IF God will nd his angels

2023年12月5日发(作者：逍遥游译文)

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Nobody el here baby 其他人都跑了

No-one el here to blame 不要怪别人

No-one to point the finger 大家都没有怪罪的意思

It's just you and me and the rain. 只有你知，我知，天知地知

Nobody made you do it 事是你亲手做的

No one put words in your mouth. 话是你亲口说的

Nobody here taking orders 你管不了我，我管不了你的时候

When love took a train heading south. 就是爱泯灭的时候（注释1）

It's the blind leading the blond 现在是瞎子领着傻子（注释2）

It's the stuff, it's the stuff of country songs. 乡村歌曲里唱的就是这些东西（注释3）

（注释1）When love took a train heading south.

The expression "to head south" or "to go south" is an American idiomatic expression

meaning to fail, lo value, or go wrong. The expression originates from a combination of

visual conventions involving graphs and maps. The term is frequently u in business and

technical discussion.

The first recorded u of the expression "to head south" appeared in 1974, but in a

context that makes it clear that the expression was already a well-known one in financial

circles to indicate a decline in the stock market. U of the term ems to have spread

from business into technical discour, and it began to become very common in the early

1990s, perhaps as part of the general spread of computer jargon into everyday speech.

"Head south" was ud to describe any failure or collap, whether in a computer system,

a business model, or even a social situation. "Things were going fine until his ex-girlfriend

turned up," a speaker might say, "and that's when everything started to head south."

The origin of the phra "head south" ems to lie in the traditions of visual reprentation.

In a chart or graph, a decrea or decline is often reprented by a downward trend. For

instance, if sales of a product decrea, the line showing sales will begin to move

downward. This practice ties in with traditional symbolic systems which associate

downward movement with negative experiences: consider, for instance, the symbolic

directions in the expression the "ri and fall" of someone or something.

In cartography, south is traditionally reprented as down relative to the orientation of the

reader. As a result, "south" became a slang term for "down." Since "down" was associated

with negative experiences, the same applied to "south." The result was that "to head

south" or "to go south" became a term for declines in market figures, and from there

developed into a term for any kind of catastrophe.

（注释2）It's the blind leading the blond

There's a common phra "the blind leading the blind", to describe a hopeless situation.

Like when my computer illiterate father tries to teach my mother how to u email.

Now there's also a common stereotype that blondes are dumb.

So basically he's just playing with the phra a little.

波诺在这里玩了一个文字游戏，圣经里面有The blind leading the blind（瞎子领着瞎子）的说法，简单的说就是：外行领着外行，结果就是于事无补。

比如说：我爸爸不懂电脑，他却非要教我妈妈收发电子邮件。

Blind这个词被换成了blonde（金发美女），在西方，一般认为金发美女徒有外表，不是很聪明，类似中文的“胸大无脑”。

我记得在美剧绝望的主妇第一季第17集，其中的一个女主角有这样一句台词：Well, me

being pretty and therefore stupid, I forgot.（因为我人长得漂亮，所以很傻，我忘了。）

The blind leading the blind

Meaning 含义

Uninformed and incompetent people leading others who are similarly incapable.

Origin 来源

This appears in the Bible, Matthew 15:14 - from Miles Coverdale's Bible, 1535:

Let they go, they are ye blynde leaders of ye blynde. Wha one blinde leadeth another,

they fall both i ye diche.

Biblical citations of commonly ud English phras usually tend to be earlier than tho

from other sources. In this ca the thought was probably inherited from the Upanishads -

the sacred Hindu treatis, which were written between 800BC and 200 BC and first

translated into English between 1816-19. From Katha Upanishad we have:

Abiding in the midst of ignorance, thinking themlves wi and learned, fools go

aimlessly hither and thither, like blind led by the blind.

（注释3）It's the stuff, it's the stuff of country songs.

基本特征;特质;根本;基础 If you say that one thing is the stuff of another, you mean that

the first thing is a very important feature or characteristic of the cond thing, or that the

cond thing can be bad or built on the first thing.

The idea that we can be whatever we want has become the stuff of television

commercials.

每个人皆无所不能，这一理念已经成为电视广告的精髓。

Hey, if God will nd his angels如果上帝会派遣天使下凡

And if God will nd a sign如果上帝会显灵

And if God will nd his angels 如果上帝会派遣天使下凡

Would everything be alright? 世事会有所改观吗？

God's got his phone off the hook, babe 上帝的电话听筒没挂好（注释4）

Would he even pick up if he could? 他听到了会接吗？

It's been a while since we saw that child 好久都没见到那个孩子

Hangin' round this neighbourhood. 在小区溜达了

See his mother dealing in a doorway 只见他母亲挨家挨户推销商品

See Father Christmas with a begging bowl. 只见圣诞老人在挨家挨户行乞（注释5）

And Jesus' sister's eyes are a blister 基督妹妹的双眼就像一个水泡

The High Street never looked so low. 光鲜的步行街从未显得如此低俗（注释6）

（注释4）God's got his phone off the hook, babe 上帝的电话听筒没挂好

A synomym for "busy". Taken from a phone reference; when you leave a phone off the

hook, you get a "busy" signal. The phra is ud to convey that there were a lot of people

attending a particular event.

Hey, the club last nite was "off the hook!"

出現「Phone Off Hook (電話沒有掛上)」訊息並不是錯誤。 這只是代表電話聽筒沒有掛上

(已拿起聽筒) 導致電話線路佔線。

（注释5）See Father Christmas with a begging bowl. 只见圣诞老人在挨家挨户行乞

这句是属于对比，讽刺。本来是圣诞老人送礼物给别人，是施善者，现在世事颠倒，他却成了别人施舍的对象。

（注释6）The High Street never looked so low. 光鲜的步行街从未显得如此低俗

这里应该是双关，high street 可以表示街道两边的高楼大厦，想象一下各地的步行街就知道了。Low, 既可以表示实物（这里是高楼），也可以说低俗。

这句话的意思应该是日益商业化的社会变得越来越低俗，只为追求物质，所以导致精神危机,

如前文说的When love took a train heading south.

High Street (or the High Street) is a metonym for the generic name of the primary

business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal

point for shops and shopkeepers in city centers, and is most often ud in reference to

retailing.

High Street（或the High Street）是城镇主要商业街通用的一个转喻说法，可以直接称为“商业街”，在英国尤为常用。High Street通常是市中心商店和商家最集中的地方，也经常被用来指代零售业。

The equivalent in the United States, Canada and Ireland is Main Street, a term also

ud in smaller towns and villages in Scotland and parts of rural Australia. In Jamaica,

North East England and some ctions of Canada and the United States, the main

commercial district is Front Street. (Source: Wikipedia)

在美国、加拿大和爱尔兰则多用Main Street来指代商铺集中的商业街，苏格兰一些小乡镇和澳大利亚部分郊区也用这个说法。在牙买加、英格兰东北部以及加拿大和美国部分地区，主要的商业区则用Front Street表示。

It's the blind leading the blond 现在是瞎子领着傻子

It's the cops collecting for the cons. 警匪一家（注释7）

So where is the hope and 那希望到哪儿去了？

Where is the faith and the love? 信仰和爱都到哪儿去了？

What's that you say to me 你跟我说什么来着？

Does love light up your Christmas tree? 爱可以照亮你的圣诞树？

The next minute you're blowing a fu 话音刚落，你就把保险丝烧坏了（注释8）

And the cartoon network turns into the news. 卡通频道也被换成了新闻播报（注释9）

（注释7）It's the cops collecting for the cons. 警匪一家

字面上的意思是：现在的世道是警察为匪徒收钱。艾尔 帕西诺 1973年的电影Serpico（冲突）讲的就是警匪互相勾结，腐败的警察向匪徒收取保护费，从而对其睁一只眼闭一只眼。当然，继上句圣诞老人行乞后，这句歌词又描述了一次世事颠倒，主持正义的警察沦为匪徒的作恶工具。

（注释8）The next minute you're blowing a fu 话音刚落，你就把保险丝烧坏了（注释8）

这里指的是上句所说的“爱”只是一种幻觉，圣诞节是关于基督复活，圣诞老人行善，也就是宣扬“爱”的节日。西方的小孩子稍微长大一点后，就发现什么圣诞老人，什么袜子之类的东西都是骗人的鬼把戏，他会觉得被骗了（后面歌词提到了lie），于是长久以来的信仰开始动摇。

保险丝坏了，指的就是幻觉破灭，回到现实。

（注释9）And the cartoon network turns into the news. 卡通频道也被换成了新闻播报

Sunday Bloody Sunday也有一句类似的歌词：When fact is fiction and TV reality（当事实成为虚幻，电视成为现实）

卡通代表的是理想，纯洁，美好，而新闻代表的是成人世界，人性中负面的东西。

那么这句歌词想表达的就是：理想破灭，回归现实。

Why Do People Watch Anime? 人们为何要看动漫卡通？

Well for me, while living in the real world we often run into daily troubles, obstacles and

sometimes I got my own dreams to escape my harsh life. So, it will never happen

immediately altered to the fantasy worlds

Here is my list of top ten reason why we all love cartoons.

1. Cartoons have great moments- there by we treasure them. It may be a cartoon we

know in our childhood (such as The Angry Beavers or the Real Ghostbusters).

卡通轻松-新闻严肃

2. No matter what the show is about, all cartoons have great humorous moments. They

would not call it a cartoon if it had no humor.

卡通带来欢笑 – 新闻带来痛苦

4. People may say that a lot of cartoons are so little kids. But when it comes to remebering

the times when "we" were kids, it's no harm to try to watch them over and over again.

卡通纯洁美好 – 新闻消极负面

下面这段是一个外国人所写的博客：That little quote, from U2’s song "If God Would Send

His Angels" feels entirely appropriate right now. I could not sleep last night, so I just sat

there in bed, switching between CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. That is when I really

became aware of the absurdity of this “modern age” that we find ourlves in; I was falling asleep to a War, broadcasted Live and in Real Time all over the world. Military Analysts,

Wolf Blitzers, gas masks, and air raid sirens filled the screen, and I slept to the sounds of

a city beginning to fall. When I woke up, the screen was painted with the familiar green of

the night scope that became so popular during the first Gulf War, and I opened my eyes

just in time to e tiny white tracers going from Earth to sky, and again from sky to Earth. I

felt like I was watching a video game, or a cartoon movie, but this is reality, and that fact

frightens me. The line following the quote in the title of this blog is, “If God will nd his

Angels/And if God would nd a sign…” and I think now, more than ever, the world needs

to re-evaluate, and start to wonder what God is thinking up there, when so many horrible

things are done in His name. I shudder to think how many have died, “In the name of

God.” "…And the cartoon network turns into the news…" -U2- 这句引语来自U2的歌曲If

God Would Send His Angels，用它来描述现在再适合不过。我昨晚失眠了，所以我就干脆坐在床上，不是看CNN, 就是看MSNBC,或福克斯新闻。也就是在这个时候我才真正意识到我们所处的时代有多么荒唐。我在全球的战争画面，现场报道和实时追踪中睡了过去。军事分析家，Wolf Blitzers, 防毒面具，空袭警报充斥了电视屏幕，我在城市的倒塌中渐渐入睡。我醒来的时候，电视屏幕被涂上熟悉的绿色---夜视镜的颜色，这种颜色在第一次海湾战争中很常见。我刚睁开双眼就看到又小又白的曳光弹升天，然后又从天而降。我感觉就像是在观看电子游戏，或是卡通电影，但是这就是现实，这一事实着实让我恐惧。现在我觉得，从来没这么强烈地觉得，世界需要重新审视，开始搞明白上帝的真实想法，如果这么多恶行都是借上帝之名实施的话。一想到多少人是在“上帝之名下”死的，我就感到心惊胆寒。

If God will nd his angels 如果上帝会派遣天使下凡

And if God will nd a sign 如果上帝会显灵

Well if God will nd his angels 如果上帝会派遣天使下凡

Where do we go? 我们的归宿在哪里？

Where do we go? 我们的归宿在哪里？

Jesus never let me down 基督从未让我失望

You know Jesus ud to show me the score. 基督向我展示过他的丰功伟绩

Then they put Jesus in show business 此后娱乐圈便出现了基督的身影（注释10）

Now it's hard to get in the door. 现在的娱乐圈可不好进

It's the stuff, it's the stuff of country songs乡村歌曲里唱的就是这些东西

But I guess it was something to go on. 不过我觉得这种情况还会持续下去

Hey, if God will nd his angels 如果上帝会派遣天使下凡

I sure could u them here right now 她们肯定能在这里帮上大忙

Well, if God will nd 如果上帝会派遣天使下凡

Where do we go? 我们的归宿在哪里？

Where do we go? 我们的归宿在哪里？

（注释10）Then they put Jesus in show business 此后娱乐圈便出现了基督的身影

这句是说基督被商人利用，成为赚钱工具。基督代表的是一种精神信仰，现在被沦落为物质主义的附庸，很明显指的是社会物质化导致的精神危机。同时，也是暗指娱乐圈的虚伪。以“爱”之名，用“爱”来包装自己，实质只是为了实现自己的商业利益，满足自己的物欲。

这首歌整体讲的就是波诺的信仰迷失或隐射人类整体的精神危机。他感觉上帝宣扬的“爱”和“以上帝之名”施行的恶，两者差别太大，出现心理落差，导致产生了精神困惑。上帝之爱或善的力量在消退，他对自己说，不怪别人。因为众人都处于信仰迷失的状态，无论是领袖还是信徒，他们变成了瞎子。一般来说，乡村音乐描写的都是悲剧性的爱，现在众人这样一种精神状态仿佛乡村音乐描写的东西，是一种悲剧。

上帝之爱或善的力量在消退，波诺并没有绝望，于是他祈求上帝派遣天使下凡，希望得到某种神力的介入，某种帮助。或是一种神启。激励人们重新振作起来，重新充满希望。

一边是信仰迷失，一边又充满希望，这是一种很矛盾，很无奈的心态。波诺在歌曲结尾处的长啸中可以很好地展现这一点。

My interpretation is that the singer is lost in terms of faith, speaking to himlf that there is

no-one to blame, no-one put words in his mouth. "love took a train heading south" refers

to a love of god i think; it's a very country sounding metaphor.

Then: the blind leading the blond. Again, some lyrical humor, and the suggestion that

everyone is lost, leaders and followers alike.

Then the kicker: "it's the stuff of country songs". Here I think he acknowledges his

previous homage to country style lyrics while it references country music's stereotypical

theme of tragedy/tragic love.

So it appears that love (love of God/love amongst humankind) is on a path (train) towards

tragedy, and no-one has the "vision" to avoid the inevitable outcome.

So the singer desperately pleas for "God to nd his angels", asking for some kind of

divine intervention, some help. Or a sign. A light to inspire, to lift people up, something to

give hope.

The singer is desperately hoping that there is "method to the madness". He hopes that

somewhere, sometime, somehow there will be justice. He is begging for God to reveal his

plan, implement his plan, or at least give the desperate a sign that indeed there is a plan,

that there is cau for hope.

波诺急切希望存在一种当前精神危机的解决之道

JESUS QUOTES

quotations about Jesus Christ

Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin?

The Blood of Jesus whispers peace within.

EDWARD HENRY BICKERSTETH, Peace, Perfect Peace

Jesus never let me down

You know Jesus ud to show me the score

Then they put Jesus in show business

Now it's hard to get in the door.

BONO, "If God Will Send His Angels"

There's not a child so small and weak

But has his little cross to take,

His little work of love and prai

That he may do for Jesus' sake.

CECIL FRANCES ALEXANDER, We are but Little Children Weak

The greatest need in the world is the transformation of human nature. We need a new heart that will not have lust and greed and hate in it. We need a heart filled with love and

peace and joy, and that is why Jesus came into the world.

BILLY GRAHAM, Just As I Am

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