white America

white America

White America是一首政治hip hop,2002年5月28日發行,收錄在Eminem的《The Eminem Show》專輯中。

美國用大量的花言巧語來入侵阿富汗伊拉克,大量的軍人為此犧牲。而美國在911事件之後,人心惶惶。同時美國在很多人揚言保衛美國言論自由的同時又指責要刪查藝術家的言論。而將黑人帶有很多髒話、性愛、匪幫、犯罪特點的rap領入白人世界的Eminem中,對小孩產生了巨大的影響,成為中上階級父母的一根心頭刺。本首歌就創作在此背景下。

含義


• Eminem特別喜歡用雙關語,“white america”的意為白色的美國,即佔了美國大多數的白人,在經濟,政治等各方面占統治地位。
• Rap原本發源於黑人,通常在貧困區,貧民窟,街頭等地方流傳,即使黑人rapper出道,白人父母(尤其是中上階層,原本並不會接觸到這些)也不會擔心自己的小孩會去模範。而一旦成長在黑人區的Em出道在青少年間一炮走紅后,事情就變了,Em的白色膚色讓白人的小孩立馬將他與自己聯繫起來,那些小孩按照Em字面的意思去做,將這些Em說的事作為是耍帥的表現,導致父母開始將Em視為嚴重的威脅。尤其是那些佔大多數的中產階級小孩。
• Eric,指Am”eric“a,美國(中部)。也指槍擊案罪犯Eric Harris,家長把校園槍擊案怪在Eminem和曼森身上,他們成為媒體的替罪羊。
• Erica,指美國的女孩們,喜歡Em的歌。
• Eminem也嘲諷美國在一般維護言論自由一邊要刪查藝術家的言論的雙重標準,而他也羞辱了這一標準。

中英歌詞


White America
America, hahaha, we love you,
美利堅合眾國,哈哈哈,我們愛你
How many people are proud to be citizens of this beautiful country of ours,
有多少人為自己是這個美麗國家的公民而感到高興
The stripes and the stars for the rights that men have died for to protect,
為那些死去的人保衛的星條旗而自豪
The women and men who have broke their neck's
女人和男人
For the freedom of speech the United States government has sworn to uphold,
為了美利堅合政府誓言要維護的言論自由而犧牲
Or
或者…
(Yo', I want everybody to listen to the words of this song) so we're told...
(我希望每個人認真聽這首歌的歌詞)所以我們被告知…
I never would've dreamed in a million years I'd see,
我活那麼久從沒想過
So many motherfuckin' people who feel like me,
會有那麼多人覺得跟我一樣
Who share the same views and the same exact beliefs,
那麼多人有一樣的觀點,一樣的信仰
it's like a fuckin' army marchin' in back of me,
就像一個軍隊跟在我身後
so many lives I touch,
我(的rap)能接觸到那麼多生命
so much anger aimed, in no particular direction,
(我)那麼多的憤怒,沒有特定的目標
just sprays and sprays
到處發泄又發泄
and straight through your radio waves it plays and plays,
通過你的收音機,不斷地播放又播放
'till it stays stuck in your head for days and days,
直到他們一天一天在你腦中根深蒂固
who would of thought,
誰會想到
standing in this mirror bleachin' my hair, with some peroxide,
曾經我站在鏡子前漂白我的頭髮
Reaching for a t-shirt to wear,
隨手抓件T恤來穿
that I would catapult to the forefront of rap like this,
現在我竟然站在rap最前線
how could I predict my words would have an impact like this,
我何曾想到我的言語竟然能產生這樣深的影響
I must've struck a chord, with somebody up in the office,
我肯定讓那些坐在辦公室的人引起了共鳴
Cause congress keeps telling me I ain't causin' nuthin' but problems,
因為國會一直提醒我一直在製造混亂
and now they're sayin' I'm in trouble with the government,
現在他們又跟我說政府要找我麻煩
I'm lovin' it, I shoveled shit all my life,
我就愛這樣,我的人生過得都想shi一樣
And now I'm dumping it on...
現在我要倒出來
[Chorus: x2]
White America, I could be one of your kids,
白色美利堅,我可以成為你的孩子之一
white America, little Eric looks just like this,
白色美利堅,小Eric看起來就像這樣
White America, Erica loves my shit,
白色美利堅,Erica就喜歡我的歌
I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get,
我去參加TRL,看看有多少人喜歡我
Look at these eyes, baby blue, baby just like yourself,
看著這些嬰兒,漂亮的藍眼睛,就像你自己
if they were brown, Shady lose, Shady sits on the shelf,
如果他們是棕眼睛,Shady(指自己)就輸了,Shady我只能坐在街頭
but Shady's cute, Shady knew, Shady's dimple's would help,
但是Shady知道自己可愛,Shady的酒窩會幫忙
make ladies swoon baby, {ooh baby},
讓那些女人們神魂顛倒(是吧,baby)
look at my sales,
看看我的銷量就知道
let's do the math, if I was black, I would've sold half,
我們來算算,如果我是黑人,我只能賣掉一半
I ain't have to graduate from Lincoln high school to know that,
我不用高中畢業我就能知道
but I could rap, so fuck school,I'm too cool to go back,
但是我能rap,所以去TM的學校,我太diao不能回去
gimme the mic, show me where the fuckin' studio's at,
給我麥克風,告訴我錄音室在哪裡
when I was underground, no one gave a fuck I was white,
當我還在黑人貧民區時,沒人看得起我是白人
no labels wanted to sign me, almost gave up,
沒有rap唱片公司願意簽我,我差點就自殺了
I was like, fuck it,
我想,去tm的
until I met Dre, the only one to look past,
直到我遇到Dre,唯一一個人不在意我是白人
gave me a chance, and I lit a fire up under his ass,
給我機會,然後我在他旗下一炮走紅
helped him get back to the top,
幫助他又回到頂端
every fan black that I got,
我得到的每個黑人粉絲
was probably his in exchange for every white fan that he's got,
可能就是交換他得到的每個白人粉絲
like damn, we just swapped,
看來事情開始變了
sittin' back lookin' at shit,
坐下來看著情況的變化
wow, I'm like my skin is it starting to work to my benefit now, it's...
wow,看起來我的膚色已經開始幫我賺錢了
[Chorus: x2]
White America, I could be one of your kids,
白色美利堅,我可以成為你的孩子之一
white America, little Eric looks just like this,
白色美利堅,小Eric看起來就像這樣
White America, Erica loves my shit,
白色美利堅,Erica就喜歡我的歌
I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get,
我去參加TRL,看看有多少人喜歡我
See the problem is, I speak to suburban kids,
看這發生的問題是因為我影響到郊區的孩子
who otherwise would of never knew these words exist,
那些可能這輩子都不會知道那些辭彙存在的中產階級孩子
whose mom's probably would of never gave two squirts of piss,
那些媽媽可能不會告訴他們另外的辭彙
'till I created so much motherfuckin' turbulence,
直到我在hip pop中創造那麼多暴亂
straight out the tube, right into your living room I came,
通過廣播網路,直接播放到你的生活房間
and kids flipped when they knew I was produced by Dre,
那些孩子知道我是由Dre出品的,他們立馬就激動了
that's all it took, and they were instantly hooked right in,
這就是事實,他們立馬就產生了共鳴
and they connected with me too because I looked like them,
他們與我共鳴就是因為我看起來跟他們一樣
that's why they put my lyrics up under this microscope,
所以他們做父母的把我的歌詞放在顯微鏡下面
searchin' with a fine tooth comb,
像用密集的牙刷篩查
its like this rope, waitin' to choke, tightening around my throat,
就像準備用繩子來鎖我的喉讓我窒息
watching me while I write this,
在我寫歌詞的時候在背後盯著我
like I don't like this, nope,
感覺像是我被逼著寫。才怪
all I hear is, lyrics, lyrics, constant controversy,
我所聽到的是,我的歌詞不斷引起爭議
sponsors working 'round the clock to try to stop my concerts early,
贊助商急著要儘早取消我的演唱會
surely hip-hop was never a problem in Harlem, only in Boston,
hip-pop在Harlem從來不是問題,只有在波士頓
After it bothered the fathers of daughters starting to blossom,
在他們的父親認為我的歌開始影響他們女兒成長
so now I'm catchin' the flack from these activists when they raggin',
所以現在我聽到他們說的那些嚴厲譴責
actin' like I'm the first rapper to smack a bitch or say faggot,
好像我是第一個提到bitch或者說faggot的rapper
shit, just look at me like I'm your closest pal,
shit,為什麼不把我當作你們親愛的摯友
the posterchild, the motherfuckin' spokesman now for...
作為白色美利堅的典型代表
[Chorus: x2]
White America, I could be one of your kids,
白色美利堅,我可以成為你的孩子之一
white America, little Eric looks just like this,
白色美利堅,小Eric看起來就像這樣
White America, Erica loves my shit,
白色美利堅,Erica就喜歡我的歌
I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get,
我去參加TRL,看看有多少人喜歡我
So to the parents of America,
致那些美利堅的父母
I am the derringer aimed at little Erica to attack her character,
我就是指著小Erica的槍口,來摧毀她
the ringleader of this circus of worthless pawns,
這些毫無價值棋子背後的罪魁禍首
sent to lead the march right up to the steps of congress,
命令這些軍隊直搗國會
and piss on the lawns of the White House,
然後撒野在白宮的草坪上
to burn the casket and replace It with a Parental Advisory Sticker,
燒了眼前這屋子用家長諮詢便利貼來代替
to spit liquor in the faces of in this democracy of hypocrisy,
吐酒這虛假的民主的臉面上
fuck you Ms. Cheney,
fuck you Tipper Gore,
fuck you with the freest of speech
去你的言論自由
this divided states of embarrassment will allow me to have,
讓這分裂的國家,羞恥於我的存在
fuck you, [vocal melody],
hahaha, I'm just playin' America, you know I love you...
哈哈哈,我只是戲言,美利堅,你知道我愛你

英文歌詞


White America
America, hahaha, we love you,
How many people are proud to be citizens of this beautiful country of ours,
The stripes and the stars for the rights that men have died for to protect,
The women and men who have broke their neck's
For the freedom of speech the United States government has sworn to uphold,
Or
(Yo', I want everybody to listen to the words of this song) so we're told...
I never would've dreamed in a million years I'd see,
So many motherfuckin' people who feel like me,
Who share the same views and the same exact beliefs,
it's like a fuckin' army marchin' in back of me,
so many lives I touch,
so much anger aimed, in no particular direction,
just sprays and sprays, and straight
Through your radio waves it plays and plays,
'till it stays stuck in your head for days and days,
who would of thought,
standing in this mirror bleachin' my hair, with some peroxide,
Reaching for a t-shirt to wear,
that I would catapult to the forefront of rap like this,
how could I predict my words would have an impact like this,
I must've struck a chord, with somebody up in the office,
Cause congress keeps telling me I ain't causin' nuthin' but problems,
and now they're sayin' I'm in trouble with the government,
I'm lovin' it, I shoveled shit all my life,
And now I'm dumping it on...
[Chorus: x2]
White America, I could be one of your kids,
white America, little Eric looks just like this,
White America, Erica loves my shit,
I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get,
Look at these eyes, baby blue, baby just like yourself,
if they were brown, Shady lose, Shady sits on the shelf,
but Shady's cute, Shady knew, Shady's dimple's would help,
make ladies swoon baby, {ooh baby},
look at my sales,
let's do the math, if I was black, I would've sold half,
I ain't have to graduate from Lincoln high school to know that,
but I could rap, so fuck school,I'm too cool to go back,
gimme the mic, show me where the fuckin' studio's at,
when I was underground, no one gave a fuck I was white,
no labels wanted to sign me, almost gave up,
I was like, fuck it,
until I met Dre, the only one to look past,
gave me a chance, and I lit a fire up under his ass,
helped him get back to the top,
every fan black that I got,
was probably his in exchange for every white fan that he's got,
like damn, we just swapped,
sittin' back lookin' at shit,
wow, I'm like my skin is it starting to work to my benefit now, it's...
[Chorus: x2]
White America, I could be one of your kids,
white America, little Eric looks just like this,
White America, Erica loves my shit,
I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get,
See the problem is, I speak to suburban kids,
who otherwise would of never knew these words exist,
whose mom's probably would of never gave two squirts of piss,
'till I created so much motherfuckin' turbulence,
straight out the tube, right into your living room I came,
and kids flipped when they knew I was produced by Dre,
that's all it took, and they were instantly hooked right in,
and they connected with me too because I looked like them,
that's why they put my lyrics up under this microscope,
searchin' with a fine tooth comb, its like this rope,
waitin' to choke, tightening around my throat,
watching me while I write this,
like I don't like this, nope,
all I hear is, lyrics, lyrics, constant controversy,
sponsors working 'round the clock to try to stop my concerts early,
surely hip-hop was never a problem in Harlem, only in Boston,
After it bothered the fathers of daughters starting to blossom,
so now I'm catchin' the flack from these activists when they raggin',
actin' like I'm the first rapper to smack a bitch or say faggot,
shit, just look at me like I'm your closest pal,
the posterchild, the motherfuckin' spokesman now for...
[Chorus: x2]
White America, I could be one of your kids,
white America, little Eric looks just like this,
White America, Erica loves my shit,
I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get,
So to the parents of America,
I am the derringer aimed at little Erica,to attack her character,
the ringleader of this circus of worthless pawns,
sent to lead the march right up to the steps of congress
and piss on the lawns of the White House,
to burn the casket and replace It with a parental advisory sticker,
to spit liquor in the faces of in this democracy of hypocrisy,
fuck you Ms. Cheney,
fuck you Tipper Gore,
fuck you with the freest of speech
this divided states of embarrassment will allow me to have,
fuck you, [vocal melody],
hahaha, I'm just playin' America, you know I love you...