【原】英文歌曲：Stagger Lee，从“谋杀民谣”中，学学怎样 “错峰出行、用电、开学上班”吧！

古往今来的绝大多数歌曲，都是关于爱情，不仅今天商业化的流行音乐是这样，各国传统的民歌中也是如此，但同时还有一些 Folk Songs 是以 Violence 为题材，称为 Murder Ballad，谋杀民谣。

在欧洲中世纪时，Murder Ballad 曾在很多地方传唱；当年没有新闻媒体，Murder Ballad 是报道刑事案件的主要媒介。几百年来，Murder Ballad 一直是欧洲各国民歌中的保留类别。

今天的英语歌曲中，仍然有些 Murder Ballads；美国有一首 Stagger Lee，曾被很多歌手翻唱。

案情概述

Stagger Lee 这首歌，讲的是一个 Crime of passion 案件，由于争吵一时恼羞成怒而开枪杀人、而不是事先蓄谋已久；歌曲标题中的 Stagger Lee 就是行凶的杀人犯。

在一个月明星稀的夜晚，Stagger Lee 和 Billy 两个人在大街拐角处扔骰子赌博，结果由于点数争吵起来。

Stagger Lee 当时已经输了很多钱、还把新买的帽子也输了进去，心里不服气，就跑回家中取来 44 口径的大号手枪；Stagger Lee 来到酒吧，尽管Billy 一再央求，还是对着 Billy 扣动了扳机。

歌词

The night was clear,

And the moon was yellow,

And the leaves came tumbling down.

I was standing on the corner,

When I heard my bulldog bark;

And he was barkin' up at the two men

Who were gamblin' in the dark.

It was Stagger Lee and Billy,

Two men who gambled late;

Stagger Lee threw seven,

Billy swore that he threw eight.

Stagger Lee told Billy, (Go Stagger Lee...)

"I can't let you get away with that",

"Well you have won all my money

And my brand-new Stetson hat";

Stagger Lee he ran home

Went and he got his forty-four,

Said "I'm goin' to the barroom

Just to pay that debt I owe".

Stagger Lee went to the barroom,

He stood across the barroom door;

He said "Now nobody move",

And he pulled his forty-four;

"Stagger Lee," cried Billy, (Go Stagger Lee...)

"Oh please don't take my life."

"I got me three little children

And a very sickly wife."

Stagger Lee shot Billy,

Oh he shot that poor boy so bad,

Till the bullet came through Billy

And went right through

The bartender's glass.

Stagger 和“错峰”

在英语文化中，很少有人起名叫做 Stagger；歌曲人物的这个名字，很可能是一个 Nickname 绰号。但英语中的 Stagger 这个动词，却经常使用，而且非常生动形象。

例如，由于疫情很多国家都在采用“错峰上班”，这种安排在英语中就称为Staggered Shift Pattern 或 Staggered Working Hours.

每逢年节长假，中国各地有时也会采取措施鼓励“错峰出行”，这些描述也可以用Stagger描述。Stagger 还可以指“错峰开学返校、错峰用电”等等情形。

Stagger 的多种含义

用来描述“错峰”的Stagger，在字典中的定义是：to arrange for events that would normally happen at the same time to start or happen at different times，把通常在同一时间开始或发生的多件事情，安排在不同的时间开始。

马拉松长跑等有很多人参加的体育比赛，就经常需要 Stagger一下，例如：There were so many runners that they had to stagger the start.

虽然主要用来描述时间，Stagger 的本质含义是描述“空间上的交错”，例如在砌墙或铺地板时、把砖或木板错开的做法，就称为 Staggering.

另外，Stagger还用来描述人走路时左右摇摆、不成直线的样子，例如喝醉了酒摇摇晃晃；歌词中Stagger Lee的绰号，可能就是由此而来吧。