Keep The Wolves Away

• By: Uncle Lucius
• Album: And You Are Me

Lyrics:

[English]

[中文]

Took my first breath where the muddy Brazos

在泥泞的布拉索斯河畔，我第一次呼吸

Spills into the Gulf of Mexico

河水倾泻入墨西哥湾的地方

Where the skyline's colored by chemical plants

化工厂染红了天际线

That put the bread on the table of the workin' man

养活了辛勤的工人们

Where the workin' man does his best to provide

工人们竭尽所能地

Safety and shelter for kids and a wife

为孩子和妻子提供安全和庇护

Giving a little of his soul every day

每天都献祭出一点灵魂

Makin' overtime to keep the wolves away

加班加点，只为赶走饥饿的狼

...

...

I was barely 13 when the company men

我才13岁，那些公司的人

Tried to dig my daddy's grave

就想为我爸爸挖坟墓

It happened on a French-owned tanker ship

那发生在一家法国油轮上

Spillin' poison in the Galveston Bay

毒液泄漏在加尔维斯顿湾

Where the liquid fire filled his lungs and his eyes

液态的火焰灌满了他的肺和眼睛

Silenced any mortal cries

扼杀了所有凡人的哭喊

Cold in the grave, but death stinging pain

即便长眠地下，死亡仍带来刺痛

He fought like hell to keep the wolves away

他拼死搏斗，只为赶走饥饿的狼

...

...

For the next few years, Dad was sick as a dog

接下来的几年，爸爸病得像条狗

But he made recovery just to spite the odds

但他奇迹般地康复了，只是为了战胜命运

The settlement came, and we moved out of town

赔偿金下来了，我们搬离了小镇

Where the sky isn't heavy with refinery clouds

那里天空不再被炼油厂的烟云笼罩

Yeah, he's still alive, he's doing good, he's in his fifties

是的，他还活着，过得很好，五十多岁了

But the money's running out, and he's pinching for pennies

但钱快花光了，他开始为每一分钱精打细算

So I'm going for broke with every song I play

所以我倾尽全力去唱每一首歌

'Cause now it's my turn to keep the wolves away

因为现在轮到我来赶走饥饿的狼了

...

...

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
muddy /ˈmʌdi/ B1	adjective - 泥泞的
spill /spɪl/ B1	verb - 溢出
chemical /ˈkemɪkl/ B1	adjective - 化学的 noun - 化学物质
provide /prəˈvaɪd/ B1	verb - 提供
shelter /ˈʃeltər/ B1	noun - 避难所 verb - 保护
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - 灵魂
overtime /ˈoʊvərtaɪm/ B1	noun - 加班 adverb - 加班地
grave /ɡreɪv/ B1	noun - 坟墓
tanker /ˈtæŋkər/ B1	noun - 油轮
poison /ˈpɔɪzn/ B1	noun - 毒药 verb - 毒害
liquid /ˈlɪkwɪd/ A2	noun - 液体 adjective - 液体的
recover /rɪˈkʌvər/ B2	verb - 恢复
settlement /ˈsetlmənt/ B2	noun - 和解
refinery /rɪˈfaɪnəri/ B2	noun - 炼油厂
pinch /pɪntʃ/ B2	verb - 吝啬
broke /broʊk/ B1	adjective - 破产的

Grammar:

• Took my first breath where the muddy Brazos spills into the Gulf of Mexico

  ➔ 用 'where' 引导的关系从句

  ➔ “where” 一词引导一个关系从句，修饰名词“breath”，表示第一次呼吸的地点。它用作地点状语。

• That put the bread on the table of the workin' man

  ➔ 用 'that' 引导的关系从句

  ➔ “that” 一词引导一个限定性关系从句，修饰 “chemical plants”。短语 “put the bread on the table” 是一种惯用语，意思是提供生计或收入。

• Giving a little of his soul every day

  ➔ 现在分词短语 (简化关系从句/方式状语从句)

  ➔ “Giving” 引入一个现在分词短语，作为状语修饰语，描述工人如何养家糊口。这相当于说“by giving a little of his soul every day”。

• I was barely 13 when the company men tried to dig my daddy's grave

  ➔ 用 'when' 引导的时间状语从句

  ➔ “when” 一词引导一个时间状语从句，表明主句事件发生的时间。它在 13 岁和试图挖掘他父亲的坟墓之间建立了时间关系。

• Spillin' poison in the Galveston Bay

  ➔ 现在分词作形容词 (描述 ‘tanker ship’)

  ➔ “Spillin'” 是用作形容词的现在分词，用来描述油轮。它是 “spilling” 的缩写形式，给人一种更口语化、叙事性的感觉。

• Silenced any mortal cries

  ➔ 过去分词作形容词（描述 'cries')

  ➔ “Silenced” 作为形容词修饰 “cries”。它表示哭声被阻止或无法听到。

• But he made recovery just to spite the odds

  ➔ 目的不定式 ('to spite the odds')

  ➔ 不定式短语 “to spite the odds” 表达了他康复背后的目的或意图。它解释了 *为什么* 他会康复；他这样做专门是为了挑战不利的概率。

• Cause now it's my turn to keep the wolves away

  ➔ 使用 'Cause' (‘Because’ 的非正式缩写)

  ➔ “Cause” 是 “Because” 的缩写、非正式版本。它在日常口语和歌曲歌词中很常见。它介绍了说话者现在采取行动的原因。