歌词
Have you ever heard the tale of
你是否听过那个故事
The noblest of gentlemen rose up from squalor
从废墟中站起来的最高贵的绅士
Tall, dark, and decked out in custom-made regalia
高大、黝黑,穿着传统的绶带
Smellin' like paraphernalia
气味像是杂物
Hailin' from the home of Mahalia
在Mahalia的家中打着招呼 (可能指Mahalia Jackson,美国福音歌手,与Jay Elec同来自新奥尔良)
His uptown smile was gold like of Frankie Beverly Day
他的笑容就像弗兰基贝弗利一样如黄金般灿烂 ( 指Maze和Frankie Beverly合作的曲目“Golden Time of Day” )
His favorite song from Prince was not "Raspberry Beret"
他最喜欢的Prince的歌不是《Raspberry Beret》(1985年的歌曲,主题与性有关)
It was "Sometimes It Snows In April"
而是《Sometimes It Snows In April》(1986年的歌曲,主题更偏向于内省)
He was brought up by the faithful
他是由信徒抚养大的
In the cage of every unclean bird, ungrateful and hateful
在每只不洁鸟的笼子里,忘恩负义、令人憎恨
The legend of the clandestine reverend from the Bricks
神秘牧师的传说来自于The Bricks那张专 (The Bricks是说唱组合Outsidaz的第二张专辑)
With the master's grip to pull the sleeping giant out the ditch
与会员握手,将沉睡的巨人从沟里拉出来 (共济会入会仪式中,入会者会被埋在沟里模拟死亡,只能通过与成员握手来获得知识以起死回生。他们被NOI认为窃取了非裔的知识。这里Jay Elec指让整个种族站起来)
And I ain't even have to wiggle my nose like Bewitched
我甚至不用像被施了魔法一样扭动鼻子 (bewitched双关,被施法/一部美剧,其中便有扭动鼻子的情节)
I just upshift the 6, convert the V4 to a broomstick
我只是挂到六档,将V4换成扫帚 (这里Jay Elec在说飞,Bewitched里面有女巫骑扫帚飞翔的情节)
Though I tarry through the valley of death, my Lord give me pasture
尽管我在住在死亡之谷中,但主仍赐给我牧场
If you want to be a master in life, you must submit to a master
如果你想成为生活的主人,你必须得服从主人
I was born to lock horns with the devil at the brink of the hereafter
我生来就是为了在来世的边缘与魔鬼斗争
Me, the socket, the plug and universal adapter
我,是一个插座,插头和通用适配器 (指Jay Elec可以应对任何情况)
The prodigal son who when from his own vomit
一个从自己呕吐物中重生的浪子 (指从错误中学习,是自己变得更好,出自箴言26:11)
To the top of the mountain with 5 pillars and a sonnet
用五根柱子和一首十四行诗到达山顶 (“五根柱子”指伊斯兰教五大功修,即念、礼、斋、课、朝)
The autobiography read *****ic
自传写的是读《古兰经》
Spread love like Kermit the Frog, that permeate the fog
像青蛙柯密特(《芝麻街》角色)一样传播爱,弥漫于雾中
I'm at war like the Dukes of Hazard against the Bosses of the Hogs
我像哈扎德公爵对抗猪的老板一样处于战争 [致敬美剧《The Dukes Of Hazzard》,片中Hazzard需要对抗警长Hogg(也有猪的意思),这里讽刺了支持警察迫害非裔的政客]
Gi-Gi-Giggity, Alchemist put the icing on the soliloquy
呵呵,Alchemist给我的独白加上了糖衣 (本歌的beat由Alchemist制作)
Let it be forever known that I niced up to pen something considerably
让世人永远知道,我曾设法写过一些有意义的东西
Jay Elec told the flow mainly is support mainly
Jay Elec主要是支持 (这里Jay Elec以Ruhollah Khomeini自比,他曾让手下暗杀一位被他认为是亵渎了神明的英国作家Salman Rushdie)
The fatwa he issued on al-Shayṭān was delivered plainly
他对魔鬼发出的命令传达得很清楚 (“Fatwa”是伊斯兰宗教领袖的命令)
It's the day of Qiyāmah
这是Qiyāmah日 (指Yawmal-Qiyāmah,意思为复活日,是上帝对人类进行最后评估的日子)
To the believers I bring you tidings of joy
信徒们,我给你们带来了欢乐的讯息
But if you want beef I'll fillet mignon ya
如果你想要牛肉,我会给你带上最好的菲力牛排 (beef双关,牛肉/争斗)
You could catch me bummy as **** or decked out in designer
你可以把我当成傻子,也可以穿得花里胡哨
On I-10 West to the desert on a Diavel like a recliner
在I-10公路上向西开往沙漠,骑着我的Ducati Diavel (著名摩托车品牌)
Listen to everything from Electra
聆听着一个讲座中的所有内容
From the honorable minister Louis Farrakhan
由尊敬的路易斯·法拉汗(黑人伊斯兰教领袖)宣讲
To Serge Gainsbourg or Madonna or a podcast on Piranhas
坎斯伯、麦当娜或是食人鱼的博客
What a time we livin' in, just like the scripture says
就像圣经所说,我们生活在一个怎样的时代
Earthquakes, fires and plagues, the resurrection of the dead
地震,火灾,瘟疫,死者复活 (2020年前三个月,世界已经经历了气候变化、澳洲火灾和新冠病毒等灾害。这很像世界末日预言在应验)
(page turn sound)
(翻页声)
I'm a miracle born with imperial features
我是个奇迹,生来就有帝王气质
I'm a page turner, sage burner, Santeria
我是翻页器,圣人燃烧器,Santeria教(非裔古巴宗教)中的
Chango, December baby, Mauritius
Chango,十二月的孩子,奥里沙神 (Chango在Santeria教中属于奥里沙神,掌握着元素力量,而Jay-Z出生在1969年12月4日,也就是Chango节)
Saint Hov, story takes place in ancient Egypt
圣人霍夫,故事发生在古埃及 (Hov是Jay-Z的昵称,因为他出生于Chongón节这一天,所以称自己为圣人)
They'll cut off the nose to spite the face, they'll steal ya Jesus
他们会割掉鼻子以掩饰自己的脸,他们会偷走耶稣 (前半句意指“害人者害己”,这里Hov告诫听众不要因怒伤害自己,也同样在说失去鼻子的狮身人面像)
I can't tell Hattie White that blue-eyed virgin is make believe stuff
我不能说海蒂·怀特那个蓝眼睛版本如何 (这里在说耶稣的种族争论,西方的耶稣是浅肤色、蓝眼睛,而这可能是在适应审美)
She throw me out the house, say ye deliver us from this heathen
她把我赶出屋子,说:“是的,把我们从异教徒手中救出来” (本句与下句的两人分别是Jay-Z的奶奶和岳母,两人是虔诚的基督教徒,不会接受有关耶稣的其他说法)
I say that to Ms. Tina she'll sneeze at sun, her photic reflex
我对蒂娜女士说,她会因为光性反射对太阳打喷嚏 (Sun双关,太阳/耶稣的真实外貌)
They both have straightening combs, little did they know
她们俩都用梳子弄直了头发,什么也不知道 (这里指迎合欧洲人特征,使用直发梳来改变非裔的卷发)
I hold the heat next
我继续保留这热 (非洲的炎热环境使得黑人拥有更好的散热体质)
Neither tool, can be used to fix our defects
两者都不能作为工具来弥补我们的缺陷
P.S. we born perfect, **** all the B.S
附注,我们生来完美,去他么的那些废话 (PS双关,附注/Photoshop,作为修图软件与上一句的“工具”对应)
Everybody wanna be us for real, we just gotta see us
每个人都想成为我们,我们需要正视自己 (指黑人种族)
Insha'Allah
这是真主的旨意
I tried to turn a page, over a zillion times
想要翻过这一页,却跨越了亿万年
专辑信息
1.The Overwhelming Event
2.Ghost Of Soulja Slim
3.The Blinding
4.The Neverending Story
5.Shiny Suit Theory
6.Universal Soldier
7.Flux Capacitor
8.Fruits Of The Spirit
9.Ezekiel’s Wheel
10.A.P.I.D.T.A.