Roy Clark-Yesterday When I Was Young

  鄉村歌唱界傳奇歌手與著名的鄉村歌曲搞笑節目Hee Haw主持人Roy Clark，11月15日病逝於奧克拉荷馬州Tulsa（85歲）。這位Grammy、CMA 及 ACM獎的得主，也是鄉村歌曲名人堂的一員。

  Roy Clark會演奏斑卓琴、吉他、曼陀林等多種樂器，表演時臉上總是帶著微笑，他能成為家喻戶曉的黃金時段鄉村歌曲電視綜藝節目Hee Haw的明星，主要因為二十年來他擔任鄉村歌曲教父級歌星Buck Owens的助理主持人，另外他也是第一位從鄉村歌曲跨界流行歌曲的歌手，而且在米蘇里州Branson經營的現場演唱劇場也很成功。

  Roy Clark出生於維吉尼亞州Meherrin，1950年贏得一場全美斑卓琴比賽冠軍後應邀上鄉村歌曲聖堂Grand Ole Opry節目表演，接著受邀替Ernest Tubb 及Red Foley伴奏，Jimmy Dean的鄉村歌曲電視節目也是他定期上的節目，1960年他接手Wanda Jackson在拉斯維加賭場表演的樂隊，當時他的演出融合了鄉村歌曲、早期搖滾、爵士樂、與流行歌曲的樂風，加上他舞台上的反傳統表演，使他一夕成名。

       

  Roy Clark有52首歌進過鄉村歌曲排行榜（1963-1989），包括1973年的冠軍曲"Come Live With Me"，他有9首top 10、 24首 top 40 暢銷曲，另外，他有6首歌跨界進Billboard Hot 100熱門排行榜，包括1969年八月獲得第19名的"Yesterday, When I Was Young"。

  Roy Clark除了歌唱事業外，他於1970年代也常在廣告和電視節目露臉，1976年他成了第一位在前蘇聯演出的美國藝人，1983年他在米蘇里州Branson開了一家the Roy Clark Celebrity Theater劇場，1987年並重新加入the Grand Ole Opry演出團隊，他的自傳My Life -- In Spite of Myself! 也於1994年出版。

  

  "Yesterday When I Was Young"是一首動聽的歌，歌詞寫得很好-，是一首「感時」的歌，其中的這幾句歌詞看得出作者對青春時節的深情回味。

I lived by night and shunned the naked light of the day

and only now I see how the years ran away.

The friedns I made all seemed somehow to drift away

and only I am left on stage to end the play.

The time has come for me to pay for yesterday when I was young.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTAt5nuRoKI

Yesterday When I Was Young

Herbert Kretzmer

Yesterday when I was young

the taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue.

I teased at life as if it were a foolish game,

the way the evening breeze may tease a candle flame.

The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I planned

I always built alas on weak and shifting sand.

I lived by night and shunned the naked light of the day

and only now I see how the years ran away.

Yesterday when I was young

so many  happy songs were waiting to be sung,

so many wayward pleasures lay in store for me

and so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see

I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out,

I never stopped to think what life was all about

and every conversation I can now recall

concerned itself with me and nothing else at all.

Yesterday the moon was blue

and every crazy day brought something new to do.

I used my magic age as if it were a wand

and never saw the waste and emptiness beyond.

The game of love I played with arrogance and pride

and every flame I lit too quickly quickly died.

The friedns I made all seemed somehow to drift away

and only I am left on stage to end the play.

There are so many songs in me that won't be sung,

I feel the bitter taste of tears upon my tongue.

The time has come for me to pay for yesterday when I was young.