ODETTA - The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement

Odetta 1930-2008
"The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement"
原名字 Odetta Holmes 一位美國黑人女歌手、演員、結他手、作詞家、人權活動家, 被譽為"美國民權運動之聲"。她的音樂才華甚廣, 由鄉謠歌曲、藍調、爵士、騷靈至教堂福音歌曲亦有所及, 是二十世紀五十和六十年代美國民謠音樂復興的重要人物。

Odetta 的影響力啓發不少當年代的歌手如 Bob Dylan,  Joan Baez, Janis Joplin 相繼在樂壇冒起。她翻唱的 "Take This Hammer" 成了美國樂壇 "All-Time 100 Songs 歴來最佳一百首歌曲" 之一; 很多政界名人皆是她的歌迷, 包括 Rosa Parks; 而 Martin Luther King Jr. 稱她為美國民歌王后。

Rosa Parks 1913-2005
African-American Civil Rights activist, whom the United States Congress called "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement" - Wikipedia

TAKE THIS HAMMER - The Beatles

"TAKE THIS HAMMER"
是一首唱出勞役苦工心聲的歌曲, 它最早出現在民謠研究的英國教授 Newman Ivey White 其1915年的文字記載 ....

This old hammer killed John Henry,
But it can't kill me.
Take this hammer, take it to the Captain,
Tell him I'm gone, babe, tell him I'm gone.

像大多數的民歌一樣, 在不同時空有不同內容的演譯, 最近期有記錄的是由 Lead Belly 1940年以 78rpm 的唱片錄音。由過去的囚犯所傳述, 此曲是所有黑人囚犯勞工的歌曲, 這可以追溯到1866年, 因為美國的第13號修正案; 南部各州的普通刑事法, 以此堵塞非裔黑人因犯了"遊蕩" 或 "宵禁" 衹服刑囚獄的法例, 新制訂一個名為 "Black Codes 黑色守則", 取消以前的懲處方式, 代之以拷上脚鐐的勞役工作, 把他們交托一些企業或地主、農莊鄉紳, 給予勞力工作, 主要是農業、鑛務、公路建設或公共工程等勞動力工作, 法例是不得施予鞭打體罰, 衹需付予低微工資給他們而行使這新法例。這改革的拷鐐勞役延續至1955年, 在這首再由 Odetta 翻唱的民歌 "Take This Hammer" 錄製面世之前一年, 才把這長達90年不公義的法例廢除。

NEXT: ODETTA - THE LEGEND

photo cited:  http://jubileefilms.tumblr.com/post/54767083697/1956-take-this-hammer


TAKE THIS HAMMER - Odetta

Ah you can take this hammer, carry it to the captain
Ah you can take this hammer, carry it to the captain
Ah you can take this hammer, carry it to the captain
Tell him I'm gone, boys
Tell him I'm gone

I don't want your cold iron shackles
I don't want your cold iron shackles
I don't want your cold iron shackles
Around my leg, boys
Around my leg

If he ask you, was I running
if he ask you, was I running
if he ask you, was I running
Tell him I'm flying, boys
Tell him I'm flying

If he ask you, was I laughing
if he ask you, was I laughing
if he ask you, was I laughing
Tell him I'm crying, boys
Tell him I'm crying

I don't want your corn bread and molasses
I don't want your corn bread and molasses
I don't want your corn bread and molasses
It's my pride, boys
It's my pride

Ah you can take this hammer, carry it to the captain
Ah you can take this hammer, carry it to the captain
Ah you can take this hammer, carry it to the captain
Tell him I'm gone, boys
Tell him I'm gone

NEXT: Odetta Holmes - The Legend