"Universal Soldier" - Inspiration 靈 感
1963年, Buffy Sainte-Marie 一次深夜在 San Francisco 三蕃市國際機場, 等候轉乘航機時, 一些美國傷兵在經過, 頭戴綠色 "Beret 貝雷帽", 是來自 "CIA" 中央情報局的特種部隊, 當時美國尚未正式宣佈, 但已秘密參予越戰。眼前一切, 突來靈感, 觸發她從學生的角度, 構思一篇論文給不認同自己觀點的教授, 希望藉此向教授展示不同的觀點。她的結論....
He's the Universal Soldier
and he really is to blame.
His orders come from far away no more.
They come from him and you and me,
and brothers, can't you see?
This is not the way we put an end to war.
之後, 她在加拿大 Toronto 多倫多, 一間名為 "The Purple Onion" 的咖啡店, 在店内的地庫完成了一首反戰歌曲 "Universal Soldier", 這篇作品的前題是民主國家, 掌管軍隊的政客皆由人民選出來, 因此要探討這些人物對戰爭的責任。歌曲描繪了不同身高、年齡、宗教, 與及政治背景各異, 為自己國家而戰的士兵....
Buffy Sainte-Marie performs "Universal Soldier" at the 2019 CBC Music Festival
Video Link https://youtu.be/fOuZwpGHJ7E
He's five foot-two and he's six feet-four
He fights with missiles and with spears
He's all of thirty-one and he's only seventeen
Been a soldier for a thousand year
He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an Atheist, a Jain
A Buddhist, and a Baptist, and a Jew
And he knows he shouldn't kill
And he knows he always will
Kill you for me, my friend, and me for you
And he's fighting for Canada
He's fighting for France
He's fighting for the USA
And he's fighting for the Russians
And he's fighting for Japan
And he thinks we'll put an end to war this way
And he's fighting for Democracy
He's fighting for the Reds
He says it's for the peace of all
He's the one who must decide
Who's to live and who's to die
And he never sees the writing on the wall
But without him
How would Hitler have condemned them at Dachau?
He's the one who gives his body as a weapon of the war
And without him all this killing can't go on
He's the Universal Soldier, and he really is to blame
His orders come from far away no more
They come from here and there and you and me
And brothers, can't you see?
This is not the way we put an end to war
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