漫长的考试终于过去了。考前强记的知识点现在都忘了，但还记得复习期间听过的几首披头士的歌，和歌曲中的故事。
Norwegian Wood
村上春树的小说《挪威的森林》最后，玲子和渡边为直子办一个不那么寂寞的葬礼，弹了很多披头士的曲子。唯独Norwegian Wood弹了两遍。直子每次听了这首都会想起又深又暗的森林，悲哀得不行。最后直子选择了死亡，在黑夜中的森林里。
如果仅从英文来看，Wood似乎是「木头、家具」的意思。村上写过一篇杂文《只见挪威树木，不见挪威森林》，写到有种意见认为「Norwegian Wood并非挪威的森林，那其实是误译，本义应当是挪威产的家具」。但村上并不同意这个看法，他认为Norwegian Wood是故意模棱两可的词汇。究竟模糊了什么？就让我们先抛开其他的，看看这首歌吧。
"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"主要由约翰·列侬所写，收录于1965年的专辑Rubber Soul中。歌曲表面上勾画了歌手和神秘女子的一次失败的感情，歌词是这样的：
I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me
She showed me her room, isn't it good, norwegian wood?
She asked me to stay and she told me to sit anywhere
So I looked around and I noticed there wasn't a chair
I sat on the rug, biding my time, drinking her wine
We talked until two and then she said, "It's time for bed"
She told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh
I told her I didn't and crawled off to sleep in the bath
And when I awoke I was alone, this bird had flown
So I lit a fire, isn't it good, norwegian wood?
仔细看歌词，整件事似乎笼罩着一层烟雾，有种非现实的感觉。据村上文中所说，其实整首歌是故意在闪烁其词，描绘的列侬的一桩风流韵事，而又不想让妻子知道。文中说了一个「权威」的说法：
"Norwegian Wood"其实不是真正的歌名。一开始的歌名叫"Knowing She Would"。想想歌词的前后内容，你明白它的意思吧？（即是说，'Isn't it good, knowing she would?' 这样岂不好，知道她想要？）但是唱片公司提出异议，宣称不能灌录这种是非不分的词句。你看，当时这样的限值还很严格嘛。于是约翰·列侬当场玩了个谐音游戏，把knowing she would改成了Norwegian Wood。这么一来，不就真相难辨了么？这个歌名其实是一种玩笑哦。
——摘自《只见挪威树木，不见挪威森林》 村上春树 著， 施小炜 译
哎，知道了所谓的「真相」，反而没了那种美感。
Eleanor Rigby
听到开头的"Ah, Look all the lonely people"就被这首歌迷住了，看了歌词，整首歌都是讲孤独和死亡的，这在披头士的歌中并不常见。而这首歌是保罗·麦卡特尼在24岁时写的。
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice
In the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face
That she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Father McKenzie, writing the words
of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working, darning his socks
In the night when there's nobody there
What does he care?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby died in the church
And was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt
From his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
All the lonely people
(Ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
(Ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all belong?
Eleanor Rigby这个名字是保罗拼凑而成的，Eleanor是披头士电影Help!中演出的意味女演员的名字，Rigby是利物浦普遍的姓氏。有趣的是，利物浦附近有个刻上Eleanor Rigby的坟墓，那Eleanor Rigby生前也是个孤独的人。
后记
感觉约翰·列侬、保罗·麦卡特尼、乔治·哈里森这些人更了解人生的悲哀和温柔。有些时候听听这些比我们老得多的歌曲，会有一些经过岁月沉淀的感动。
