Joey
(with Jacques Levy)
Born in Red Hook, Brooklyn, in the year of who knows when
Opened up his eyes to the tune of an accordion
Always on the outside of whatever side there was
When they asked him why it had to be that way, “Well,” he answered,
“just because”
Larry was the oldest, Joey was next to last
They called Joe “Crazy,” the baby they called “Kid Blast”
Some say they lived off gambling and runnin’ numbers too
It always seemed they got caught between the mob and the men in blue
Joey, Joey
King of the streets, child of clay
Joey, Joey
What made them want to come and blow you away?
There was talk they killed their rivals, but the truth was far from that
No one ever knew for sure where they were really at
When they tried to strangle Larry, Joey almost hit the roof
He went out that night to seek revenge, thinkin’ he was bulletproof
The war broke out at the break of dawn, it emptied out the streets
Joey and his brothers suffered terrible defeats
Till they ventured out behind the lines and took five prisoners
They stashed them away in a basement, called them amateurs
The hostages were tremblin’ when they heard a man exclaim
“Let’s blow this place to kingdom come, let Con Edison take the blame”
But Joey stepped up, he raised his hand, said, “We’re not those kind of men
It’s peace and quiet that we need to go back to work again”
Joey, Joey
King of the streets, child of clay
Joey, Joey
What made them want to come and blow you away?
The police department hounded him, they called him Mr. Smith
They got him on conspiracy, they were never sure who with
“What time is it?” said the judge to Joey when they met
“Five to ten,” said Joey. The judge says, “That’s exactly what you get”
He did ten years in Attica, reading Nietzsche and Wilhelm Reich
They threw him in the hole one time for tryin’ to stop a strike
His closest friends were black men ’cause they seemed to understand
What it’s like to be in society with a shackle on your hand
When they let him out in ’71 he’d lost a little weight
But he dressed like Jimmy Cagney and I swear he did look great
He tried to find the way back into the life he left behind
To the boss he said, “I have returned and now I want what’s mine”
Joey, Joey
King of the streets, child of clay
Joey, Joey
Why did they have to come and blow you away?
It was true that in his later years he would not carry a gun
“I’m around too many children,” he’d say, “they should never know of one”
Yet he walked right into the clubhouse of his lifelong deadly foe
Emptied out the register, said, “Tell ’em it was Crazy Joe”
One day they blew him down in a clam bar in New York
He could see it comin’ through the door as he lifted up his fork
He pushed the table over to protect his family
Then he staggered out into the streets of Little Italy
Joey, Joey
King of the streets, child of clay
Joey, Joey
What made them want to come and blow you away?
Sister Jacqueline and Carmela and mother Mary all did weep
I heard his best friend Frankie say, “He ain’t dead, he’s just asleep”
Then I saw the old man’s limousine head back towards the grave
I guess he had to say one last goodbye to the son that he could not save
The sun turned cold over President Street and the town of Brooklyn mourned
They said a mass in the old church near the house where he was born
And someday if God’s in heaven overlookin’ His preserve
I know the men that shot him down will get what they deserve
Joey, Joey
King of the streets, child of clay
Joey, Joey
What made them want to come and blow you away?
乔伊
[美]鲍勃·迪伦 雅克·利维
厄土 译
生于布鲁克林的雷德胡克,谁知道是哪一年
他睁开双眼聆听手风琴曲
总是待在外面随便什么地方
人们问他为什么非得那样,他回答说:“哦,不为什么”
拉里是长子,乔伊排行倒数第二
人们叫乔伊“疯子”,叫老幺“爆炸小孩”
有人说他们靠赌博和跑码为生
似乎他们经常纠缠在黑帮和警察之间
乔伊,乔伊
街头的王,泥土之子
乔伊,乔伊
究竟是什么使得他们要来除掉你?
有种说法称他们杀掉了自己的对手,但事实远非如此
没人确切地知道他们当时真正在哪里
当他们试图勒死拉里,乔伊简直暴跳如雷
那夜他出去寻仇,以为自己刀枪不入
那场战斗在破晓时分爆发,清空了整个街区
乔伊和他的兄弟们遭受了可怕的失败
直到他们冒险冲出防线,俘获了五名俘虏
他们把俘虏藏到了地下室,称他们为“生手”
人质们瑟瑟发抖,当他们听到有人大声叫喊
“让我们把这地方炸上天,让爱迪生联合电气公司去顶罪”
但是乔伊走上前,他抬起手,说:“我们可不是那种人
我们要的是安宁平静,好回去继续干活”
乔伊,乔伊
街头的王,泥土之子
乔伊,乔伊
究竟是什么使得他们要来除掉你?
警方追捕他,称他为史密斯先生
他们以同谋罪逮捕了他,但他们从不确定是和谁
“几点了?”法官见到乔伊时这么问他
“差五分十点,”乔伊答道。法官说:“这就是你最终所得”
他在阿提卡服了十年刑,阅读尼采和威廉·赖希
有次他们判他单独监禁,以制止他教唆煽动其他囚犯
他最亲近的朋友都是黑人,因为他们似乎明白
手戴镣铐在这社会中是什么滋味
1971年被释放时,他已消瘦了些许
但他的穿着打扮像是吉米·卡格尼,我发誓他看上去棒极了
他试着想办法回到被他抛下的生活里
他对老板说:“我回来了,现在我得要回属于我的东西”
乔伊,乔伊
街头的王,泥土之子
乔伊,乔伊
究竟是什么使得他们要来除掉你?
是真的,他在最后的岁月里不愿意带枪
“我身边有太多孩子,”他说,“他们应该永远不知道这回事”
然而,他却径直走进了他终身死敌的俱乐部
抢空了收银柜,说:“告诉他们,是疯子乔伊干的”
后来有一天,他们在纽约的一家蛤蜊餐厅干掉了他
他拿起餐叉时就看到这事找上了门
他掀翻了桌子保护家人
而后跌撞着冲到了小意大利的街上
乔伊,乔伊
街头的王,泥土之子
乔伊,乔伊
究竟是什么使得他们要来除掉你?
姊妹杰奎琳和卡梅拉以及母亲玛丽都在哭泣
我听他最好的朋友弗弗兰基说:“他没有死,他只是睡着了”
我看到老人掉转豪车车头朝向坟墓
我猜他是要最后说一次再见,向这个他没能搭救回来的孩子
总统街的太阳变得寒冷,布鲁克林的居民陷入了哀伤
人们说在他出生的那所房子附近的老教堂里有一场弥撒
如果有一天上主自天堂俯察他护佑的世界
我知道那些射杀他的将会领受应得的报应
乔伊,乔伊
街头的王,泥土之子
乔伊,乔伊
究竟是什么使得他们要来除掉你?
注1:乔伊·加洛(1929-1972),纽约黑手党科伦坡家族头目之一,1972年死于谋杀。
注2:跑码,指博彩生意中,从码民那里收取赌注、投注号码及派发奖金的活儿。
注3:差五点十分,双关语,与“五到十年”表述相同。
注4:威廉·赖希(1897-1957),美籍奥地利心理学家、社会学家,被视为美国上世纪四、五十年代性解放运动的精神领袖之一。
注5:吉米·卡格尼,美国演员。
出自专辑《渴望》
发行于1976年
《鲍勃·迪伦诗歌集/慢车开来1975-1979》
广西师范大学出版社
2017年6月第1版
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