Man in the Long Black Coat
Crickets are chirpin’, the water is high
There’s a soft cotton dress on the line hangin’ dry
Window wide open, African trees
Bent over backwards from a hurricane breeze
Not a word of goodbye, not even a note
She gone with the man
In the long black coat
Somebody seen him hanging around
At the old dance hall on the outskirts of town
He looked into her eyes when she stopped him to ask
If he wanted to dance, he had a face like a mask
Somebody said from the Bible he’d quote
There was dust on the man
In the long black coat
The preacher was a-talkin’, there’s a sermon he gave
He said, “Every man’s conscience is vile and depraved
You cannot depend on it to be your guide
When it’s you who must keep it satisfied.”
It ain’t easy to swallow, it sticks in the throat
She gave her heart to the man
In the long black coat
There are no mistakes in life some people say
And it’s true sometimes you can see it that way
I went down to the river but I just missed the boat
She went with the man
In the long black coat
There’s smoke on the water, it’s been there since June
Tree trunks uprooted, ’neath the high crescent moon
Feel the pulse and vibration and the rumbling force
Somebody is out there beating on a dead horse
She never said nothing, there was nothing she wrote
She went with the man
In the long black coat
穿黑色长外套的男人
[美]鲍勃·迪伦
李皖 译
蟋蟀长鸣，河水高涨
一条柔软的棉裙晾在绳子上
窗子大开，非洲的树
俯身朝向飓风相反的方向
无一声再见，甚至没张纸条
她走了
跟那个穿黑色长外套的男人
有人见过他在城郊的旧舞厅里
荡来荡去
当她拦下他问，要不要跳支舞
他端详她的眼，他有一张像面具的脸
有人用他援引过的《圣经》说
穿黑色长外套的男人
身上尽是灰尘
牧师在谈话中，讲他有一次布道
他说：“人的天良已经卑污堕落
切切不可仰赖它的引导
如果需要你去满足它。”
这话不易接受，如鲠在喉
她把心交给了那个
穿黑色长外套的男人
生活中没有错误，有人说
是的这是真的，有时你会看到的确如此
我一路来到了河边，却还是错过了船
她走了
跟那个穿黑色长外套的男人
水面上笼着烟，六月以来就如此
高高的新月下，树干连根拔起
感受这脉搏、颤动和隆隆之力
有人在那里拍打一匹死马
她从不说话，也没写下什么
她走了
跟那个穿黑色长外套的男人
注：《新约·提多书》1:15：“在污秽不信的人，什么都不洁净，连心地和天良也都污秽了。”
出自专辑《哦，仁慈》
发行于1989年
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