有一种歌曲类型叫做叙事民谣（ballad），把故事用歌曲唱出来，跟着音乐哼着歌，好像在听歌手诉说一个老故事，英语也在不知不觉中学会了呢。比如Loudon Wainwright III的这首The Man Who Couldn't Cry。
讲述了一个哭无能的男人悲惨人生，他被甩，断臂，失业，进监狱，在监狱里被打被骂被爆，后来人们把他送到疯人院，在那里他终于交了朋友，也会哭了，但最后却因为哭了40天40夜脱水而亡，然后他上了天堂，曾经负他的人都受到了惩罚，最后，结局很黑，你自己看。
这首英语歌用词简单易懂，旋律悠扬，有一种娓娓道来的感觉。
我把歌词翻译了一下，大家感受下。
There once was a man who just couldn't cry 从前有个男人，他不会哭 He hadn't cried for years & for years 他已经很多年都没有哭过了 Napalmed babies & the movie 'Love Story', 不管是婴儿被汽油炸翻这种惨剧还是“爱情故事”这种感人电影 For instance could not produce tears 都不能让他掉一滴眼泪 As a child he had cried as all children will 他小时候也会像其他孩子一样放声大哭 But at some point the tear ducts ran dry 但在某个时刻他的泪腺干涸了 He grew to be a man & the feces hit the fan 他长成了一个男人，坏事接二连三发生（PS：feces hit the fan是一种比喻，表达灾难性事件的发生） Things got bad but he couldn't cry 事情变糟他也不会哭 His dog got run over, his wife up & left him 他的狗被车撞，他的老婆甩了他 After that he got sacked from his job 在此之后他被老板辞掉了 Lost an arm in the war, was laughed at by a whore 他在战争中失去了一只胳膊，被妓女嘲笑 But still not a sniffle & sob 但他仍然没有抽噎和哭泣 Well his novel was refused & his movie was banned 他写得小说被拒绝出版，他的电影遭到禁播 And his biog Broadway show was a flop 关于他生平的百老汇演出也以失败告终 He was sent off to jail, you guessed it, no bail 他被送到了监狱，你猜的没错，没有人保释他 But still not a dribble or drop 但是他还是没有掉一滴眼泪 In jail he was beaten, bullied & buggered 他在监狱被打，被欺负，被爆菊 And made to make licence plates 在监狱还要做苦工制作汽车牌照 Water & bread was all he was fed 以面包和水为生 But not once did a tear stain his face 但是他还是没有掉一滴眼泪 Doctors were called in, scientists too, 医生和科学家都来研究他 Theologians were last & practically least 甚至连神学家都来了 They all agreed sure enough 他们都觉得 He was no cream puff 这个男人并非懦夫 But in fact an insensitive beast 而是一个没有感情的野兽 He was removed from jail & placed in a place 他们把他从监狱转移到了另外一个地方 For the insensitive & the insane 一个给傻子和疯子住的地方 He played lots of chess & he made lots of friends 他在这里常常下棋，交了很多朋友 And he wept every time it would rain 每次下雨他都会哭 Once it rained 40 days & it rained 40 nights 有一次连续下雨40天40夜 And he cried and he cried and he cried and he cried 他一直哭一直哭一直哭一直哭 On the 41st day he just passed away 在第41天他死了 He just dehydrated & died 他因为严重脱水死掉了 He went up to heaven located his dog 他上了天堂找到了他的狗 Not only that but he rejoined his arm 并且接上了之前失去的胳膊 Down below all the critics, they took it all back 之前所有欠他的人，都受到了惩罚 Cancer robbed the whore of her charm 癌症让之前嘲笑他的妓女不再美丽 His ex-wife died of stretch marks, his ex-employer went broke 他的前妻死于难产，他的老板破产了 The theologians were finally found out 那些神学家终于知道 Right down to the ground, the prison burned down 那所监狱被烧毁了 The earth suffered perpetual drought 地球会承受永久的干旱 同样讲故事的歌还有下面几首： - Tillamook County Jail by Todd Snider 这首歌虽然是讲监狱生活的，但是旋律轻快，充满希望。
讲述了一个蹲监狱男生的自白。
讲他是如何被带坏进了这个Tillamook County Jail监狱，讲他的老婆生他的气都不付保释金，讲他在监狱如何被打，讲监狱四面灰墙的压抑，讲他是多么希望重获自由。
If I ever do get out on that highway again I ain't ever goin back to Tillamook County No I ain't ever goin back to Tillamook County - Harper Valley P.T.A by Jeannie C. Riley Jeannie C. Riley的声音很有特点，在听懂歌词的情况下听她唱这首歌有一种非常过瘾的感觉。
这个故事非常有意思。
在Harper Valley这个地方住着一个寡妇，一天她上初中的女儿回到家，给了她一张纸条，这个纸条是由女儿学校的P.T.A（家长教师协会，全称Parent-Teacher Association）签署的，上面写着学校对寡妇的种种指控，说她裙子太短wearing your dresses way too high，说她酗酒还和其他男人乱搞drinking and a running round with men and going wild，结论就是觉得她这样对孩子太不好we don't believe you oughta be a bringing up your little girl this way。
寡妇当天就去了学校，穿着她的迷你裙，当着所有人的面，揭露了老师和家长作为伪君子的真面目：偷偷约过寡妇七次的A先生、经常私下喝酒的A夫人、每天泡吧的B先生、和秘书偷情的C先生…… - Pray For You by Jaron and the Long Road to Love 这首史上最狠致前任，很多人应该都听过吧。
旋律真的很好听，每一句都是恨到骨子里啦，特别是那句情真意切的Wherever you are honey，I pray （呸） for you. 快来感受下这满满的恨意~ I pray your brakes go out running down a hill 我祈祷你开车时轮胎爆胎滚下山 I pray a flowerpot falls from a window sill and knocks you in the head like I'd like to 我祈祷花瓶从窗户跌落 ，并就像我希望的那样打中你的头 I pray your birthday comes and nobody calls 我祈祷你生日那天没人搭理你 I pray you are flying high when your engine stalls 我祈祷你坐的飞机飞到一半引擎熄火 I pray all your dreams never come true 我祈祷你的愿望通通破灭 I pray your tire blows out at 110 我祈祷你的汽车在速度110时爆胎 I pray you pass out drunk with your best friend and wake up with his and her tattoos 我祈祷你和好盆友喝晕，请来发现自己身上有他们的刺青 - Save The Life Of My Child by Simon & Garfunkel 这首歌讲了一个非常讽刺的故事。
一个男孩坐在高楼上想要跳楼，人群围观，兴奋地暗暗希望男孩跳楼，母亲绝望地呼喊，救救我的孩子Save the life of my child，警察责怪孩子没有责任感，不尊重法律，不予施救。
最后，看着一直紧盯自己的人群，孩子高喊一句：为什么没有我的容身之处，跳楼了 He flew away:"Oh, my Grace, I got no hiding place.” -In The Ghetto by Elvis Presley 猫王的这首歌，歌词非常简单，却发人深思，回味无穷。
这首歌讲述了一个在贫民窟出生的男孩注定悲惨的一生。
男孩出生在寒冷灰暗的芝加哥平民窟a cold and gray Chicago morning, a poor little baby child is born In the ghetto，他学会走路后只能在寒风呼啸的贫民窟里玩耍，饿的烧心his hunger burns，后来，他学会了偷窃，打架，再后来，被贫穷逼得绝望的男孩买了一把枪，偷了一辆车，想要逃跑，但还是被警察抓住了，死在了贫民窟。
下面这句歌词是猫王的反问，很深刻。
People,don't you understand The child needs a helping hand Or he'll grow to be an angry young man some day Take a look at you and me, Are we too blind to see, Do we simply turn our heads And look the other way -Cat's In The Cradle by Harry Chapin 这首歌描述了一种很现实的社会现象，忙于生计的父亲在孩子成长的小时候不陪在身边，后来没人陪的小孩长大了，变成忙碌叛逆的青少年，爸爸想和孩子聊聊天，这回换孩子没时间了。
看看小时候和长大的对比，也很讽刺，特别是那句I'm gonna be like him. 小时候：When my son turned ten just the other day Said, "Thanks for the ball, dad, come on and let's play Can you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today I got a lot to do" he said, "That's okay" And he walked away but his smile never dimmed Said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah You know, I'm gonna be like him" 长大后：Well, he came from college just the other day So much like a man I just had to say "Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?" He shook his head and he said with a smile "What I'd really like, dad, is to borrow the car keys See you later Can I have them please?" - Coward Of The County by Kenny Rogers 这首歌虽然轻快，但是故事很悲惨。
一个在当地非常懦弱的男子，他的名字叫Tommy，他胆小怕事，被欺负了也不敢吭声，因为在他十岁的时候他的父亲死在了监狱里，临终前父亲对Tommy说：儿子你不要重蹈老爸的覆辙Promise me, son, not to do the things I’ve done尽量不要惹事远离麻烦Walk away from trouble if you can你没必要通过打架彰显自己的男子气概Son, you don＇t have to fight to be a man. Tommy听了父亲的话。
直到有一天，Tommy回到家，发现妻子Becky在家哭泣，裙子被扯破，妆都花掉了The torn dress, the shattered look，原来刚刚当地的三个混混过来把妻子rape了，Tommy会怎样做呢？大家自己来听。
-The Deeper In by Drive-By Truckers 特别好听，能听出一种淡淡的忧伤和无奈。
这首歌口味略重，讲了一个姑娘和自己的亲生哥哥相爱，生了四个孩子，最终锒铛入狱的故事。
-Stan by Eminem & Dido 这好像是Eminem的亲身经历，他以rap的形式叙述了一个疯狂粉丝故事。
Eminem在刺杀金正恩这部电影里说了这么一句话I don’t necessarily rap about the things I hate, it’s more about the things that I fear(我说唱的内容不一定是我憎恨的事情，他应该是很害怕这样的疯狂粉丝吧。
有个疯狂粉丝名叫Stan，他非常喜欢一个叫Slim的明星，给他写过很多封信，但是都没有收到回复，他非常气愤，甚至以自残的方式Sometimes I even cut myself to see how much it bleeds发泄自己的愤怒，最后，Stan给Slim寄了一盒磁带，磁带里Stan绑了怀孕的女友，开着货车坠桥自杀了。
所以，没事多听英语歌，你会发现自己的英语有提升不少哦！ 上海九亭英语，上海少儿英语，成人英语口语学习来贝灵思特，教你不同的英语口语！