Down In The Willow Garden

第一次聽 "Down In The Willow Garden" 這首歌，時為1973年，由 Simon and Garfunkel 的 Art Garfunkel 所唱，灌錄在 Art 那張 "Angel Clare" 的大碟中，記得我亦擁有這隻黑膠唱片，當年我還是一名中學生，濶別三十多年，今天再遇上，勾起不少回憶。

"Down In The Willow Garden" 是一首美國民謠，由 Charlie Monroe 在五十年代所作，唱過此曲的民謠歌手不計其數，較出名的有 The Everly Brothers。

這是一首極之淒美的Murder Ballads，"美"是指歌曲的旋律，尤其是Art Garfunkel 的這個版本，Art 用了流行音樂的曲式去演繹，特別動聽。優美的旋律令你不能自制地重複聆聽，真的是繞樑三日。"淒"是指歌詞部份，描述一個犯了謀殺罪的男孩，他殺了自己的愛人，不是誤殺，而是要致她於死地的謀殺。這個男孩用毒酒毒害他的愛人，怕她死不去，還用刀刺進她的身軀，怕被人發現，便張她掉進河裏去。世上怎會有這樣狠毒的人，我怎麼想也想不通，她是自己的愛人呀！可憐的 Rose Connelly。


歌詞：
Down in the willow garden
Where me and my love did meet,
As we set there a courtin',
My love fell off to sleep.

I had a bottle of burgundy wine,
My love she did not know.
And so I poisoned that dear little girl
On the banks below.

I drew a saber through her,
It was a bloody knife,
I threw her in the river,
Which was a dreadful sight.

My father oft had told me
That money would set me free

If I would murder that dear little girl
Whose name was Rose Connelly.

My father sits at his cabin door,
Wiping his tear dimmed eyes,
For his only son soon shall walk
To yonder scaffold high.

My race is run beneath the sun,
The scaffold now waits for me,
For I did murder that dear little girl
Whose name was Rose Connelly.