幼童軍歌曲「阿克拉的喊聲」,原曲是「腳步聲(Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!)」,是美國南北戰爭時期的歌曲,詞曲作者為George F. Root,1864年發行,至2024年為160年。雖然原曲來自美國,但當初拿旋律來填詞的服務員,大頭有120%的確信率,採用的曲調是從日本童軍的「巡邏(パトローリング)」而來,不然早就有原曲出處了。然後我們是從B段開始演唱,並沒有用到A段的旋律。原曲歌詞非常多,可以當成小故事來聽了,剛好有中文翻譯版的影片可欣賞...
In my prison cell I sit,
thinking, Mother, dear, of you,
and my happy Southern home so far away;
and my eyes they fill with tears
'spite of all that I can do,
though I try to cheer my comrades and be gay.
Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!
The boys are marching;
cheer up, comrades, they will come.
And beneath the stars and bars
we shall breathe the air again
of freemen in our own beloved home..
In the battle front we stood
when their fiercest charge they made,
and our soldiers by the thousands sank to die;
but before they reached our lines,
they were driven back dismayed,
and the "Rebel yell"went upward to the sky.
Now our great commander Lee
crosses broad potomac's stream,
and his legions marching Northward take their way.
On pennsylvania's roads
will their trusty muskets gleam,
and her iron hills shall echo to the fray.
In the cruel stockade-pen
dying slowly day by day,
for weary months we've waited all in vain;
but if God will speed the way
of our gallant boys in gray,
I shall see your face, dear Mother, yet again.
When I close my eyes in sleep,
all the dear ones 'round me come,
at night my little sister to me calls;
and mocking visions bring
all the warm delights of home,
while we freeze and starve in Northern prison walls.
So the weary days go by,
and we wonder as we sigh,
if with sight of home we'll never more be blessed.
Our hearts within us sink,
and we murmur, though we try
to leave it all with him who knowest best.
這次介紹的歌曲,歌名用「The Little Black Bull」或「hoosen johnny」皆可,搜尋第一種歌名還會有「The Little White Bull」出現,讓人混淆,第二種則不會有相同歌名的影片。這首歌乍聽之下似乎很陌生,國內應該沒有伙伴會唱,但仔細聽最後的那段歌詞「Long time ago X 3」,一些老伙伴就會想起是哪首歌了。國內的版本,個人稱「童軍閹割版」,為何會這樣取名,後面會提,我們就先來聽聽原曲怎麼唱吧。
有段時間沒寫追溯類的尋根之旅系列,畢竟沒那麼多可以找,也沒那麼好找,很多時候能找到原曲,都是一場意外。很有可能在找別的歌的時候,意外聽到熟悉的旋律;有可能在看某個外國伙伴表演影片時,忽然聽到他唱著我們熟悉的旋律;也或者在看電影或電視時,忽然聽到熟悉的旋律等等。但這意外的機會,也不是每次都能把握的。如「有一隻大水牛(the big carabao came down the mountain)」,就聽外國伙伴唱過,卻也找不到相關蛛絲馬跡,有些許線索可以往下查。這次要介紹的「VINI VINI,VANA VANA」,則是偶然看外國伙伴表演影片時,突然聽到熟悉的旋律,然後追查下去,才知道與我之前學過的,歌詞完全不同...。