英语单词A到Z畅谈美国流行文化51:like there's no tomorrow毫无保留地做这件事
随着互联网的普及,网络签名越来越常见。很多人都会摘录段自己特别喜欢的话,放在电子邮件、博客、论坛、甚至是即时聊天工具上以显示个性。在全球范围内,最常被摘录的是一段英文:Work like you don't need the money.*Love like vou've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching.And Iive Iike there's no tomorrow.(像你不需要钱那样工作。像从没受过伤那样恋爱。像没人观看那样跳舞。像没有明天那样生活。)《这里的“不需要钱”指的是“不以钱为目的”,也就是因为兴趣而工作。
这段话的目的是鼓励我们全身心投入自己正在做的事,不要有所保留。这个积极的观点显然引起了大家的共鸣。除了被多次引用外,它还直接导致了一个常用短语的诞生:like there is no tomorrow
从原文可以看出,like there's no tomorrow 最初是跟在live后面,表示要好好地过今天,就像再也没有明天一样。作为短语,它的范围大大放宽。基本上,它可以跟在任何动词后面,表示“尽
情、毫无保留地做这件事”。
徐若碹前几年有首相当走红的歌曲叫《狠狠爱》。这个歌名和歌里反复唱的那句“不顾一切,狠狠爱”就可以翻译成“love like there's no tomorrow”。事实上,还真有不少英文歌叫这个名字。最有名的莫过于Queen乐队主唱Freddie Mercury首张个人专辑中的压轴歌曲Love Me Like Theres No Tomorrow:Tomorrow. Good knows just where I'll be(明天,天晓得我会在哪里)Tomorrow. who knows just what's in store for me(明天,谁知道我会有什么际遇)Anything happen任何事都可能发生)but we only have one more day together ,yeah.(我们在一起的时间只剩下一天,是的)just one more day forever so (只剩一天,所以)Love me like there's no tomorrow.(全心爱我)Hold me in your arms tell me mean it(搂着我,告诉我你是真心的)'this is our last goodbye .这是我们最后的告别)And very soon it will be over.(很快,一切都将结束)并肩出现的几率非常高。
当然,除了love,还有很多事可以跟like there,s no tomorrow搭配。举例如下:Isabella is a typical shopaholic. She can go into any mall and spendmoney like there is no tomorrow. (lsabella是个典型的购物狂。她可以走进任何一家商场,流水般地花钱。)
If you continue to smoke like there is no tomorrow ,don't come crying to me when you are diagnosed with lung cancer(如果你继续这么疯狂吸烟的话,被诊断出肺癌的时候可别来找我哭诉。)
As the saying goes looks can be deceiving ,Elaine has such a lovely baby face but she curse like there is no tomorrow ,you certainly don't want towith her.(常言道,外貌可以骗人。Elaine长着一张那么可爱的娃娃脸,但她骂起脏话来可以让你吃不了兜着走!你可别去惹她。)
让我们再回头看看包含live like there's no tomon.ow的那段话。它其实有很多个版本,究竟谁才是“创始人”,目前没有明确的答案。比较流行的说法有4种:≈美国乡村歌手Kathy Mattea的大热作品Come From the Heart是 这段话的原始出处。歌词有这样一段You got to sing like you don't need the money(像不需要钱那样歌唱 Dance like no one is watching.(像没人观看那样跳舞)
And love like you've never been hurt .(像从没受过伤那样恋爱)著名摇滚乐队U2的主唱Bono在接受采访时说过:Work like you don't need the money. love like you have ever been hurt
live Iike there isno tomorrow,and dance like no one is watching.(像不需要钱那样工作,像从没受过伤那样恋爱,像没有明天那样生活,像没人观看那样跳舞。)
著名教师William Purkey在他的书里写过这段话:Dance like no one is watching(像没人观看那样跳舞)love live you will never be hurt 受伤那样恋爱)Sing like no one is listening (像没有听众一样大胆歌唱)live like it's heaven on earth像住在人间天堂一样好好过下去)由于始终没有定论,流传的版本越来越多。它们的结构都大同小异:前面几句照搬老版本里“全心投入”的例子(work.
dance、sing、love、live),只是在结尾加一句创新的话,以走幽默的效果。我见过的最有趣的例子是:and fart like you,only one in the elevator(就像电梯里没人一样尽情放屁)。