美国国家公共电台 NPR--A father and son in rural Tennessee look back on a life filled with music

A father and son in rural Tennessee look back on a life filled with music

Transcript¹

Jim Von Stein, 70, who made his living installing air conditioning systems, talks to his son Jason about the songs he's written that few people have heard. He's written more than 8,000 to date.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's Friday, which is when we hear from StoryCorps. Seventy-year-old Jim Von Stein made a living installing heating and air conditioning systems. In his trailer in rural Tennessee, there are also mountains of notebooks, scraps² of paper and napkins where he's scribbled³ song lyrics⁴. He's been writing songs since he was 9. Few people heard them. He came to StoryCorps with his son, Jason.

JIM VON STEIN: My mom used to listen to people like Elvis and Patsy Cline, which really - that touched my heart for those lyrics. And my dad, he barely played on a guitar. He played three chords, and I think one of them was wrong. But every once in a while when he drank, he'd get that guitar out and play. Of course, now I wanted to get a guitar. My dad said, you're not going to have that noisemaker around here. But that made me become a lyricist for sure, because that was the only way I could connect to music. You know, it was through lyrics - still telling stories. But, you know, you got to have heartstrings. And that's why I write songs. I try to write not just about me, not about any of my life, but about everybody's life.

JASON VON STEIN: You worked at the shipyard for many years, and they would send you out to San Francisco, and you really missed us. I remember you came back, and you wrote that song, "Always Missing You."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ALWAYS MISSING YOU")

JIM VON STEIN: (Singing) God, how much I miss you.

JASON VON STEIN: And then we did a recording⁵ of that for Mom. I guess I was 5. When you were writing those songs, those were No. 1 hits. When did you first realize you were sick, Dad?

JIM VON STEIN: Well, they told me I had severe emphysema. There was a doctor, and she came in here, and she said, here's a picture of your lung. And they were coal black. They told me, you know, that I had an expiration⁶ date. It's like you're going underwater, and you're trying to catch your breath. That's what it feels like all the time. But I'm still breathing. That's what matters. I remember you asked me, what were my regrets? Did I have any? And I told you I regretted that I didn't go out and play my music. You stopped everything you were doing and learned songs of mine. You learned every one of them. And I didn't realize it until you started playing them. Why did you decide to do it? I mean...

JASON VON STEIN: Because your songs deserve to be heard. You can't spend your entire life devoting yourself to something, and then nobody hears that. That's not OK.

JIM VON STEIN: You got so much time in your hourglass, and that's how you use it. And that's up to you. Long after I'm dead and gone and people forgot who I was, the song has its own life. And you are the voice for my songs.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LITTLE BIT OF ME")

JASON VON STEIN: (Singing) Got a boy, and he's 5 years old. He don't listen to what he's told.

INSKEEP: Oh, man, Jim and Jason Von Stein. Jim still writes songs every day - more than 8,000 to date - and Jason plays his dad's music wherever he can. Hear more of their story on the StoryCorps podcast at npr.org.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LITTLE BIT OF ME")

JASON VON STEIN: (Singing) ...Smashing heads on his favorite snake, stomping⁷ ants in the backyard plot...

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 scraps   

油渣

参考例句：

• Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。
• A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。

3 scribbled   

v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下

参考例句：

• She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。
• He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前，他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。

4 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

5 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

6 expiration   

n.终结，期满，呼气，呼出物

参考例句：

• Can I have your credit card number followed by the expiration date?能告诉我你的信用卡号码和它的到期日吗?
• This contract shall be terminated on the expiration date.劳动合同期满，即行终止。

7 stomping   

v.跺脚，践踏，重踏( stomp的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He looked funny stomping round the dance floor. 他在舞池里跺着舞步，样子很可笑。 来自辞典例句
• Chelsea substitution Wright-Phillips for Robben. Wrighty back on his old stomping to a mixed reception. 77分–切尔西换人：赖特．菲利普斯入替罗本。小赖特在主场球迷混杂的欢迎下，重返他的老地方。 来自互联网