懐メロ USA ～Reba & Georgiaで大ヒット～

★Reba Nell McEntire

リーバ＝マッキンタイア もしくは レバ＝マックエンタイア。
1955年3月28日生まれ。オクラホマ出身のカントリー・ミュージック・シンガーであり、俳優。
カントリー・ミュージックのみならず、アメリカのショウビズを代表するスーパースター。

★The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia

1973年に作られた作品で、全米No1になったヒット曲。歌っていたのはヴィッキー・ローレンス。邦題は「ジョージアの灯は消えて」

1983年には同名の映画も公開されている。邦題は「さよならジョージア」（主演 クリスティ・マクニコル / デニス・クエイド / マーク・ハミル）

★★この２つが合体すれば売れないわけがない。レバが1991年にカバーし、ドラマ仕立てのPVでスーパーウルトラ大ヒットした。

「冤罪で絞首刑になった兄」を慕う妹が事件について振り返り、「すべては当時の弁護士と裁判官の怠慢のせい」と糾弾する・・・といった内容。文章で書くと軽いが、テーマがテーマだけに全体的にシリアスで重い。

個人的にはライブ感のあるこっちの方が好き。レバの魅力満載です。

歌詞は以下の通り。歌の最後で真犯人も判明します。

和訳はここがおすすめ。メッチャわかりやすい。しかも解説つき。

He was on his way home from Candletop
Been two weeks gone and he thought he'd stop
At Web's and have him a drink for he went home to her
Andy wo-lo said hello
He said hi what's a doing
Wo said sit down I got some bad news that's gonna hurt
Said I'm your best friend and you know that's right
But your young bride aint home tonight
Since you been gone she's been seeing that Amos boy Seth
He got mad and he saw red
Andy said boy dont you lose your head
'Cause to tell you the truth I've been with her myself

That's the night the lights went out in Georgia
That's the night that they hung an innocent man
Don't trust your soul to no back woods southern lawyer
Cause the judge in the towns got bloodstains on his hand

Andy got scared and left the bar
Walking on home 'cause he didn't live far you see
Andy didnt have many friends and he just lost him one
Brother thought his wife must've left town
So he went home and finally found the only thing
Daddy had left him and that was a gun
He went off to Andys house
Slipping through the back woods quiet as a mouse
Came upon some tracks too small for Andy to make
He looked through the screen at the back porch door
He saw Andy lying on the floor
In a puddle of blood and he started to shake

The georgia patrol was making their rounds
So he fired a shot just to flag em down
And a big bellied sheriff grabbed his gun and said
Why'd you do it?

The judge said guilty in a make believe trial
Slapped the sheriff on the back with a smile and said
Suppers waiting at home and I got to get to it

That's the night the lights went out in Georgia
That's the night that they hung an innocent man
Don't trust your soul to no back woods southern lawyer
Cause the judge in the towns got bloodstains on his hand

They hung my brother before I could say
The tracks he saw while on his way
To andy's house and back that night were mine ←真犯人判明
And his cheatin wife had never left town
And that's one body that'll never be found
You see little sister don't miss when she aims her gun ←第2の殺人自白

That's the night the lights went out in Georgia
That's the night that they hung an innocent man
Don't trust your soul to no back woods southern lawyer
Cause the judge in the towns got bloodstains on his hand