American Life

In a town in southernmost Sicily
在西西里岛最南端的一个小镇里
Lived a family too proud to be poor
住着一户贫穷但有骨气的家庭
In the year that fever took father away
在父亲因发热而死的那一年
They hastened for American shores
他们居家赶往美国的一个海岸
Now a mother and her son are standing in line
现在母亲和儿子正在排队领救济
It’s a cold day on Ellis Isle
毕竟艾利斯岛很冷
And they look to the Statue of Liberty
他们抬头看向自由女神像
For the boy we have American Life
为了自己能有一个美国梦
Ong is a Laotian refugee
Ong是一个老挝难民
He works in the audio trade
他在一家音响店工作
The smoke from flux is filling his lungs
烟雾充斥着他的肺
He’s earning minimum wage
他挣着最低工资
Spending spare time down on
把业余时间花费在
San Pablo ave
圣帕布罗大道
Once a week gets a woman for the night
一周找一次女人
And he writes home tales of prosperity
他写一些家喻户晓的成功故事
For the boy we have American Life
为了自己能有一个美国梦
Bob is an unemployed veteran
Bob是一个失业的老兵
Born and bred in the South Bronx
在南布朗克斯出生和长大
He’s living off the streets down in east L.A.
他现在住在洛杉矶东部的一条街上
Residing in a cardboard box
身家是一个破纸板箱
Now he plays a little quit and he has a small dog
现在他有了一只小狗 生活也有了些乐趣
Searching for aluminum cans
四处寻找铝罐
And he hold on tight to his dignity
他把自己的尊严紧紧的抓在手里
He was born into American Life
他在美国梦中出生