2 Another Side of Jamaica

CHAPTER 2 Another Side of Jamaica When Cedella and Bob arrived in Kingston in 1957, the roads of their Trench Town neighborhood were filled with garbage and stray dogs. There was no sewage system, so people went to the bathroom outside in holes dug in the dirt. People pumped water for drinking, cooking, and bathing from an outdoor well. The children in the neighborhood knew Bob was from a country village. He also didn't look like the other kids in Trench Town. He had lighter skin because his father was white. He was always teased because he was

1957年，塞黛拉和鲍勃到达金斯敦时，他们所在的沟镇附近的道路上满是垃圾和流浪狗。 那里没有污水处理系统，所以人们在外面的泥土里挖洞上厕所。 人们从室外的井里抽水来饮用、做饭和洗澡。 邻居的孩子们知道鲍勃是乡下来的。 他也不像壕沟镇的其他孩子。 他的肤色较浅，因为他父亲是白人。 他总是被取笑，因为他是

mixed race: both black and white. Bob had to learn how to defend himself against other boys. Bob quickly learned how to fight. The neighborhood boys thought he knew some pretty quick martial-arts moves. He didn't, but he still earned the nickname "Tuff Gong": Tuff because he seemed so tough, and Gong because the kids were reminded of the loud instrument from kung-fu movies when they saw Bob fight. Bob's physical skill became known around Trench Town.

混血儿：既有黑人也有白人。 鲍勃必须学会如何保护自己不受其他男孩的伤害。 鲍勃很快学会了如何打架。 邻居的男孩们认为他会一些相当快的武术动作。 他没有这样做，但他仍然赢得了“凝灰泥公”的绰号：凝灰泥是因为他看起来很强硬，而龚是因为当孩子们看到鲍勃打架时，他们会想起功夫电影中响亮的乐器。 鲍勃的体能在特伦奇镇远近闻名。

Bob wouldn't have had to fight so much if he had been going to school. But in Jamaica, only elementary school was free. After that, you had to pay to attend. Cedella didn't have the money to send Bob right away. While she was working hard to save up, Bob missed a year of school. He spent his days working any job he could to help his mother pay for food and rent. Cedella and Toddy were still spending much of their time together. Eventually, Bob and Cedella moved into the Livingstons' house on Second Street. Bob was glad that he would now be living with his friend Bunny.

如果鲍勃一直在上学的话，他就不会这么吵了。 但在牙买加，只有小学是免费的。 在那之后，你必须付费才能参加。 塞黛拉没有钱马上把鲍勃送去。 在她努力工作攒钱的时候，鲍勃一年没上过学。 为了帮助母亲支付食物和房租，他每天都在做任何能做的工作。 塞黛拉和托迪仍然花很多时间在一起。 最后，鲍勃和塞黛拉搬进了利文斯顿在第二街的房子。 鲍勃很高兴他现在可以和他的朋友邦妮住在一起了。

Bob and Bunny listened to music on the radio all the time. American singers and musicians like Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, and Ray Charles became Bob's heroes. Bob and Bunny tried to copy the biggest radio hits on their guitars. Bob and Bunny began writing their first songs together. Bob combined his favorite calypso beats with the American music he heard on Kingston radio. They played them in the Second Street public yard, and people liked them. In 1959, when Bob was about fourteen, Cedella had finally saved enough money to send him to school. She had worked long hours to pay for his clothes and books. Bob's new teachers said he was thoughtful and smart. But Bob's time there wouldn't last long. The school closed a short time later, and Bob began looking for a new job instead of a new school.

鲍勃和邦尼一直在听收音机里的音乐。 山姆·库克、法兹·多米诺和雷·查尔斯等美国歌手和音乐家成了鲍勃的偶像。 鲍勃和邦尼试图在他们的吉他上模仿最流行的电台歌曲。 鲍勃和邦尼开始一起写他们的第一首歌。 鲍勃将他最喜欢的卡利普索节奏与他在金斯顿电台听到的美国音乐结合起来。 他们在第二街的公共院子里演奏，人们很喜欢。 1959年，鲍勃大约14岁时，塞黛拉终于攒够了钱送他上学。 为了给他买衣服和书，她工作了很长时间。 鲍勃的新老师说他很有思想，很聪明。 但鲍勃在那里的时间不会太长。 不久学校就关闭了，鲍勃开始找一份新工作，而不是去新学校。

Desmond Dekker, a friend Bob had met playing music in the yards, worked at a Kingston welding business. Bob soon got a job there as well. He did not like the work. But he got to spend time with Desmond, who was a talented singer. Desmond and Bob both listened to ska music. Ska is Jamaican music that has a regular rhythm like calypso but usually adds the sound of horns like trumpets, saxophones, and trombones. People could really dance to it. There were plenty of ska songs on the radio at the

戴斯蒙德·戴克（Desmond Dekker）是鲍勃在院子里演奏音乐时认识的朋友，他在金斯顿的一家焊接公司工作。 鲍勃很快也在那里找到了一份工作。 他不喜欢那份工作。但他和戴斯蒙德在一起，戴斯蒙德是个有才华的歌手。 戴斯蒙德和鲍勃都听斯卡音乐。 斯卡是一种牙买加音乐，像卡利普索一样有规律的节奏，但通常会加入小号、萨克斯管和长号等喇叭的声音。 人们真的可以跟着它跳舞。 电台里有很多斯卡舞曲