Plain White T's 《The Giving Tree》(一棵奉献树)

  在这首歌里，讲述的是这样一个故事：有一棵奉献树，深爱着一个小男孩。男孩天天在枝桠间嬉戏、在树荫下休憩，慢慢的长大了。有一天，他向树要钱，说是想买一些他喜欢的东西。树没有钱，只有枝叶和苹果。于是树让他把苹果摘了，到街上去卖钱。男孩照着树的话去做，看到男孩满意的样子，树很高兴。

   不久，男孩又来了，说他现在已经是个成人了，得要有间自己的房子。于是树让他把枝桠砍去，自己搭间房子。后来，男孩向树说他厌倦了故乡，想要到远方寻找阳光灿烂的日子，树于是又把主干给了他，让他自己造条小船出海去追寻梦想。看着男孩去满怀壮志地去寻找新的人生，树很高兴。

   几年之后，男孩倦游归来，又来到树的身边。树看看自己仅存的树墩，十分抱歉地对男孩说：“如今我只剩下一个老树墩，实在没有东西可给你了”。男孩虚弱的笑笑，对树说，现在我需要的也不多了，只想有个安静的地方，好好休息一下。树说，既然是这样，那么我这老树墩还是挺管用的，“来吧，坐下来，好好的休息一会儿”。男孩听话的坐下，于是树还是好高兴。

虽然这首歌从头到尾都没有说出任何父亲或母亲的字眼，但是只要我们稍稍用心去想想，就不难体会它的深意了。

   这首歌的词曲作者西尔弗斯坦(Shel Silverstein)堪称二十世纪美国文艺界令人印象最为深刻的鬼才之一，1932年出生于芝加哥，少年时代就因为缺乏运动细胞、长相又不讨女孩子喜欢，因此决定把自己的时间用来写诗和作画，由于当时的他从未接触过任何名家的作品，反而发展出一种非常独特的个人风格，等到女孩子们因为他的表现而开始注意到他的时候，他已经忙得没有时间去理会她们了。

西尔弗斯坦多才多艺，除了诗人、画家、词曲作家、唱片制作人和歌手等身份之外，他令人印象最为深刻的，却是他为儿童们所绘制与编写的儿童文学作品，以及童诗与儿歌。不过，他并不是一开始就从事儿童作品创作的，因为他早期都是以成年人作为设定的读者群，由于他的出版公司主编独具慧眼，建议他尝试儿童作品，没想到却激发了他的另一种潜力。出版於1964年的《奉献的树》是他最早的儿童文学作品之一，也是最受推崇与喜爱的经典，其他有名的作品还包括《失落的一角》（The Missing Piece, 1976）和《阁楼上的光》（A Light in the Attic, 1981）等等，这些优秀的作品国内都可以找到中译本。

   这首歌的演唱者巴比贝尔是西尔弗斯坦的老友，也是乡村歌坛最具特色的资深艺人之一。他来自俄亥俄州，出身贫门，青少年时代在农场和成衣厂打工。由于喜爱音乐、却又买不起乐器，自己做了一把吉他开始练习，进而在一支乡村乐队里面找到一份没有酬劳的工作。他最重要的作品，是在70年代推出的一系列专辑，这首“一棵奉献树”就是他跟鬼才大师西尔弗斯坦合作，根据《奉献的树》这篇儿童作品改编的一首想到成功的歌曲。

 The Giving Tree

Once there was a giving tree
Who loved a little boy
And everyday the boy would come to play
Swinging from her branches
Sleeping in her shades
Laughing all the summer hours away
And so they loved, and oh the tree was happy
Oh, the tree was glad

But soon the boy grew older
And one day he came and said
Can you give me some money, tree
To buy some things I've found
I have no money, said the tree
Just apples, twigs and leaves
But you can take my apples, boy
And sell them in the town
And so he did, and oh the tree was happy
Oh, the tree was glad

Soon again the boy came back
And he said to the tree, I'm now a man
And I must have a house that's all my own
I can't give you a house, said the tree
The forest is my home
But you may cut my branches off
And build yourself a home
And so he did, and oh the tree was happy
Oh, the tree was glad

And time went by and the boy came back
With sadness in his eyes
My life has turned so cold, he said
And I need sunny days
I'm nothing buy my trunk, she said
But you may cut it down
And build yourself a boat and sail away
And so he did, and oh the tree was happy
Oh, the tree was glad

And after years, the boy came back
From both ends of the world
I really cannot help you
If you ask another gift
I'm nothing but an old stump now
I'm sorry, boy, she said
I'm sorry, but I've nothing more to give
I don't need very much now
Just a quiet place to rest
The boy, he whispered with a weary smile
Well, said the tree, an old stump is still as good for that
Come, boy, she said, sit down
Sit down and rest awhile
And so he did, and oh the tree was happy
Oh, the tree was glad