George Moore 曾说过，“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it.”但不是所有人都会对“家”有如此深刻的理解，很多人都是待“青丝染白发”“风霜刻皱纹”后，才开始回望家的温暖。“Ode to My Family”正唱出了那风一更、雪一更后，聒碎乡心的感怀。

　　“Ode to My Family”是爱尔兰卡百利乐队(The Cranberries)的代表作，发表于1994年的专辑《无需理论》(No Need to Argue)。其不仅拥有主Dolores O’Riordan那游丝飘移般的吟咏和宛转亲切的音乐，更有发人深省的歌词。有音评人认为，这首歌反映的是主唱Dolores O’Riordan因决定从事演唱事业而与家人产生的巨大隔阂。而另一种看法则认为这首歌恰反映了Dolores O’Riordan走上星途后方识人情冷暖，终理解家的深意。笔者更倾向于后者：若歌者不心怀感恩，又何以在歌中反复吟唱母亲的拥抱、父亲的爱怜?更重要的是，卡百利乐队来自爱尔兰。那个曾历经艰难的国度，从来都不乏生于悲怆仍不失坚强的精神。所以，笔者更愿意以爱尔兰式的骄傲来理解这首“Ode to My Family”。

　　Ode to My Family

　　Understand the things I say.

　　Don’t turn away from me.

　　’Cause I spent half my life out there,

　　You wouldn’t disagree.

　　Do you see me, do you see?

　　Do you like me, do you like me

　　standing there?

　　Do you notice, do you know?

　　Do you see me, do you see me?

　　Does anyone care?

　　Unhappiness, where’s

　　when I was young,

　　And we didn’t give a damn.

　　’Cause we were raised

　　To see life as a fun and

　　take it if we can.

　　My mother, my mother

　　she held me.

　　She held me, when I was out there.

　　My father, my father

　　he liked me.

　　Oh he liked me, does anyone care?

　　Understand what I’ve become.

　　It wasn’t my design.

　　And people everywhere think

　　Something better than I am.

　　But I miss you, I miss.

　　’Cause I liked it, I liked it.

　　When I was out there,

　　Do you know this, do you know?

　　You did not find me, you did not find.

　　Does anyone care?

　　Unhappiness, where’s

　　when I was young,

　　And we didn’t give a damn.

　　’Cause we were raised

　　To see life as a fun and

　　take it if we can.

　　My mother, my mother

　　she held me.

　　She held me, when I was out there.

　　My father, my father

　　he liked me.

　　Oh he liked me, does anyone care?

　　Does anyone care …