布什記者晚宴一展歌喉 期待告別白宮
US President George W. Bush donned a cowboy hat and sang an early goodbye to Washington on Saturday night with a performance.
Bush surprised cabinet secretaries, diplomatic officials and journalists at the annual Gridiron dinner by taking the stage and giving the first public singing performance of his eight-year presidency, which ends in January 2009.
To the tune of country song Green Green Grass of Home(Listen), Bush sang of longing for his ranch in Crawford, Texas, and his dog Barney.
"And there to meet me is my mama and my papa, down the lane I look and here comes Barney, heart of gold and breath like honey; it's good to touch the brown brown grass of home."
Bush, singing only slightly off key, then turned to some of the long-term members of his team including Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
"For there's Condi and Dick, my old compadre, talking to me about some oil-rich Saudi, but soon I'll touch the brown brown grass of home."
"That old White house is behind me, I am once again carefree, don't have to worry 'bout a crisis in Pyongyang. Down the lane I look, Dick Cheney is strolling with documents he'd been withholding, it's good to touch the brown brown grass of home."
Bush told the audience, which erupted in applause and gave him a standing ovation, that they had witnessed "the first and final performance of George Bush".
The Gridiron Club holds an annual dinner at which journalists put on songs and skits lampooning Democrats and Republicans alike.
上週六晚，美國總統布什頭戴牛仔帽，一展歌喉，用歌聲提前告別白宮生活。
布什的這一舉動讓出席年度“烤架”晚宴的內閣部長、外交官員和記者們大吃一驚。布什將於明年1月結束他的總統任期，這是他執政八年來首次在公共場合登臺演唱。
布什演唱了一首鄉村歌曲《碧草如茵的家園》，他在歌中表達了期待回到家鄉得克薩斯州克勞弗德農場的願望及想念小狗巴尼的心情。
布什唱道：“我走下飛機，前來迎接我的是老爸老媽，鄉間小路的一端，我看見巴尼在向我飛奔，它心比金子，呼吸香甜；能摸到家鄉黃色的草感覺真好。”
布什唱得有點跑調，之後在歌中唱到了切尼和國務卿賴斯等與他合作多年的“戰友”。
“我的老戰友康迪（賴斯）和迪克（切尼）還在跟我談石油豐富的沙特阿拉伯，可不久我就能摸到家鄉黃色的草了。”
“那個白宮將離我而去，我又可以回到那種無憂無慮的生活了，不用再擔心什麼‘平壤危機’。鄉間小路的一端，我看見切尼還在拿着祕密文件到處跑，能摸到家鄉黃色的草感覺真好。”
布什的演唱贏得陣陣掌聲，臺下的聽衆甚至站起來爲他鼓掌。布什對觀衆們說，他們目睹了“喬治•布什的第一次，也是最後一次演唱”。
“烤架俱樂部”每年都會舉辦年度記者晚宴，記者們可以在晚宴上演唱歌曲或表演滑稽短劇諷刺民主共和兩大黨派的人士。
