I've always had stage fright,

我總是怯場

and not just a little bit,

而且不只一點點

it's a big bit.

是嚴重的怯場

And it didn't even matter until I was 27.

在我27歲之前，怯場並沒什麼影響

That's when I started writing songs, and even then

27歲那年我開始寫歌

I only played them for myself.

那時，我也只是唱給自己聽

Just knowing my roommates were in the same house made me uncomfortable.

一想到我的室友也在屋子裡就讓我難受

But after a couple of years, just writing songs wasn't enough.

過了幾年，我不再滿足於寫歌

I had all these stories and ideas, and I wanted to share them with people,

我想和人們分享我的故事和點子

but physiologically, I couldn't do it.

但是生理上，我卻做不到

I had this irrational fear.

我有一種非理性的恐懼

But the more I wrote, and the more I practiced,

但是，我寫得越多，練習得越勤

the more I wanted to perform.

就越想站到臺前表演

So on the week of my 30th birthday,

所以在我30歲生日這週

I decided I was going to go to this local open mic,

我決定去我們當地的“麥克風開放日”（open-mic）

and put this fear behind me.

一心想戰勝怯場的恐懼

Well, when I got there, it was packed.

當我到了那裡，發現擠滿了人

There were like 20 people there.

那裡大概有20個人

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

And they all looked angry.

而且他們看起來都很生氣

But I took a deep breath, and I signed up to play,

但是我深吸一口氣，然後報了名去表演

and I felt pretty good.

而且我感覺良好

Pretty good, until about 10 minutes before my turn,

直到輪到我上臺前10分鐘都感覺不錯

when my whole body rebelled, and this wave of anxiety just washed over me.

我全身都開始反抗焦慮的情緒席捲了我

Now, when you experience fear, your sympathetic nervous system kicks in.

當你感覺恐懼的時候你的交感神經系統開始起作用

So you have a rush of adrenaline, your heart rate increases,

腎上腺素增加心跳加快

your breathing gets faster.

你的呼吸變得急促

Next your non-essential systems start to shut down, like digestion. (Laughter)

接下來，次要器官們開始關閉比如消化系統（笑聲）

So your mouth gets dry, and blood is routed away from your extremities,

然後嘴唇變得乾燥血液離開四肢

so your fingers don't work anymore.

你的手指變得僵硬

Your pupils dilate, your muscles contract, your Spidey sense tingles,

瞳孔放大，肌肉收縮對危險的預警能力突然大增

basically your whole body is trigger-happy. (Laughter)

基本上你的身體已經準備迎戰了（笑聲）

That condition is not conducive to performing folk music.

這樣的狀況可不適合表演鄉村音樂

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I mean, your nervous system is an idiot.

我是說，你的神經系統是個白癡

Really? Two hundred thousand years of human evolution, and it still can't tell the difference

可不是嗎？二十萬年的人類進化

between a saber tooth tiger and 20 folksingers

居然還分不清一隻劍齒虎

on a Tuesday night open mic?

和週二晚上“麥克風開放日”上的20個鄉村歌手？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I have never been more terrified -- until now.

我從沒那麼緊張過 -- 就比現在好點

(Laughter and cheers)

（笑聲，加油聲）

So then it was my turn,

然後就輪到我了

and somehow, I get myself onto the stage, I start my song,

我鬼使神差地上了臺，開始唱歌

I open my mouth to sing the first line,

我開口唱第一句

and this completely horrible vibrato --

恐怖的顫音出現了

you know, when your voice wavers -- comes streaming out.

你知道，聲音顫抖的時候就會這樣

And this is not the good kind of vibrato, like an opera singer has,

這不是像歌劇演員那種專業的顫音

this is my whole body just convulsing with fear.

而是我全身隨著恐懼發出的抽搐

I mean, it's a nightmare.

那真是個噩夢

I'm embarrassed, the audience is clearly uncomfortable,

我很尷尬，顯然觀眾也很難受

they're focused on my discomfort.

他們的注意力都集中在我的難受上了

It was so bad.

真是太糟了

But that was my first real experience as a solo singer-songwriter.

但那是我作為一個唱作歌手的第一次經驗

And something good did happen -- I had the tiniest little glimpse

而且有一件好事 --我感受到了一丁點

of that audience connection that I was hoping for.

我所期望的那種與觀眾的共鳴

And I wanted more. But I knew I had to get past this nervousness.

而我想要更多但是我知道自己需要戰勝緊張

That night I promised myself: I would go back every week

那個晚上我向自己保證：我會每週都去那裡唱歌

until I wasn't nervous anymore.

直到我不再緊張

And I did. I went back every single week,

我確實每週都去表演

and sure enough, week after week,

果然，經過一週又一週

it didn't get any better. The same thing happened every week. (Laughter)

沒有任何好轉我還是每週怯場（笑聲）

I couldn't shake it.

我擺脫不掉怯場

And that's when I had an epiphany.

那天我靈光一現

And I remember it really well, because I don't have a lot of epiphanies. (Laughter)

我記得很清楚，因為我很少靈光一現（笑聲）

All I had to do was write a song that exploits my nervousness.

我要利用我的緊張寫一首歌

That only seems authentic when I have stage fright,

我怯場時唱它，才顯得真實

and the more nervous I was,

而且我越緊張

the better the song would be. Easy.

這首歌就越好。多簡單啊

So I started writing a song about having stage fright.

於是我開始寫一首關於怯場的歌曲

First, fessing up to the problem,

首先，坦白面對問題

the physical manifestations, how I would feel,

生理上的表現，我的感覺

how the listener might feel.

以及聽眾可能有的感受

And then accounting for things like my shaky voice,

然後，加入我顫抖的嗓音

and I knew I would be singing about a half-octave higher than normal,

還有我知道在我緊張的時候

because I was nervous.

我唱歌會比正常情況下高半個八度

By having a song that explained what was happening to me,

當我正在遭遇怯場時

while it was happening,

用一首歌來描述這些現象

that gave the audience permission to think about it.

這會給觀眾思考這些現象的機會

They didn't have to feel bad for me because I was nervous,

他們不需要因為我的緊張而感到難堪

they could experience that with me,

他們可以和我一起經歷這一切

and we were all one big happy, nervous, uncomfortable family. (Laughter)

我們就是一個快樂的、緊張的、不安的大家庭（笑聲）

By thinking about my audience, by embracing and exploiting my problem,

通過考慮觀眾的感覺，接納並利用我的怯場

I was able to take something that was blocking my progress,

我就能從阻礙中獲益

and turn it into something that was essential for my success.

並將其轉化為成功的助推

And having the stage fright song let me get past that biggest issue

這首“怯場之歌”幫我解決了

right in the beginning of a performance.

我表演開場時最大的問題

And then I could move on, and play the rest of my songs

然後我就可以繼續唱其他歌曲

with just a little bit more ease.

而且更加輕鬆

And eventually, over time, I didn't have to play the stage fright song at all.

慢慢到最後，我不再需要去唱這首“怯場之歌”了

Except for when I was really nervous, like now. (Laughter)

除了我特別緊張的時候，比如現在（笑聲）

Would it be okay if I played the stage fright song for you?

我現在可以唱這首怯場之歌嗎？

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Can I have a sip of water?

我可以喝口水嗎？

(Music)

（音樂）

Thank you.

謝謝。

♫ I'm not joking, you know, ♫

♫ 你知道，我沒在開玩笑， ♫

♫ this stage fright is real. ♫

♫ 這怯場是真的。♫

♫ And if I'm up here trembling and singing, ♫

♫ 如果我在臺上一邊顫抖一邊唱，♫

♫ well, you'll know how I feel. ♫

♫ 你們就能知道我的感覺， ♫

♫ And the mistake I'd be making, ♫

♫ 還有我會唱錯走音， ♫

♫ the tremolo caused by my whole body shaking. ♫

♫全身顫抖發出顫音。 ♫

♫ As you sit there feeling embarrassed for me, ♫

♫ 你坐在台下為我感到尷尬，♫

♫ well, you don't have to be. ♫

♫ 其實你不需要那樣。 ♫

♫ Well, maybe just a little bit. ♫

♫ 呃...可能只用一點小尷尬。 ♫

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

♫ And maybe I'll try to imagine you all without clothes. ♫

♫ 或許我可以想像你們全都沒穿衣服，♫

♫ But singing in front of all naked strangers scares me more than anyone knows. ♫

♫ 但在一絲不掛的陌生人面前唱歌更讓我害怕。♫

♫ Not to discuss this at length, ♫

♫ 不想長篇大論，♫

♫ but my body image was never my strength. ♫

♫ 但我的形象真不是什麽優勢。 ♫

♫ So frankly, I wish that you all would get dressed, ♫

♫ 老實說，我希望你們都是穿著衣服的， ♫

♫ I mean, you're not even really naked. ♫

♫ 我的意思是，你們還真不是裸體的。 ♫

♫ And I'm the one with the problem. ♫

♫ 我才是有問題的那個。 ♫

♫ And you tell me, don't worry so much, you'll be great. ♫

♫ 你可能會告訴我，別擔心，你會唱得很棒。 ♫

♫ But I'm the one living with me ♫

♫ 但我一直忍受著我自己，♫

♫ and I know how I get. ♫

♫ 我知道我會怎樣。♫

♫ Your advice is gentle but late. ♫

♫ 你的話雖然好聽，但來得太遲，♫

♫ If not just a bit patronizing. ♫

♫ 還有些居高臨下。♫

♫ And that sarcastic tone doesn't help me when I sing. ♫

♫ 那諷刺的腔調在我歌唱時也沒用。♫

♫ But we shouldn't talk about these things right now, ♫

♫ 但現在我們別再討論這個啦，♫

♫ really, I'm up on stage, and you're in the crowd. Hi. ♫

♫ 說真的，我在臺上，你在臺下。嗨！ ♫

♫ And I'm not making fun of unnurtured, irrational fear, ♫

♫ 我可不拿恐懼來開玩笑，它沒經刻意培養，一點也不理性， ♫

♫ and if I wasn't ready to face this, ♫

♫ 我若不是早做準備面對這恐懼， ♫

♫ I sure as hell wouldn't be here. ♫

♫ 我肯定不會站在這裡。 ♫

♫ But if I belt one note out clearly, ♫

♫ 假如我唱出一個清晰的音符， ♫

♫ you'll know I'm recovering slowly but surely. ♫

♫ 你就知道我在慢慢地恢復正常。 ♫

♫ And maybe next week, I'll set my guitar ringin' ♫

♫ 或許下週，我會彈著我的吉他，♫

♫ my voice clear as water, and everyone singin'. ♫

♫ 音色清澈如水， 大家一起歡唱。 ♫

♫ But probably I'll just get up and start groovin', ♫

♫ 但現在，我要站起來，開始打節奏，♫

♫ my vocal cords movin', ♫

♫ 我的聲帶快速顫動， ♫

♫ at speeds slightly faster than sound. ♫

♫ 比聲速還快那麼一點。♫

(Applause)

（掌聲）