A good friend of mine, Senri Oe had composed a precious tune called “KUMAMOTO” in the wake of the recent Kumamoto Earthquake. I was lucky enough to be a part of this very personal yet meaningful project. The remarkable things about this song are that this is a pure message driven by his compassion, it is not sold in stores, it is solely owned by him and managed by him. It was published thru social media outlets from the late night of Sunday 4/17 in NY time, and the song has started to spread quickly over the internet. One of radio stations in Japan heard the song and reached out to us with a full of respects if they can air in their programs. Senri and I both agreed to air. I think it worked out because they understood how this song was started, where this song stands, and why it needs to be sent out.

The other day I was invited to Senri’s regular gig at Tomi, and sang a couple of Japanese songs including this KUMAMOTO. Because there were some non-Japanese speakers expected to be in the room, I quickly have translated the lyric into English and read it before we play. I thought it might be a good idea to put up on my blog so that I won’t misplace it in a paper pile on my messy desk nor lose in cyber space (very possible…).

KUMAMOTO

Even though we are apart
you are in my heart
No matter how far apart
forever and ever (in my heart)

Can’t see anything now
The darkness is too deep
But please don’t let my hand go
Hold (my hand) tight

To you, to you, goes out to you
Go my heart, go
The morning will come
It will come

People care about people
People embrace people
(That’s how) we stay strong

To you, to you, goes out to you
Go my heart, go
The morning will come
It will come
It will come
It will come

Note: All rights reserved. This is “line by line” translation as my interpretation of the lyric. It is obviously not a set of lyric that you can sing over it!

KUMAMOTO / SENRI OE featuring MAMIKO TAIRA @PND RECORDS peaceneverdie.com from Senri Oe on Vimeo.