I come very briefly to this place.
I watch it move.
I watch it shake.
Kumowaku yamano.
Watashino sakebi.
Watashino koewo.
Ushano kokoku.
Watashiwa sokoni.
Watashiwa asobu.
Mountain with clouds.
A cry.
My voice.
Home of the brave.
I'm here now.
And lost.
They say the dead will rise again.
And here they come now.
Strange animals out of the Ice Age.
And they stare at you.
Dumbfounded.
Like big mistakes.
And we say: Keep cool.
Maybe if we pretend this never happened, they'll all just go away.
Watashiwa sokoni.
Watashiwa asobu.
Mewotoji.
Mewotoji.
Kikunowa kotori.
Watashino sakebi.
Watashino koewo.
I am here in this place.
Losing.
My eyes are closed.
Closed.
Birds are there.
Hearing something.
Shouting.
My voice. (And yet, we could all be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.)
Kumowaku yamano.
Watashiwa sokoni.
Watashiwa asobu.
Kumiwaku yamano.
Kikunowa kotori.
Watashino sakebi.
Mountains with clouds.
I am there.
Lost.
Mountains with clouds.
Birds are there.
Hearing something.
A shout.
They say the world is smaller now.
Small world.
They say that man is taller now.
Tall man.
They say the stars are closer now.
Thank you, lucky stars.
You come very briefly to this place.
Jikanwa tomaru.
Ushano kokoku.
Time is stopped.
Home of the brave.
And on a very distant star, slimy creatures scan the skies.
They've got plates for hands.
And telescopes for eyes.
And they say: Look down
They say: Watch it move.
Watch it shake.
Watch it turn.
And shake.
Watashiwa sokoni.
Watashiwa asobu.
Kumowaku yamano.
Watashino sakebi.
Watashino koewo.
Mewotoji.
Mewotoji.
I am there.
Lost.
Mountains with clouds.
A cry.
A shout.
My eyes are shut.
Shut.
And we say: Watch us move.
Watch us shake.
We're so pretty.
We're so pretty.
We say: Watch us move now.
Watch us shake.
We're so pretty.
Shake our hands.
Shake our heads.
We shake our feet.
We're so fine.
The way we move.
The way we shake.
We're so nice.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Laurie Anderson's song Kokoku are complex and multilayered, blending images of nature, science fiction, and human experience. The opening lines set the scene: the singer has arrived briefly in a place and is observing it, watching it move and shake. The phrase "Kumowaku yamano" refers to "Mountain with clouds" which suggest a natural scene, but the next line interrupts this with "Watashino sakebi," which means "a cry" and is a clear human intervention. The song then shifts between these two poles, with the singer invoking both nature and her own voice, as when she says both "Watashiwa sokoni" ("I am there") and "Watashiwa asobu" ("I am playing"). The lines "They say the dead will rise again / And here they come now" conjure up images of apocalyptic resurgence, while the "strange animals out of the Ice Age" evoke a sense of the prehistoric, and the singer's plea to "keep cool" suggests a kind of desperate hope that everything will be okay.

The final lines of the song bring together many of the song's images and themes, with the singer insisting that "We're so pretty" and "We're so nice." These lines may be read ironically, as the singer has spent much of the song evoking natural forces and nonhuman creatures, only to end with a focus on humans' self-regard. Indeed, the singer seems to recognize this irony when she says, with a note of skepticism, "And yet, we could all be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time." Ultimately, Kokoku presents a complex set of images and ideas, inviting multiple interpretations of its meaning and significance.

Line by Line Meaning

I come very briefly to this place.
I arrive at this place for a short period of time.

I watch it move.
I observe the movement of this place.

I watch it shake.
I observe the shaking of this place.

Kumowaku yamano.
Mountain with clouds.

Watashino sakebi.
A cry. My voice.

Watashino koewo.
Home of the brave.

Ushano kokoku.
I'm here now. And lost.

Watashiwa sokoni.
I am there.

Watashiwa asobu.
Lost.

Mountain with clouds.
Kumowaku yamano.

A cry.
Watashino sakebi.