He was born Minoru Ōno (大野 穣), in a little town in Hokkaidō, to a fisherman. He was very poor because of the effects of World War II, and he was forced to work while he studied.
When he was about to graduate from high school, he decided to become a singer. His debut single was called "Bungacha-Bushi," which was released in 1962.
He has many famous songs, including "Namida Bune" (1962), "Kyōdai Jingi" (1965), "Yosaku" (1978) and "Kita no Ryōba" (1986). His 1965 song "Kaerokana" was written by lyricist Rokusuke Ei and composer Hachidai Nakamura. He is very popular in Japan partly due to his looks of a physical laborer, and he mostly sings the spirit of Japan's working class and rural laborer. He often appears on Kōhaku Uta Gassen, a TV program at the end of the year where many major Japanese singers gather to perform.
Kitajima released single "Fūfu Isshō" (夫婦一生, lit. "Couple in a Lifetime"?) on January 1, 2010 at the age of 73. It debuted at #10 on the Japanese Oricon weekly single charts. It became the first single to reach Top 10 by a solo artist in his 70s in Oricon charts history.
Although Enka is becoming less popular with the younger generation, he is still Japan's most famous singer. He does a lot of concerts overseas as well, and he is contributing a lot of work to the culture of Japanese music.
In addition to his singing career, Kitajima acted in the role of Tatsugorō on the television series Abarenbō Shōgun. During the quarter-century life of the series, he also sang its theme songs.
男の涙
北島三郎 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
死ぬときゃおれも 一緒だよ
苦労ばっかり かけてきた
ばかな男の 目になみだ
あまえておくれよ むしゃぶりついて
今夜はやけに 寒いなあ
医者がみすてた からだでも
云うてくれるな すまないなどと
妻という名は だてじゃない
来年春にゃ ふたりして
観音さまへ 詣ろうなァー
The song "男の涙" by 北島三郎 talks about the deep emotions of a man who is willing to go to any extent to save his loved ones. The first two lines, "おまえを一人で 死なせるものか, 死ぬときゃおれも 一緒だよ" (I won't let you die alone, when the time comes, I'll be with you) shows the determination of the man to stand by his beloved through thick and thin. The next two lines, "苦労ばっかり かけてきた, ばかな男の 目になみだ" (I have caused only trouble, my foolish eyes are filled with tears) reveals his remorse and guilt for not being able to do much to ease the struggles and hardships they had to face.
The man then pleads to his beloved, "あまえておくれよ むしゃぶりついて, 今夜はやけに 寒いなあ, 医者がみすてた からだでも, きっと癒すぜ このおれが" (Just cling to me and depend on me tonight when it's so cold, even if the doctors have abandoned your body, I'll surely heal you). He wants to reassure her that he'll always be there for her, no matter how hard it gets.
Finally, the man talks about their promise to make a pilgrimage to Kannon-sama (Goddess of Mercy) in the spring, "云うてくれるな すまないなどと, 妻という名は だてじゃない, 来年春にゃ ふたりして, 観音さまへ 詣ろうなァー" (Don't say sorry or anything like that, being a wife is not just a title, next spring, we will both go on a pilgrimage to Kannon-sama). This shows the man's reverence towards their marital relationship and faith in their shared future.
Line by Line Meaning
おまえを一人で 死なせるものか
I won't let you die alone
死ぬときゃおれも 一緒だよ
When you die, I'll die with you
苦労ばっかり かけてきた
I've been through a lot of hardships
ばかな男の 目になみだ
Tears in the eyes of a foolish man
あまえておくれよ むしゃぶりついて
Lean on me and chew on me
今夜はやけに 寒いなあ
It's unusually cold tonight
医者がみすてた からだでも
Even if your body has been abandoned by the doctor
きっと癒すぜ このおれが
I'll surely heal you, it's me after all
云うてくれるな すまないなどと
Don't say things like 'sorry' or 'thank you'
妻という名は だてじゃない
Being called a wife is not irrelevant
来年春にゃ ふたりして
Next spring, the two of us together
観音さまへ 詣ろうなァー
Let's go to the goddess of mercy together
Contributed by Sebastian A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.