Her music is by tur… Read Full Bio ↴Akiko Yano is a Japanese pop and jazz musician.
Her music is by turns playful, heartfelt, melodic, ornate, and disarmingly simple, reflecting a love of music in all its forms and colors. She handles moody new wave, virtuosic fusion, traditional jazz ballads, straightahead pop, and singer-songwriter folk songs with equal aplomb.
Though she's recorded with many of the 20th century's greatest pop and jazz musicians, her primarily Japanese-language albums have kept her music below the radar of most English-language listeners. She's recorded with, among many others, Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, members of Little Feat, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono, David Sylvian, Mick Karn, Kenji Omura, Jeff Bova, Yukihiro Takahashi, Charlie Haden, Peter Erskine, Anthony Jackson, David Rhodes, the band Quruli, and her son Futa Sakamoto.
Beyond her solo work, Yano has recorded with Thomas Dolby, Yngwie Malmsteen, The Chieftains, The Hammonds, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Kazumi Watanabe, The Boom, Tetsuro Kashibuchi, and Ryuichi Sakamoto. She appeared on the recording "Snowflake" reading a children's story in Japanese with Peter Gabriel reading in English and music by Akira Inoue and David Rhodes accompanying both.
Yashi No Mi
矢野顕子 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
流れ寄る 椰子の実一つ
故郷の 岸を離れて
汝はそも 波に幾月
旧の樹は 生いや茂れる
枝はなお 影をやなせる
われもまた 渚を枕
ひとり身の 浮寝の旅ぞ
実をとりて 胸にあつれば
新たなり 流離の憂い
海の日に 沈むを見れば
激り落つ 異郷の涙
思いやる 八重の汐々
いずれの日にか 国に帰らん
椰子の実一つ 椰子の実一つ
These lyrics are from the song "Yashi No Mi" by 矢野顕子 (Akiko Yano). The song is written in a poetic and contemplative style, exploring themes of distance, wanderlust, and longing for home.
The first verse begins with the image of an unknown bird coming from afar, bringing with it a single coconut. This coconut represents a departure from one's homeland and the uncertainty of how long one will be away at sea. The mention of the old tree suggests the passage of time and the continuity of life, as its branches still create shadows. The singer finds solace in lying on the shore, feeling the ebb and flow of the waves, reflecting their own solitary and transient existence.
The second verse delves into the emotions that come with experiencing new things and being away from home. The act of holding a coconut close to one's chest symbolizes the weight of the nomadic lifestyle and the sense of displacement it brings. Watching the sun set on a day at sea intensifies the feeling of sorrow for being in a foreign place and evokes tears.
The final lines express empathy for the repetition of the tides and waves, personified by "八重の汐々" (Yae no ShioShio), and the desire to one day return to one's country. The repetition of the phrase "椰子の実一つ" (Yashi no Mi hitotsu) emphasizes the longing for home and the nostalgia associated with it.
Line by Line Meaning
名も知らぬ 遠き鳥より
From a distant bird with an unknown name
流れ寄る 椰子の実一つ
One coconut fruit drifting along
故郷の 岸を離れて
Leaving the shores of my homeland
汝はそも 波に幾月
How many waves have you encountered?
旧の樹は 生いや茂れる
The old tree continues to grow and thrive
枝はなお 影をやなせる
Its branches still casting shadows
われもまた 渚を枕
I also rest my head on the shore
ひとり身の 浮寝の旅ぞ
Embarking on a solitary floating journey
実をとりて 胸にあつれば
When I hold the fruit close to my heart
新たなり 流離の憂い
It becomes a new source of wandering sorrow
海の日に 沈むを見れば
When I witness the sinking of the sun over the sea
激り落つ 異郷の涙
Tears of a foreign land fall fiercely
思いやる 八重の汐々
I have deep affection for the repeating tides
いずれの日にか 国に帰らん
One day, I may not return to my country
椰子の実一つ 椰子の実一つ
One coconut fruit, one coconut fruit
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: shimazaki touson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Johannes Pong
on Tsuri ni Ikou [Why Don't We Go Fishing]
I don't know why, but I cry every time the 2nd verse comes along. Just this version, not other singers' renditions. Definitely tapping into some collective nostalgia for the innocence of childhood, the sheer beauty & transience of life.
Wahyu Bali
on Tsuri ni Ikou [Why Don't We Go Fishing]
I'm sorry, I mean in Kanji. Lol
Wahyu Bali
on Tsuri ni Ikou [Why Don't We Go Fishing]
Can someone help with the lyric in katakana please. I love to sing it till today and still don't the correct lyric and the meaning. Pleasee.. Much appreciated