Goro Kagami (鏡五郎、born Shoji Yamanaka) is an enka singer from Toyonaka, Osak… Read Full Bio ↴Goro Kagami (鏡五郎、born Shoji Yamanaka) is an enka singer from Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan. Kagami released his début single, "Iyan nachatta Tokyo" (「嫌んなちゃった東京」) in 1967, but didn't have his breakthrough until the release of "Oshidori jinsei" (「おしどり人生」) in 1988. He is the father of composer Takamasa Yamanaka (山中孝真).

男の流転
鏡五郎 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

針で刺すよな世間の目より
痛い他国の雪つぶて
他人(ひと)のうわさを逃れる旅は
すがるお前をみちづれに
流れ流れて小樽函館男の流転

肩の寒さに眠れぬ宿は
夢も凍える軒つらら

やせてやつれたお前の背中(せな)に
煎餅布団を掛け直す
流れ流れて北見札幌男の流転

明日(あす)が見えない地吹雪だけど
止めば来る春北の春
弱音吐いたら柵(しがらみ)捨てて

恋に逃れた甲斐がない
流れ流れて根室網走男の流転

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to 鏡五郎's song 男の流転 (Otoko no Ryuuhen) depict a man's journey through life in search of something more. The pain inflicted by the world's harsh judgment is described as being like a piercing needle, but it is nothing compared to the painful snowballs thrown by unfriendly strangers in foreign lands. The man is on a journey to escape the gossip of others, and he is accompanied by someone who clings to him for support. The song talks about the transient nature of life as it flows from place to place, from Otaru to Hakodate, from Kitami to Sapporo, from Nemuro to Abashiri.

The second verse begins by describing a lonely and freezing night in a cheap inn, where the man is unable to sleep due to the coldness of his shoulders. Even his dreams are frozen, with icicles hanging from the eaves. The man is thin, haggard, and his back aches. He puts on another layer of bedding, this time a rice cracker futon. The song speaks of a life where one has to move continuously to various cities, from the North to the East, and where humanity is subject to the ebb and flow of life's journey.

Line by Line Meaning

針で刺すよな世間の目より
The pain of foreign snow pellets is as piercing as the gaze of society.

痛い他国の雪つぶて
Foreign snow pellets are painful.

他人(ひと)のうわさを逃れる旅は
Traveling to escape the rumors of others is a way to cling to hope.

すがるお前をみちづれに
Accompanying one who is clinging to hope.

流れ流れて小樽函館男の流転
Drifting, winding up in various cities, this is the transience of men.

肩の寒さに眠れぬ宿は
Sleepless nights in a cold inn.

夢も凍える軒つらら
Dreams freeze like icicles on the eaves.

やせてやつれたお前の背中(せな)に
Placing a rice cake on the bony back of one who has grown thin and haggard.

煎餅布団を掛け直す
Adjusting the rice-cake futon.

流れ流れて北見札幌男の流転
Drifting, winding up in various cities, this is the transience of men.

明日(あす)が見えない地吹雪だけど
Although the blizzard is so dense that tomorrow is invisible,