Sadako was at home when the explosion occurred, about one mile from Ground Zero. In November 1954. Sadako developed swellings on her neck and behind her ears. In January 1955, purple spots had formed on her legs. Subsequently, she was diagnosed with leukemia. She was hospitalized on February 21, 1955, and given, at the most, a year to live.
Sadako's best friend Chizuko Hamamoto came to the hospital to visit, and cut a golden piece of paper into a square to fold it into a paper crane, in reference to the ancient Japanese story that promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by the Gods. A popular version of the story is that Sadako fell short of her goal of folding 1,000 cranes, having folded only 644 before her death, and that her friends completed the 1,000 and buried them all with her.
After her death, Sadako's friends and schoolmates published a collection of letters in order to raise funds to build a memorial to her and all of the children who had died from the effects of the atomic bomb. In 1958, a statue of Sadako holding a golden crane was unveiled in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, also called the Genbaku Dome. At the foot of the statue is a plaque that reads:
"This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace on Earth."
Thousand Cranes
Hiroshima Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a love that we all share
Send her a thousand cranes
Send her your thousand cranes.
Show her now that we do care
With a hope that we all share
Send her a thousand cranes
Show her now that we do care
With a love that we all share
Send her a thousand cranes
Send her your thousand cranes.
Show her now that we do care
With a hope that we all share
Send her a thousand cranes
Send her your thousand cranes.
Show her now that we do care
With a love that we all share
Send her a thousand cranes
Send her your thousand cranes.
Show her now that we do care
With a hope that we all share
Send her a thousand cranes
Send her your thousand cranes.
The song "Thousand Cranes" by Hiroshima is a touching tribute to the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in World War II. The lyrics urge the listeners to show their love and care by sending a thousand cranes to someone in need. The reference to cranes comes from the Japanese legend of the Thousand Origami Cranes, which symbolizes the granting of a wish and serves as a prayer for peace.
The repetition of the lines "Show her now that we do care, With a love/hope that we all share, Send her a thousand cranes, Send her your thousand cranes" highlights the urgency and importance of expressing compassion and solidarity in times of tragedy. The song also acknowledges the pain and suffering that the survivors and their families have endured, and emphasizes the need for healing and reconciliation.
Line by Line Meaning
Show her now that we do care
Demonstrate to her at this moment that we genuinely care
With a love that we all share
Express our compassion with a shared love
Send her a thousand cranes
Deliver to her a vast quantity of origami cranes
Send her your thousand cranes
Send to her a collection of cranes folded by yourself as a token of your care
With a hope that we all share
Carry this out with a collective aspiration for the recipient's wellness
Show her now that we do care
Re-emphasize our present commitment to show our concern
Contributed by Stella E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.