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Summer Of '42
Kishi Bashi Lyrics


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Were all the things you wanted
The same as anyone?
Just to have and hold a living
After all is said and done
And the days were long and open
'Cause I had a view of you
The summer of '42
When I was in love with you

We counted stars above us
We dreamed of Xanadu
We'd sneak off to the desert
The sand over your fancy shoes
The first day that I met you
I wrote down in my book

I am in love with you
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
Fell in love with you

The days were gone asunder
The chaos of the war
Made man of everybody
But the memories I adore
We named our favorite sunset
But I remember very few
The summer of '42
When I was in love with you

The years have turned to ages
And I know you have someone new
I looked for you with every breath
A soldier after solitude
I climbed to the highest mountain
And I shouted to our view

I was in love with you
I was in love with you
You
I was in love with you
In love with you

You
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
I am in love with you

Overall Meaning

The song Summer of '42 by Kishi Bashi tells a nostalgic love story of a person who fell in love during the summer of 1942. The opening lines suggest that the singer and their love interest may have had similar desires and dreams, but ultimately all they wanted was to have a life together. The days were long and open, and the singer had a view of the other person during that summer, which implies that they spent a lot of time together.


The lyrics also mention how they spent time counting stars and dreaming of Xanadu, a reference to a fanciful place described in the poem "Kubla Khan" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. They would sneak off to the desert and see the sunset. The second verse reveals that the singer wrote down the very first day they met in their book and confesses their love for the other person.


The chaos of war and the passage of time did not erase the memories of that summer, and the singer remembers their favorite sunset, even if they can't remember many other details. In the last verse, the singer reveals that they have been searching for their past love and climbed the highest mountain to shout their love out into the ether. While they may know that the other person has moved on, the memory of that summer and their love lingers on.



Line by Line Meaning

Were all the things you wanted
Did you desire the same things as everyone else?


The same as anyone?
Did you have common aspirations?


Just to have and hold a living
Were you simply looking for a stable life?


After all is said and done
When everything is considered?


And the days were long and open
The days felt extended and full of possibility


'Cause I had a view of you
Because I had an outlook on life that included you


The summer of '42
The summer of 1942, a specific period of time


When I was in love with you
When I was deeply and romantically attached to you


We counted stars above us
We tallied the number of stars that shone over us


We dreamed of Xanadu
We imagined a paradise, a utopia


We'd sneak off to the desert
We would steal away to the desert, a forbidden place


The sand over your fancy shoes
Our footwear was irrelevant, covered by the sands


The first day that I met you
The initial day of our meeting


I wrote down in my book
I captured our meeting in writing, noting it for posterity


I am in love with you
I am smitten with you, I am romantically attached to you


Fell in love with you
I gained deep feelings for you


The days were gone asunder
Days have splintered apart and left behind


The chaos of the war
The disorder brought on by the war


Made man of everybody
Transformed everyone into adults


But the memories I adore
I cherish the memories, they hold deep meaning


We named our favorite sunset
We picked a particular sunset as our favorite


But I remember very few
Only a small number of them remain in my mind


The years have turned to ages
Time has passed and amassed into long life spans


And I know you have someone new
I am aware that you have a new lover


I looked for you with every breath
I searched for you with every ounce of energy


A soldier after solitude
I am like a soldier, seeking time alone


I climbed to the highest mountain
I traveled to the peak of the tallest mountain


And I shouted to our view
I shouted to the expansive landscape that we had previously shared


In love with you
Deeply and romantically attached to you


You
A person who holds significant meaning to me




Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Written by: Kaoru Ishibashi

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@taylorandrew2646

Kishi Bashi - Summer of '42 (2019)

What are the things you wanted
The same as anyone
Just a hand to hold a little
After all is said and done
And the days were long and open
Cause I had a view of you
The Summer of '42
When I was in love with you

We counted stars above us
We dreamed of Xanadu
We'd sneak off to the desert
The sand over your fancy shoes
The first day that I met you
I wrote down in my book
I am in love with you
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
I'm in love with you

The days have gone asunder
The chaos of the war
Made men of everybody
But our memories I adore
We named our favorite sunsets
But I remember very few
The Summer of '42
When I was in love with you

But years have turned to ages
And I know you've someone new
I looked for you with every breath
A soldier wrecked with solitude
I climbed up the highest mountain
And I shouted to our view
I was in love with you
I was in love with you
You
I was in love with you
In love with you

You
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
I'm in love with you
You
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
I'm in love with you
You
I am in love
You
I am in love
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you



@adriftandalone

Were all the things you wanted
The same as anyone?
Just to have and hold a living
After all is said and done
And the days were long and open
'Cause I had a view of you
The summer of '42
When I was in love with you

We counted stars above us
We dreamed of Xanadu
We'd sneak off to the desert
The sand over your fancy shoes
The first day that I met you
I wrote down in my book

I am in love with you
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
Fell in love with you

The days were gone asunder
The chaos of the war
Made man of everybody
But the memories I adore
We named our favorite sunset
But I remember very few
The summer of '42
When I was in love with you

The years have turned to ages
And I know you have someone new
I looked for you with every breath
A soldier after solitude
I climbed to the highest mountain
And I shouted to our view

I was in love with you
I was in love with you
You
I was in love with you
In love with you

You
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
I am in love with you



@miluts

Traducción:
Eran todas las cosas que querías
Were all the things you wanted

¿Igual que cualquiera?
The same as anyone?

Solo para tener y mantener una vida
Just to have and hold a living

Después de que todo está dicho y hecho
After all is said and done

Y los dias eran largos y abiertos
And the days were long and open

Porque tenia una vista de ti
'Cause I had a view of you

El verano del 42
The summer of '42

Cuando estaba enamorado de ti
When I was in love with you

Contamos estrellas sobre nosotros
We counted stars above us

Soñamos con Xanadu
We dreamed of Xanadu

Nos escabulliríamos al desierto
We'd sneak off to the desert

La arena sobre tus elegantes zapatos
The sand over your fancy shoes

El primer día que te conocí
The first day that I met you

Escribí en mi libro
I wrote down in my book

estoy enamorado de ti
I am in love with you

estoy enamorado de ti
I am in love with you

usted
You

estoy enamorado de ti
I am in love with you

usted
You

estoy enamorado de ti
I am in love with you

Me enamoré de ti
Fell in love with you

Los días se fueron en pedazos
The days were gone asunder

El caos de la guerra
The chaos of the war

Hecho hombre de todos
Made man of everybody

Pero los recuerdos que adoro
But the memories I adore

Nombramos nuestra puesta de sol favorita
We named our favorite sunset

Pero recuerdo muy pocos
But I remember very few

El verano del 42
The summer of '42

Cuando estaba enamorado de ti
When I was in love with you

Los años se han convertido en edades
The years have turned to ages

Y se que tienes a alguien nuevo
And I know you have someone new

Te busqué con cada respiro
I looked for you with every breath

Un soldado tras la soledad
A soldier after solitude

Subí a la montaña más alta
I climbed to the highest mountain

Y le grité a nuestra vista
And I shouted to our view

Yo estaba enamorado de ti
I was in love with you

Yo estaba enamorado de ti
I was in love with you

usted
You

Yo estaba enamorado de ti
I was in love with you

Enamorado de ti
In love with you

usted
You

estoy enamorado de ti
I am in love with you

usted
You

estoy enamorado de ti
I am in love with you

estoy enamorado de ti
I am in love with you

usted
You

estoy enamorado de ti
I am in love with you

usted
You

estoy enamorado de ti
I am in love with you

estoy enamorado de ti
I am in love with you



All comments from YouTube:

@mrpickles9242

"In an interview with NPR, he says, “It’s a love story set in World War II, about falling in love in an [Japanese American] incarceration camp and ultimately losing that love. The significance is that the idea of love, loss, and desire are consistent themes throughout history and help us to empathize with a people in a disconnected past.”'

The song is already absolutely top tier gorgeous, but knowing the context really amps it up even more.

@miyakonoguchi3858

especially for those of us who are descendants of those who were imprisoned during that time. i like to imagine this album could be about some of my aunties and uncles :')

@jonathantarpley9269

Matisyahu- "One Day" also another great message from reflections on the atrocities of war... a bit Bob Marley-'esk'... kishi bashi is a pioneer with powerful resonance.

@vascanj

How incredible that The Babysitter’s Club Chose a song so fitting and accurate to the subject they were portraying in their show. Much respect.

@vascanj

And thank you for sharing the history behind the song!

@roller4854

Love on this Earth, with hatred rulers is harsh. I bet

1 More Replies...

@taylorandrew2646

Kishi Bashi - Summer of '42 (2019)

What are the things you wanted
The same as anyone
Just a hand to hold a little
After all is said and done
And the days were long and open
Cause I had a view of you
The Summer of '42
When I was in love with you

We counted stars above us
We dreamed of Xanadu
We'd sneak off to the desert
The sand over your fancy shoes
The first day that I met you
I wrote down in my book
I am in love with you
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
I'm in love with you

The days have gone asunder
The chaos of the war
Made men of everybody
But our memories I adore
We named our favorite sunsets
But I remember very few
The Summer of '42
When I was in love with you

But years have turned to ages
And I know you've someone new
I looked for you with every breath
A soldier wrecked with solitude
I climbed up the highest mountain
And I shouted to our view
I was in love with you
I was in love with you
You
I was in love with you
In love with you

You
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
I'm in love with you
You
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you
I'm in love with you
You
I am in love
You
I am in love
I am in love with you
You
I am in love with you

@smilealways4978

Taylor Andrew thanks for the lyrics really appreciate ❤️✨

@summerkabata4766

His music always makes me feel things I dob’t normally feel when i listen to other artists that I love. It feels like I’m watching a movie

@RE7VOLT

My brain is incapable of processing how good this is.

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