YEN TOWN BAND is a fictional band fronted by j-pop alt-queen Chara for the … Read Full Bio ↴YEN TOWN BAND is a fictional band fronted by j-pop alt-queen Chara for the 1996 japanese movie "Swallowtail Butterfly". An album, "Montage", was released based on tracks arranged around the movie. The project is manly constituted by Chara vocal/lyrics, director Shunji Iwai lyrics and production/arrangements/instrumentals by the respected musical producer Takeshi Kobayashi, who years later would create the ficticious j-pop/dream pop artist Lily Chou-Chou, performed by Salyu and with lyrics by director Iwai.

The group released their second album "Diverse Journey" in 2016 for the 20th anniversary of the film.

小さな手のひら
YEN TOWN BAND Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

あわせてあんな風にちゃんと
抱いて抱いて抱いてちょうだい
小さく丸まった木の葉のような
手をしていたんだ
あなたがそばにいればよかった
いればよかったいればよかった
いればよかったな
こんなに恋をして海にとかして

泣いて泣いて浮かんだ
小さな木の葉の
ゆっくりと静かにこうかいして

なんか言って言ってほしいの
そして抱いて抱いてちょうだい

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of YEN TOWN BAND's song 小さな手のひら speak of the longing for the presence of someone special in one's life. The singer expresses a desire for their loved one to hold them tightly, like a small curled-up leaf. The repeated phrase "いればよかった" (ireba yokatta) emphasizes the regret of not having been able to be together with the person they long for. The pain of unrequited love is further conveyed as the singer confesses to having cried oceans over their emotions.

The portrayal of the leaf also symbolizes fragility and vulnerability, suggesting that the singer feels emotionally exposed and in need of love and protection. The desire for affection and contact is further emphasized by the plea to be held in the arms of the loved one. The lyrics express feelings of sadness, heartbreak, and loss but simultaneously convey a sense of hope that one day they will be able to be together with their beloved.

Overall, 小さな手のひら is a melancholic and emotional ballad that speaks to anyone who has experienced the pain of unrequited love and longed for the comfort and warmth of a loved one.

Line by Line Meaning

あわせてあんな風にちゃんと
In sync, just like that, properly

抱いて抱いて抱いてちょうだい
Hold me, hold me, please hold me tightly

小さく丸まった木の葉のような
Just like a small, curled up leaf

手をしていたんだ
I had hands like that

あなたがそばにいればよかった
I wish you were by my side

いればよかったいればよかった
I wish, I wish you were there

いればよかったな
I wish you had been there

こんなに恋をして海にとかして
In love like this, drowning in the sea

泣いて泣いて浮かんだ
Crying, crying, floating

小さな木の葉の
Like a small leaf

ゆっくりと静かにこうかいして
Slowly and peacefully, contemplating like this