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NMRP

by shinkawasaki

/
1.
Lullaby 02:15
White round moonrise O'er the roofs of triangle See the square handkerchief Someone's waving all night long Be good, be kind Know the pain of your neighbor Listen well before you speak Life's short, the journey's long
2.
My inner sad girl Can't blame you for your fallacy Your melancholy, dramedy, Naiveté, gullibility You're an innocent girl Can't shame you for your self-pity My worst enemy, refugee And the village that raised me I can't listen to you no more Same ol' tales from years ago Spending hours on that moldy chair Taping reruns of ancient shows My inner sad girl I'm not selling you modernity But it feels like it's been eternity Since we had the sense of sanity You couldn't be what I want you to be Neither could I be what you want And it hurts to face the mirror, that's what both of us know And I know you'll never be free Cause I can never give you what you want When you gave me everything you had I couldn't bear my likely absence when you go And I left you all alone With so much pain piled at home You were brave enough to let me go To all the places I got to roam My inner sad girl I know you wanted more from life And by more you meant a simple life As just a mother and a housewife You couldn't be what you wanted to be Neither could I be what I want. And it hurts to face the mirror, that's what both of us know And I know you'll never be free Cause you can never have back what you lost When you gave him everything you had I wish for nothing more than his presence when you go
3.
Call me by my name, not just my race Know me and my life, not just my face Remember who I am, not just my case Or a headline that your mind will erase See me and my soul, not just my skin Learn from my own tales, not their own spin Drop your stupid jokes, wipe off your grin And think of how it's always been I see the pain in you, I see the hurt in you We're not that different, I can feel it I see the lies they told, the vows they broke We're both mistreated, I can prove it I see the rage in you, see the hate in you Take it elsewhere, we can't use it I see the rage in you, see the hate in you Take it elsewhere, you can't use it I am what I am and one else defines me I am here to stay and no one can deny me My fate is in my hands and no one else decides it
4.
So what's it gonna be tonight? Cartoons in black and white? Comedy by an old playwright? Hope I see no prejudice or oversight I just need a little peace of mind So I can breathe easy, unwind I can't afford to be resigned For reality is cruel, unkind I'm standing here with my heart in hand Listening to a distant marching band Calling out the lies on the witness stand Can't hide, you can't hide I'm standing here wishing I could lend a hand Looking for the stories being told firsthand Hoping that the both of us would understand I tried, I tried So what's it gonna be tonight? More hours of fear and fright? Feels like there's no end in sight and I'm running out of strength to fight Another day's gonna bring some light A list of headlines designed to incite I'm not putting them out of sight Just want some quiet while I take a bite I'm sitting here with my screen in hand Scrolling thru the pictures of the broken land I feel like I'm sinking into quicksand I'm dying, I'm dying I'm sitting here looking at the choice at hand Thinking of the things that we all demand I know I can't help but to take a stand I'm trying, I'm trying
5.
6.
7.

about

Written for Nikkei Music Reclamation Project, commissioned and co-produced by JACCC/Sustainable Little Tokyo. Recorded live at Aratani Theatre, #4~7 at Nikkei Music Reclamation Concert in June 2022.

Calligraphy by Kuni Yoshida
Photo taken from the videography by Yoshi Miyazaki

credits

released June 26, 2022

#1~3 Engineered by Margaux 'Mago' Morales (Aug 24, 2021)
#4~7 Engineered by EJ Orlando (June 26, 2022)
Recorded live at Aratani Theatre, Los Angeles

Mastered by Ryoji Hata
Special thanks to Scott Oshima, Alma Guzman, Taiji Miyaga and Tomi Kunisaki @ JACCC / Sustainable Little Tokyo / Nikkei Music Reclamation Project
Niall Taro Fest and Sara Sithi-Amnuai for inspiration
Derek Nakamoto, Mark Izu, Mas Koga for guidance
and
Nobuko Miyamoto for mentorship

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shinkawasaki Los Angeles, California

Interpreter of sound, language and culture. Supporting 2024 Northern Japan Earthquake Fund thru proceeds.

音と言語と文化の通翻訳者。Bandcamp上の収益の全てを令和6年能登半島地震緊急支援基金に寄付しています。

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