坊や大きくならないで (Sleep Softly, My Boy)

Annotation — Japanese Songs

Another doubled-sided Vietnam War record (Victor # SV-810) from 高石ともや [Tomoya Takaishi], born on 9 December 1941 in Uryu, Hokkaido, Japan. Both songs were composed by prominent and influential Vietnamese songwriter Trịnh Công Sơn (born 28 February 1939 in Buôn Ma Thuột, Đắk Lắk, Vietnam, he died on 1 April 2001, in Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam). They both featured on the 1969 album 高石友也フォーク・アルバム (第3集) [Tomoya Takaishi's Folk Songs Vol. 3] (Victor # SJV-405). The first song, "坊や大きくならないで" ("Sleep Softly, My Boy") mournfully hopes a child will sleep peacefully: "don't grow up, sleep peacefully", but ominously warns that when grown up, they might "be stained with blood"

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

Japanese: 坊や ア…ア… お寝みなさい 草も木も緑も 街も村も消えてゆく 坊や大きくならないで そっとお寝み しずかに

Notes

composed by prominent and influential Vietnamese songwriter Trịnh Công Sơn (born 28 February 1939 in Buôn Ma Thuột, Đắk Lắk, Vietnam, he died on 1 April 2001, in Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam) Victor SV-810 (VEY-3313), Stereo Orthophonic High Fidelity, 45 rpm, 流行歌, "Manufactured by Victor Company of Japan, Ltd., Yokohama"; "もしも平和になったなら", words トリン・コン・ソン and 浅川しげる, Japanese words 高石友也, music トリン・コン・ソン, arranged by 青木昇, sung by 高石友也 with the Victor Orchestra. The back sleeve (ビクターレコード SV-810) prints both lyrics with the same credits and times of 3:17 for "坊や大きくならないで" and 3:34 for "もしも平和になったなら". Housed in an orange, white, pink and black striped Victor Records company sleeve with the address 日本ビクター株式会社, 東京都中央区日本橋本町4の1の1. The lyrics are a lullaby to a small boy as fields, towns and villages vanish under red smoke; his father will not return, and the singer fears he too will disappear if he…

About the artist

born on 9 December 1941 in Uryu, Hokkaido, Japan

Themes

Anti-War · Child

In collections

Japanese Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]