Kurosawa

The Song

Another Movie Director song. I’m a bit confused by this one. I started off writing about Kurosawa but the song ended up being more about Ozu another great Japanese director and particularly a film called Good Morning. I think I heard this as a creed sang by Japanese school children including the pigeon parable contained herein. Also contains a description of Japanese women in their traditional dress that I read in a book about Ozu: “Awkward, touching and graceful.” Add to that a motto lifted from a poster of the Country Music Hall of Fame Nashville (thanks Julie) and a cymbal lifted from High and Dry by the Stones and there you have it.

The Players

Alex Neilson drums
Bill Wells bass
Aby Vulliamy pigeon viola
Bob Kildea percussion
Mick Cooke horns
Yuko Takemoto voice
Stevie guitar keys vocals

Bonus Audio

The Writers

Stevie Jackson / Nicola Atkinson

The Words

Honour thy music. Honour thy love
Honour thy friendship. Honour thy blood
With sturdiness of purpose perpetrate all the above
Play on the flute made of purest gold

Let us be friends and I’ll tell you of my dream
Let us be lovers, I’ll show you what I mean

I am awkward, I am touching, I am graceful
I am playful, always poised, never hateful
For Life is never certain in the slightest sense of meaning
Feel the Universal time with fullness of my Being

There was a friendly pigeon, I met him in my dream
He came to entertain me, he kept me company
Along came a bigger bird, more bigger than he
Snapped his wing and dragged him to his destiny
“Oh why bigger bird, why’d you pick on me?”
said the little pigeon hanging desperately
“I’m hungry and it’s time for lunch” the bigger bird replied
“Go to sleep and dream your dream in pigeon pie”

I am awkward, I am touching, I am graceful
I am playful, always poised, never hateful
For Life is never certain in the slightest sense of meaning
Feel the Universal time with fullness of my Being
Heading for the parallel, the sultry state of dreaming
With your pigeon by your side, you’re not alone