M O D E R N

SHARP-DRESSED MAN (Share otoko) 1924

(Adaptation of Gay Caballero)




In the village I am the one they call the
The number one mobo.
Vain, conceited, smug,
I came to Ginza in Tokyo.

To begin with, my style consists of
A blue shirt with crimson necktie,
A derby hat and horn-rimmed glasses (Lloyd-style)
And baggy sailor pants.

The woman that I have fallen in love with
Has jet black eyes and bobbed hair.
She's short and built,
And she is brazen down to her toes.

I first got to know her at the cafe',
Now it's your place, dear.
Shall we have cocktails
Or Whiskey, which should it be?
Politely hiding your feelings
You're being too reserved.

Doing as she said, I had two or three glasses
With a smile she said, have another.
The woman became slightly flushed (cherry color)
Hahaha, in all I had another drink

Do you know?
My father is the landlord, the head of the village.
The village head is a rich man and I,
his son,
Am single even now, a bachelor!

'Oh my, that's lovely'
If you've got the prestige and the money,
For example, even if a man has no looks'
[Women say,] 'I like you dear.'

Oh, my be- lov- ed one,
How my body trembles
If it's with you I'd go anywhere
I would leave you even if I die.

Is it a dream or is it a figment of my imagination?
Just then, the woman's husband comes rushing at me.
Without saying a word, I am engulfed by a flurry of fists.
Beaten to a pulp, I faint.

My wallet, my watch have been taken!
My precious woman is gone!

What a fearsome place Tokyo's Ginza is!
I am a mobo who cannot cry, even if I feel like it.

(popular song in 1924)

(click here to watch the video)