Tsubasa wo Kudasai

Tsubasa wo Kudasai (翼をください literally "Please Give Me Wings") is a popular Japanese folk song written by Michio Yamagami (山上路夫) and composed by Kunihiko Murai (村井邦彦).

General

The song was composed for the Nemu Popular Festival '70 (合歓ポピュラーフェスティバル'70 nemu popyurâ fesutibaru '70) that took place in Shima, Mie in 1970. The song appeared on the popular single record Takeda no komoriuta (竹田の子守唄) released by the folk group Akaitori (赤い鳥) on February 5, 1971, becoming nationally known. In September 1973, Sumiko Yamagata released a reprise of the song in the album Anohi no koto ha (あの日のことは).

Shôji Hajimoto, the editor of the publishing house Kyouiku Geijutsu Sha, decided to include the song in a choir textbook, causing it to be sung by choirs across Japan. By the second half of the 1970s, most people in Japan were familiar with the song. Kaori Kawamura made a reprise of the song in 1991.

In November 1997, Junko Yamamoto, the lead singer from the folk group Akaitori, released the song as a single. The song was chosen as the official theme of the soccer team of Japan during the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

In 1972, Akaitori also released an English version titled I would give you anything.

Lyrics

Japanese


いま私の願いごとが
かなうならば翼がほしい
この背中に鳥のように
白い翼つけてください

この大空に翼をひろげ
飛んで行きたいよ
悲しみのない自由な空へ
翼はためかせ
行きたい

子どものとき夢みたこと
今も同じ夢に見ている

この大空に翼をひろげ
飛んで行きたいよ
悲しみのない自由な空へ
翼はためかせ

この大空に翼をひろげ
飛んで行きたいよ
悲しみのない自由な空へ
翼はためかせ
行きたい

Romanized Japanese


ima watashi no negaigoto ga
kanau naraba tsubasa ga hoshii
kono senaka ni tori no you ni
shiroi tsubasa tsukete kudasai

kono oozora ni tsubasa wo hiroge
tonde yukitai yo
kanashimi no nai jiyuu na sora e
tsubasa hatamekase
yukitai

kodomo no toki yume mita koto
ima mo onaji yume ni miteiru

kono oozora ni tsubasa wo hiroge
tonde yukitai yo
kanashimi no nai jiyuu na sora e
tsubasa hatamekase

kono oozora ni tsubasa wo hiroge
tonde yukitai yo
kanashimi no nai jiyuu na sora e
tsubasa hatamekase
yukitai

English translation


If I can get one wish
To come true right now, I want a pair of wings
Please grant me white wings
On my back like a bird

In this huge sky I want to
Spread my wings and fly
Towards the free sky without any sadness
I want to flap my wings
And go

I still dream of those things
That I've dreamed about when I was little

In this huge sky I want to
Spread my wings and fly
Towards the free sky without any sadness
I want to flap my wings

In this huge sky I want to
Spread my wings and fly
Towards the free sky without any sadness
I want to flap my wings
And go

Reprises

Many Japanese artists have released a cover version of this song:

This song has also been covered by several non-Japanese artists: