Squeezing the Eagle —鷹を握ること－

I heard this song for the first time in a while recently, and enjoyed it.  I like the version by Louis Jordan.  It has an interesting take on the relationship between friendship and money.  And it has some interesting English idioms too.

 

From the song, “Nobody Wants You When You’re Down and Out”:

I once lived the life of a millionaire;

Spending my money, I didn’t care.

Always taking my friends out for a good time –

Buying Champagne, gin and wine.

 

But just as soon as my dough got low,

I couldn’t find a friend [any place I’d] go.

If I ever get my hands on a dollar again,

I’m gonna squeeze it and squeeze it until the eagle grins.

 

Nobody wants you when you’re down and out,

In your pocket – not one penny, and your friends you haven’t any.

And as soon as you get on your feet again,

Everybody is your long lost friend.

It’s mighty strange, without a doubt,

But nobody wants you when you’re down and out.

(Written by Jimmy Cox)

 

Vocabulary:

to be down and out – to be without money, a job, or a place to live

[eg., The writer George Orwell spent some time living on the streets to experience life as a homeless person.  He called his book about his experiences, “Down and Out in London and Paris”.]

Dough – this can be used as a slang term for money

[eg., “I need to get some dough together, so that I can buy a car.]

to get on one’s feet again – to recover and get back to a normal, stable situation

[eg., I need a little time to get back on my feet again after my illness.]

[If you lend me some money now, I’ll pay you back when I get back on my feet again.]

 

Mr. Clean —ミスターおそうじ－

My seven year old son has considered many possible future careers.  For a while he wanted to be a sumo wrestler, because he wants to be strong, and he loves eating.  He’d like to be a football player, if only we could teach him to kick the ball straight.  He sometimes expresses a wish to open up a doughnut shop called “Mrs. Doughnut”. 

Now we have added a new future occupation to the list of possibilities: air conditioner cleaner. 

We had our air conditioners cleaned last week, and the man who cleaned them was very friendly and good with children.  He asked my son to help him by checking the level of water in his machine.  My son was delighted to help. 

We paid the man about 23,000 Yen for cleaning our air conditioners. 

“So what do I get for my hard work?” asked my son. 

I offered him a choice between 23 Yen as wages, or else a chocolate cake at Saizeriya.  Although the chocolate cake was worth about ten times more, my son chose the money.  A chocolate cake can be enjoyed for five minutes.  But your first wage packet feels good in your hands for much longer. 

Seven Years in Sakuradai —サクラダイの七年—

The following are extracts taken from the journal of the first Martian visitor to Earth.  He happened to arrive in Sakuradai in Tokyo and spent seven years there, making observations to bring back to his home planet.  Since he also happened to live on the floor just beneath me, he sent me a copy of his journal, from which I have taken the following interesting observations: 

“A Martian expert on the Earth said that since the invention of the radio, the planet Earth has almost no secrets left. However, he said, there is one last mystery. There is a large suburb on the Roof of Tokyo, where strange things happen. There are farmers who have the ability to separate white daikon radish from the ground, shamans and oracles who make government decisions, and a ruler who lives in a skyscraper-like palace in the Forbidden City called the ward office.” 

“An English teacher in Sakuradai told me an ancient saying by which the people of Sakuradai seem to live: If a problem can be solved there is no use worrying about it. If it can't be solved, worrying will do no good.” 

“Even after returning to Mars, I shall forever feel homesick for Sakuradai. I often think I can still hear the cries of wild crows picking at plastic bags on garbage collection morning, and construction workers and the beating of their hammers as they use up the last of the financial year’s budget on a clear, cold March day. My heartfelt wish is that my story may create some understanding for a people whose will to live in peace and freedom has won so little sympathy from an indifferent universe.” 

“Sakuradai has not yet been infested by the worst disease of modern Earth life, the everlasting rush. Based on my observations of my English teaching neighbor, no one overworks here. Workers have an easy life. They start work late in the morning and open a bottle of wine early in the afternoon. Women know nothing about equal rights and are quite happy as they are.” 

“One of the best characteristics of the Sakuradaian people is their complete tolerance of other religions. They buy Shinto charms, arrange Buddhist funerals, and eat fried chicken on the most important Christian festival of the year. I am sure that if we were to teach them about the great Martian god-king, they would worship him too, as long as we let them eat chocolate cake on his holy day.” 

* 

Thanks to Heinrich Harrer for his help in selecting and translating these extracts.  Heinrich Harrer is of course well regarded for his own work, “Seven Years in Tibet”.