Mugi to heitai [With Eng and Romaji sub]

麦と兵隊 / Mugi to heitai / Wheat and Soldiers
Japanese military song

Correction: 1:11 “Carrying his comrade on their backs” → “Carrying his comrade on his back”

Singer: Masaru Shio
Performer: King Orchestra

[About this song]
This song was based on the war novel "Mugi to Heitai," published by Ashihei Hino in 1938, and released in December 1938, with lyrics by Masato Fujita and music by Nosho Omura. The novel is a vivid description of the soldiers' life in the Battle of Xuzhou, and this song, based on the novel, sings about hardships of the soldiers in a dark writing style.

[About translation]
*Okesa-bushi
It's one of the Japanese folk songs. There are various types of it, but the okesa-bushi here refers to the "Sado okesa," which originated on Sado in Niigata. It includes the lyrics: "佐渡へ 佐渡へと草木も靡くヨ 佐渡は居よいか 住みよいか (To Sado, to Sado, plants and trees are waving. Is Sado a comfortable place to live in?)"; this song describes a scene in which a soldier mishears the lyrics as referring to Xuzhou, and then when he listens carefully, he finds that it's music from his home.

[Rōmaji]
Joshū joshū to jinba wa susumu
Joshū iyoika sumiyoika
Shareta monku ni furikaerya
Okuninamari no okesa-bushi
Hige ga hohoemu mugibatake

Tomo o se ni shite michi naki michi o
Yukeba sen'ya wa yoru no ame
Sumanu sumanu o senaka ni kikeba
Baka o iuna to mata susumu
Hei no ayumi no tanomoshisa

Ude o tataite harukana sora o
Aogu hitomi ni kumo ga tobu
Tooku sokoku o hanare kite
Shimijimi shitta sokokuai
Tomo yo kite miyo ano kumo o

Yukedo susumedo mugi mata mugi no
Nami no fukasa yo yo no samusa
Koe o koroshite mokumoku to
Kage o otoshite shukushuku to
Hei wa joshū e zensen e

Manako hirakeba hōen banri
Tetsu no honō no kuruu naka
Yūhi yurayura mi ni abite
Hitori heiwa no iro someru
Mugi no shizukesa takumashisa

[Japanese]
徐州 徐州と人馬は進む
徐州居よいか 住みよいか
洒落た文句に振り返りゃ
お国訛りのおけさ節
髭が微笑む麦畑

戦友を背にして道なき道を
行けば戦野は夜の雨
「すまぬ すまぬ」を背中に聞けば
「馬鹿を言うな」とまた進む
兵の歩みの頼もしさ

腕を叩いて遥かな空を
仰ぐ瞳に雲が飛ぶ
遠く祖国を離れ来て
しみじみ知った祖国愛
戦友よ 来て見よ あの雲を

行けど進めど麦また麦の
波の深さよ 夜の寒さ
声を殺して黙々と
影を落して粛々と
兵は徐州へ 前線へ

眼開けば砲煙万里
鉄の炎の狂う中
夕日ゆらゆら身に浴びて
独り平和の色染める
麦の静けさ たくましさ