The song of the Yaki-imo man
Tonight I heard the lilting song of the Yaki-imo driver as he steered his little truck with a wood-fired grill through the snow-lined alleys, so I ran outside for a toasty treat. Although his song reminds me of a haunting chinese melody, the lyrics consist solely of the emotional phrase "grilled sweet potato". As the wizened old man handed me the same wrapped in newspaper, I could barely make out the price he requested through his semi-toothy grin.
Mobile vendors in Japan often drive through back-alleys singing songs about such mundane topics as vegetables, recycling, and a kerosene truck whose song sounds suspiciously like a US ice cream truck. Even though it can be hard to make out the words, you can learn which tunes are used for a particular thing, as all the vendors for something will sing the same song.
Mobile vendors in Japan often drive through back-alleys singing songs about such mundane topics as vegetables, recycling, and a kerosene truck whose song sounds suspiciously like a US ice cream truck. Even though it can be hard to make out the words, you can learn which tunes are used for a particular thing, as all the vendors for something will sing the same song.
posted by Don at 3:52 AM
2 Comments:
I don't remember where I got it from, but I have an MP3 of the Yakimo song. I put it up on my web site at http://www.singlespeed.org/temp/yakimo_song.mp3 for your listening pleasure.
You may want to turn on word validation, as sooner or later the Blog spammers will find you.
PeterD...thats a girl signing it? Never heard it like that
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