Notes

*"Pitch pitch, chap chap, run run run" is the sound of rain.

Fred wrote, "At the end of the song, 'Picci Picci Chappu Chappu Ran Ran Ran' is either the sound of the raindrops hitting the ground, or, the children playing in the mud puddle created by the rain, or possibly just the sound of walking on the rain soaked ground.

My mother is Japanese and sang it to me and my siblings when we were young. That's how she defined it, when asked at various times.

So when you translate it, it might be more accurate to simply write, 'running through the water, splash, splash. splash'."

Transliteration - Rōmaji (Romanji)

Amefuri (Rainy day)

Ame ame furi furi kaasan ga
Janome de o-mukai ureshii na
Pitchi pitchi chappu chappu ran ran ran

Kakemasho kaban wo kaasan no
Ato kara iko iko kane ga naru
Pitchi pitchi chappu chappu ran ran ran

Ara ara ano ko wa zubunure da
Yanagi no nekata de naiteiru
Pitchi pitchi chappu chappu ran ran ran

kaasan boku no wo kashimasho ka
kimi kimi kono kasa sashitamae
Pitchi pitchi chappu chappu ran ran ran

boku nara ii n da kaasan no
ookina janome ni haitteku
Pitchi pitchi chappu chappu ran ran ran

*****

Here's the Japanese text to Amefuri in computerized format (we apologize if it doesn't display properly on your screen):

あめふり

雨　雨　ふれふれ　母さんが
蛇の目で　おむかえ　うれしいな
ピッチピッチ　チャップチャップ
ランランラン

 かけましょ　かばんを　母さんの
後から　いこいこ　鐘が鳴る
ピッチピッチ　チャップチャップ
ランランラン

母さん　ぼくのを　かしましょか
君　君　この傘　さしたまえ
ピッチピッチ　チャップチャップ
ランランラン

あらあら　あの子は　ずぶ濡れだ
柳の　根かたで　泣いている
ピッチピッチ　チャップチャップ
ランランラン

ぼくなら　いいんだ　母さんの
大きな　蛇の目に　はいってく
ピッチピッチ　チャップチャップ
ランランラン

*****

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Many thanks to Linda E. Austin for singing Amefuri! Linda is the co-writer of Cherry Blossoms in Twilight, the memoirs of a young girl growing up in Japan during the Depression and World War II. You can also check out Linda's blog called Cherry Blossom Memories.

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I'm very grateful to Susan Pomerantz for playing this tune on the piano.

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Thanks to John for the 3rd mp3. John wrote, "Here's an mp3 of a Japanese children's song called 'Ame, Ame, Furi, Furi'....(Loose translation = 'Rain, Rain'.) It's about a small child waiting for her/his mother who is coming with her 'Janome', (a parasol) to pick him/her up... I'm doing an album for my new twin grandchildren...

Later,
John"

Download MIDI Tune

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Ayako Egawa for contributing and translating "Amefuri" and for the sheet music. Thanks to Fred for commenting on the last line of each verse. Thanks to Petter Mæhlum for the transliteration and to Monique Palomares for the midi tune.

I would also like to thank Masako for creating the Shodo characters at the top of this page. Shodo is the art of brush calligraphy, which originated in China.

Arigato gozaimasu!