The Swallow (feat. Midories) – YOASOBI/ミドリーズ
Composed by:Ayase/Konnie Aoki
Here I make new meaning over these waters
Consumed and cut the clear wind as I soar
To flap all wings as fast as I can take
To my city there let’s go
Soon beyond this ocean
Yes I’m a small little swallow arriving upon a city
There is something that I saw
That’s full of joy I hear a few voices
And sounds of worry and sorrow of other friends’ voices
We all have many different ways to be living lives we are in
Wanting to just protect without a time of noticing
Why are we inflicting this pain on one another
Under the same sky we live in
Brought to the world every tall and small and all
Many lives of color variety together we keep living
With everyone we people and all the plants every bird and flower
Shoulder to shoulder just look around
But in the world things we’re always reaching for
And the new futures we’re looking for are all such different tones
If we’re able to keep going hand in hand
We will be laughing and living together with a smile
I’m thinking of what I can do to make it better now
Back on the other side of fortune that’s taken up by somebody
Friends have lost locations a place to live and come home to
Only thing he wanted was to harmoniously
Be living here together and just be
Could not see anything overtaken by sorrow
Shadows almost here to stain darker colors in my soul
When you start to forgive and accept our differences
We begin to make connection once again
What could it be that we can be doing now
Even if we couldn’t change it all by doing everything we can
Let it be known to somebody’s day go on
Bring a little bit of vibrancy in color to their world
We know it’s far from a precious stone so bright
It’s nothing like any fine sheet of gold
But just as how we see if we could make our world
Start overflowing with a subtle little piece of love
Take notice what surrounds some changes you will see
Under the same sky we live in one day it’ll show
So goes the story of small and little me holding a big dream
《The Swallow》(日语原版名为《ツバメ》)是日本国民级双人组合YOASOBI与童声选拔组合ミドリーズ(Midories)跨界合作的温暖之作。这首歌曲的英文版《The Swallow》于2022年11月4日作为数字单曲发行,并收录在YOASOBI的英语专辑《E-SIDE 2》中。它不仅是一首旋律动人的流行歌曲,更承载了面向未来的深刻社会意义。
从创作背景来看,这首歌是日本放送协会(NHK)可持续发展目标(SDGs)儿童系列节目《ひろがれ!いろとりどり》的特别企划主题曲。YOASOBI受邀参与了“与YOASOBI共创未来之歌”项目,其创作灵感直接来源于节目组向全日本约700名儿童征集的以“共同生活”为主题的故事。最终,15岁少女乙月なな创作的《小燕子的大梦想》从众多投稿中脱颖而出。YOASOBI的制作人Ayase被故事中燕子在海面上翱翔的生动画面以及将《快乐王子》经典元素融入其中的巧思深深吸引,从而激发了将这篇充满童真与哲思的短文改编成歌曲的灵感。
在表达含义上,《The Swallow》是一首跨越物种与国界,呼吁包容、理解与携手共进的和平赞歌。歌曲以一只小燕子的第一人称视角展开叙事,它奋力拍打翅膀飞越无垠的大海,去往温暖的城市。在旅途中,燕子不仅看到了世界的欢乐,也听到了其他朋友们的担忧与悲伤。歌词中唱道:“我们生活在同一片天空之下”,却有着截然不同的生活方式,甚至互相施加痛苦。这深刻地映射了现实世界中人类与自然、不同群体之间因差异而产生的隔阂与冲突。
歌曲进一步探讨了关于“共存”的宏大命题。燕子看到朋友们失去了赖以生存的家园,唯一的期盼只是能和谐地生活在一起。YOASOBI借此传达出,虽然每个人对未来的畅想步调不同,但只要开始释怀并包容彼此的差异,就能重新建立起信任的桥梁。哪怕个人的力量微小,无法立刻改变一切,但“所有人一点点的爱,就能丰盈整个世界”。
整首歌没有使用复杂的辞藻,而是通过燕子迁徙的意象,将联合国可持续发展目标(SDGs)中关于保护生态、消除贫困、和平共处等宏大理念,转化为孩子也能听懂并哼唱的温暖旋律。它鼓励每一个渺小的个体怀揣大大的梦想,在仰望同一片蓝天时,携手为这个世界增添一抹耀眼的色彩,共同创造一个更加光明与和谐的未来。
