Ito Maki (いとまき)
Let's make some colorful clothes for our animal friends! This is a cute song in Japanese about sewing silly outfits for animals. I learned a lot about different kinds of animals from my friends Mariana and Roger, who stopped by the studio to help me and Akiko sing this song. We’re accompanied on drums by Shayna Dunkelman, who channeled the animal spirits through her rhythms.
A shout-out to Michael Hearst's Songs for Unusual Creatures, a brilliant and informative album, book and web series where my dear friends Roger and Mariana learned so much about animals.
See full lyric video playlist on YouTube
Create
Download and color in the Ito Maki animals on your own!
ALSO: Do you have ideas for other animal-clothes combinations? Send them to us!
Lyrics
Written by Yoshiko Kouyoma & Akihiro Komoro
Translation/Arrangement by Elena Moon Park
いと まき まき
いと まき まき
ひいて ひいて トントントン
できた できた
まさんの パンツ
Ito maki maki
Ito maki maki
Hi-ite hi-ite ton ton ton (x2)
dekita dekita, kuma-san no pantsu
(くまさんの パンツ)
Spool of thread, spool of thread
Hi-te hi-te ton ton ton
Stitch and pull and from that spool
Underwear for a big brown bear
Ito maki maki
Ito maki maki
Hi-ite hi-ite ton ton ton
dekita dekita, zou-san no zubon
(ぞうさんの ズボン)
Forty pairs of pants for the elephants
Ito maki maki
Ito maki maki
Hi-ite hi-ite ton ton ton
dekita dekita, mitsubachi no t-shatsu
(ミツバチの Tシャツ)
A tiny tee for a bumblebee
Ito maki maki
Ito maki maki
Hi-ite hi-ite ton ton ton
dekita dekita, kitsune no fuwa fuwa kutsushita
(キツネの ふわふわくつした)
Stitch and pull and out of wool
Fluffy sox for the feet of a fox
Musicians
Akiko Hiroshima, vocals
Shayna Dunkelman, drums
Mariana and Roger, animal experts
Domenica Fossati, flute
Brett Parnell, pedal steel
Yoshi Waki, upright bass
Elena Moon Park, mandolin, vocals
