Go For Broke!

from Fame Swoll by The Michael Character

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lyrics

A man named “Chick”
I never knew you
Raised on Liliha Street in Honolulu
Territorial American of Japanese stock
The generation of Inouye, Korematsu, and Kochiyama
Your dad and mama managed a tofu store down the block
You studied engineering at the U(niversity) of H(awaii)
Until the war came
Varsity Victory Volunteers (VVV) to the 442nd in your 21st year
To the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
Spent the war years in Chiang Kai-shek’s China doing secret shit
Then off to a base on Hokkaido
To screen out communist spies from POWs
In Sapporo, where dad was born
Then split your time between Japan and Hawaii, back and forth
After Korea left the army, hey
Joined the National Clandestine Service of the CIA
Served as an agent for six years and then
Got on Northwest Orient Airlines flight 710
Twin Cities to Miami via Chi-town (Chicago) went down
In southern Indiana on the banks of the Ohio river
I stood there last summer at the crash site
Where they only found your finger in the wreckage that night
Dad and Grandma traveled to Tell City to see you off
Dad was surprised that mainland barbeque had no teriyaki sauce
It does on the islands
He didn’t like it, he didn’t like it
I wonder what you would have made of me
Scholar of radical intellectual history
Just a punk rock teacher with too many degrees
And conflicted feelings about my nationality
You were a Cold Warrior of the first degree
A hero and a patriot, we’d all agree
Now your star is on the (Memorial) Wall for all to see
Died March 17th, 1960, believe me
If we ever got to meet I hope that you would like me
If we ever got to meet I hope that you’d be proud of me
I’ve got your hat and your name plate and your name
I know that you and I, we’re not the same, no way
Chiyoki Ikeda, rest east, okay?

credits

from Fame Swoll, released October 6, 2017

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about

The Michael Character Boston, Massachusetts

It's political music, whatever. Based in Boston, MA. Absolutely willing to drive very far to play for you and five of your vaguely alternative friends in your combination kitchen/laundry room. Hit me up. I'm fully serious.

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