Jidai No Nagare (The Flow of Time)/Kadekaru Rinji
From the CD "The Rough Guide to the Music of Okinawa" (2001, RGNET 1069)
(lyrics translated by Gerald Figal)

From the Chinese era to the Japanese era
From the Japanese era to the American era
This Okinawa sure does change a lot.

In the past, when you counted money
You counted "one kan, two kan"
But now that too has completely changed.

In the past, you used to go roundtrip to Naha walking,
But now you stay seated (in a car)
There's not a single trace of the past.

In the past, you could distinguish
The young and old by their clothes,
But now you can't tell the difference,
Parents and children look the same age.

Tasteful women of the past
had long black hair,
Now it's all changed from the past,
Making a big deal out of cutting hair,
Perming and curling it,
Just like a bird's nest.

When they walk around in high heels
They totter back and forth
Like chickens blown by the wind.

Women wearing tight shirts
Showing leg and shaking their asses,
Just like turkeys.

How long do you expect to be 17 or 18?
The crow's feet will come in time,
It's only natural.