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The Real Folk Blues is a song recorded by the Seatbelts. It is sung by Mai Yamane and is the ending song for almost every session of Cowboy Bebop except for Jupiter Jazz Part 2 and The Real Folk Blues Part 2, which have Space Lion and Blue as ending songs respectively. This song was included on the mini-album Vitaminless as the opening track, and although "The Real Folk Blues" is sung in English at the beginning of each chorus, it is one of the very few song to be sung entirely in Japanese.

Lyrics were written by Yuho Iwasato, with music and arrangement done by Yoko Kanno. The song itself is in the key of F# Minor.

The song shares its name with a compilation album of the music of American Blues singer and musician Muddy Waters, often cited as the "father of modern Chicago Blues."

Japanese lyrics[]

aishiteta to nageku niwa

amarinimo toki wa sugite shimatta

mada kokoro no hokorobi wo

iyasenu mama kaze ga fuiteru

hitotsu no me de asu wo mite

hitotsu no me de kinou wo mitsumeteru

kimi no ai no yurikago de

mou ichido yasurakani nemuretara

kawaita hitomi de dareka naite kure

The real folk blues

honto no kanashimi ga shiritai dake

doro no kawa ni tsukatta

jinsei mo waruku wa nai

ichido kiri de owaru nara

kibou ni michita zetsubou to

wana ga shikakerareteru kono chansu

nani ga yokute warui no ka

koin no omote to ura mitaida

doredake ikireba iyasareru no darou

The real folk blues

honto no yorokobiga shiritai dake

hikaru mono no subete ga

ougon towa kagiranai

The real folk blues

honto no kanashimi ga shiritai dake

doro no kawa ni tsukatta

jinsei mo waruku wa nai

ichido kiri de owaru nara

English-translational lyrics[]

Too much time has passed by to

Lament that we were deeply in love

The wind keeps blowing, while my heart

Cannot heal all the tears in it


Watching tomorrow with one eye

While keeping the other on yesterday

If only I could peacefully sleep

In the cradle of your love, again


Someone, cry for me with parched eyes


The real folk blues

I only want to know what true sadness is

Sitting in muddy water

Isn't such a bad life

If it ends after the first time


Despair filled with hope 

And this chance with a trap set

What's right or wrong?

It's like two sides of a coin


How long must I live till I'm healed


The real folk blues

I only want to know what true happiness is

All that glitters is not gold


The real folk blues

I only want to know what true sadness is

Sitting in muddy water

Isn't such a bad life

If it ends after the first time

Trivia[]

  • Much like the last two sessions, this song takes its title from a series of blues compilation albums released between 1965 and 1967 by Chess Records and distributed by MCA Records.
  • An alternative rendition of this song titled See You Space Cowboy was heard in the final session of the anime "The Real Folk Blues (Part 2)".
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