He was raised in Gifu, on the islands of Japan
He was sent off to Manchuria, that's how this tale began
For his next assignment in the diplomatic corps
Was far-off Lithuania and the European war
My grandfather was from Krakow - the Nazis came, he fled
He took his family to Vilnius so they might not end up dead
But the Panzers were advancing -and he knew they had to go
But he had to have a visa and all the embassies said no
There was only one final possibility
The last consulate left open, the Third Reich's Asian ally
There in Lithuania -there was no time to lose
They came asking for a visa, thousands of Polish Jews
The diplomat called Tokyo: «Can I grant them this reprieve?»
Three times he got his answer: «Tell them all to leave»
He looked into their eyes, talked to his family
He and his wife decided -we must set these people free
Although I never met him, when all is said and done
I am Sugihara's son...
Disobeying orders -that they knew to be wrong
Sempo and Yukiko started writing all day long
A month's worth of visas in every twenty-hour day
Sempo and Yukiko could turn no refugee away
Word came from the empire, it's time to turn it in
You're closing down your consulate -and moving to Berlin
They knew they did the right thing, of this they had no doubt
They threw visas through the window as their train pulled out.
Although I never met him, when all is said and done
I -am Sugihara's son...
My grandfather crossed Siberia -for five times the normal cost
Fearing for the future -with every minute lost
He got the ferry to Kobe -then to Occupied Shanghai
There he spent the war years -while back home his people died
Sugihara-san did not seek any praise from anyone
When he died the paper said his neighbors knew not what he'd done
But there are forty thousand people -living lives today
Without Sempo Sugihara I would not be here now to say
Although I never met him, when all is said and done
I am Sugihara's son...
He was sent off to Manchuria, that's how this tale began
For his next assignment in the diplomatic corps
Was far-off Lithuania and the European war
My grandfather was from Krakow - the Nazis came, he fled
He took his family to Vilnius so they might not end up dead
But the Panzers were advancing -and he knew they had to go
But he had to have a visa and all the embassies said no
There was only one final possibility
The last consulate left open, the Third Reich's Asian ally
There in Lithuania -there was no time to lose
They came asking for a visa, thousands of Polish Jews
The diplomat called Tokyo: «Can I grant them this reprieve?»
Three times he got his answer: «Tell them all to leave»
He looked into their eyes, talked to his family
He and his wife decided -we must set these people free
Although I never met him, when all is said and done
I am Sugihara's son...
Disobeying orders -that they knew to be wrong
Sempo and Yukiko started writing all day long
A month's worth of visas in every twenty-hour day
Sempo and Yukiko could turn no refugee away
Word came from the empire, it's time to turn it in
You're closing down your consulate -and moving to Berlin
They knew they did the right thing, of this they had no doubt
They threw visas through the window as their train pulled out.
Although I never met him, when all is said and done
I -am Sugihara's son...
My grandfather crossed Siberia -for five times the normal cost
Fearing for the future -with every minute lost
He got the ferry to Kobe -then to Occupied Shanghai
There he spent the war years -while back home his people died
Sugihara-san did not seek any praise from anyone
When he died the paper said his neighbors knew not what he'd done
But there are forty thousand people -living lives today
Without Sempo Sugihara I would not be here now to say
Although I never met him, when all is said and done
I am Sugihara's son...
×
Note for non-Italian users: Sorry, though the interface of this website is translated into English, most commentaries and biographies are in Italian and/or in other languages like French, German, Spanish, Russian etc.