Verse 1
Back in 2002, I know you saw it too
Before you could watch tunes on YouTube
I was in the college dorms, found it from somewhere
Probably some iteration of P2P file share
When I first saw it, it was just another J-pop song
Didn't think it would become such a phenomenon
People started asking me, the lyrics what do they mean?
There's a squad of leaves and the leaves are green
The song was half Japanese, half English like me
I'm hapa but はっぱ隊に入ってない but I should be
Fans of the song made their own interpretation
通訳しても lost in translation
マジなの? Is this a real boy band?
ノリノリだね
It makes me want to dance, man
Is that a real audience? Is this just a meme?
The video makes me want to jump and scream
Chorus
Everybody say Yatta! (Yatta!)
Put your hands in the air like you have no care
All I need is one leaf 葉っぱ一枚でいい
Everybody on your feet, jump to your own beat
Everybody say Yatta! (Yatta!)
Put your hands in the air like you have no care
All I need is one leaf 葉っぱ一枚でいい
Everybody on your feet, jump to your own beat
Verse 2
It's funny, you accidentally solved the mystery buddy
Now let me tell you about the song's history
It started as a skit on Laughing Dog sketch comedy show
A Japanese SNL analog
The premise, a young man doesn't pass his exam
He's dismayed, upset, and feeling sad
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a lad
Who passed, ecstatic, and one leaf clad
He celebrates Yatta!
5 others join
They're all wearing leaves on their cloth, loin
Rubbing it in like a cut and lime
But the recurring skit evolves time after time
Another loss, another fall, he's always second rate
And the happatai are there to celebrate
But he finds courage in them to try harder
Make the negative positive like a battery charger
When the going gets tough and you need supportin'
They became cheerleaders for any misfortune
The song is a meme, yes it's true
But it became an anthem for you to believe in you
That's about the time it hit the Western world
Jimmy Kimmel caught wind of them; the rest unfurled
He bought tickets to fly out the six-leaf gang
He introduced them, they got up on stage and sang
Chorus
Everybody say Yatta! (Yatta!)
Put your hands in the air like you have no care
All I need is one leaf 葉っぱ一枚でいい
Everybody on your feet, jump to your own beat
Everybody say Yatta! (Yatta!)
Put your hands in the air like you have no care
All I need is one leaf 葉っぱ一枚でいい
Everybody on your feet, jump to your own beat
Verse 3
俺一丁前にも
一張羅で roll up
ぶっとびそうだ
曝け出して もう、やり放題
一枚の葉っぱで取り去るボーダー
Damn 何かが始まりそうだ
踏んだり蹴ったり 問題は膨大
たまには深いこと考えずに
適当にやっときゃ 大体オーライ
かったりい
ことあったーり
がっがりだったり
やっぱり 葉っぱで
まったーり
"スーパーナチュラル"
さながら Japanese Hero ヤッター
これは千鳥足でする与太話
忘れてくれよな
そろそろ辺りが静まる頃
俺なら1人吸うマルボロ
Chorus
Everybody say Yatta! (Yatta!)
Put your hands in the air like you have no care
All I need is one leaf 葉っぱ一枚でいい
Everybody on your feet, jump to your own beat
Everybody say Yatta! (Yatta!)
Put your hands in the air like you have no care
All I need is one leaf 葉っぱ一枚でいい
Everybody on your feet, jump to your own beat