Kenji Lyrics - The Rising Tied - Fort Minor

My father came from Japan in 1905 

He was, 15 when he immigrated from Japan 

He, he, he worked until he was able to buy this patch 

And build a store 

Let me, tell you the story in the form of a dream 

I don't know why I have to tell it, but I know what it means 

Close your eyes, just picture the scene 

As I paint it for you, it was World War II 

When this man named Kenji woke up 

Ken was not a soldier 

He was just a man, with a family, who owned a store in L.A. 

That day, he crawled out of bed like he always did 

Bacon and eggs with wife and kids 

He lived on the second floor of a little store, he ran 

He moved to L.A. from Japan 

They called him 'Immigrant' 

In Japanese, he'd say, he was called, Esay 

That meant 'First generation in the United States' 

When everyone was afraid of the Germans, afraid of the Japs 

But most of all afraid of a homeland attack 

And that morning when Ken went out on the doormat 

His world went black 'cause 

Right there, front page news, three weeks before 1942 

"Pearl Harbour's been bombed and the Japs are comin'" 

Pictures of soldiers dyin' and runnin' 

Ken knew what it would lead to 

Just like he guessed, the President said 

"The evil Japanese in our home country will be locked away" 

They gave Ken, a couple of days 

To get his whole life packed in two bags 

Just two bags, couldn't even pack his clothes 

Some folks didn't even have a suitcase, to pack anything in 

So two trash bags, was all they gave them 

When the kids asked mum, "Where are we goin'?" 

Nobody even knew, what to say to them 

Ken didn't wanna lie, he said, "The US is lookin' for spies 

So we have to live in a place called Mandinar 

Where a lot of Japanese people are" 

Stop it, don't look at the gunmen 

You don't wanna get the soldiers wonderin' 

If you gonna run or not, 

'Cause if you run then you might get shot 

Other than that, try not to think about it 

Try not to worry 'bout it bein' so crowded 

Someday, we'll get out, someday, someday 

As soon as war broke out 

The G.I. came and they just come to the house 

And you have to come all the Japanese have to go 

They took Mr.Lee, people didn't understand 

Why did they have to take him? 

Because he's an innocent labor 

So now, they're in a town with soldiers surroundin' them 

Every day, every night, look down at them 

From watch towers up on the wall 

Ken couldn't really hate them at all 

They were just doin' their job and 

He wasn't gonna make any problems 

He had a little garden, with vegetables and fruits that 

He gave to the troops in a basket his wife made 

But in the back of his mind, he wanted his families life saved 

Prisoners of war in their own damn country, what for? 

Time passed in the prison town 

He wanted them to live it down when they were free 

The only way out was, joinin' the army 

And supposedly, some men went out for the army, signed on 

And ended up flyin' to Japan with a bomb 

That 15 kilotonne blast, put an end to the war pretty fast 

Two cities were blown to bits, the end of the war came quick 

Ken got out, big hopes of a normal life, with his kids and his wife 

But, when they got back to their home 

What they saw made them feel so alone 

These people had trashed every room 

Smashed in the windows and bashed in the doors 

Written on the walls and the floor 'Japs not welcome anymore' 

And Kenji dropped both of his bags at his sides and just stood outside 

He, looked at his wife without words to say 

She looked back at him, wiped the tears away 

And, said, "Someday, we'll be okay, someday" 

Now, the names have been changed, but the story's true 

My family was locked up back in '42 

My family was there it was dark and damp 

And they called it, an internment camp 

When we first got back from camp, uhh 

It was pretty, pretty bad, I, I remember my husband said 

"Are we gonna stay 'til last?" 

Then my husband died before they close the camp