Song Breakdown — The Big Eater
Let’s take a look at the Okinawan lyrics of the song “The Big Eater” (or “Gachimayaa”) by Brandon Ing.
Verse 1
今日や、家かい帰たる時ねー 良い匂ぬ有たさ。 何やたがやー?あんし旨さぎさんやー 御所作たる物どぅやたる。 ちゃんぷるーやたがやー？いりちーやたがやー？ うりか沖縄蕎麦やたがやー? やしがよー、先ほど、 巨さるくゎっちー食でぃ来んどー!
今日・ちゅー・Today
家・やー・House/Home
かい・particle marking direction
帰いん・けーいん・to return home
-たる・Verb ending that predicates a noun (or anything that isn’t the very end of a sentence)
時・とぅち・Time
ねー = に+や・Ni is a particle that marks time.
良い・いい・Good
匂・にうぃ・Smell
有ん・あん・to exist (for non-living things)
有たん・あたん・past tense of 有ん
さ・emphasizing particle
何・ぬー・What
やたん・Past tense of やん
が・Question particle that replaces the final ん of a verb.
やー・particle that roughly means “isn’t it?” or “right?”
あんし・to that extent/quite
旨さん・まーさん・Delicious
ぎさん・to seem like
御所・うんじゅ・You (polite)
作いん・ちゅくいん・to make
物・むん・thing (can also be used as an emphasizing particle)
どぅやたる・To be (past, formal, literary)
ちゃんぷるー・Champuru
いりちー・Irichii
うり・That/It
か・Or
沖縄・うちなー・Okinawa
蕎麦・すば・Soba
やしが・But
よー ・Emphasizing particle
先・さち・Before
ほど・Degree, extent, approximately*
巨さん・まぎさん・big
くゎっちー・Meal, feast
食むん・かむん・to eat
食でぃ・かでぃ・ti form of 食むん
来ん・ちゅーん・to come
来ん・ちゃん・past tense of ちゅーん (note the kanji reading is identical)
どー・Emphasizing particle
Notes * ほど is a Japanese word which has an Okinawan equivalent: 値・あたい. Besides this song, I have no source that uses ほど in place of あたい. I’m unsure if the use of ほど here is incorrect or if I just don’t have enough information that will tell me that it’s actually correct, especially considering how trustworthy of a source Brandon Ing is (He is associated with the Let’s Sing Uchinaaguchi channel which is one of the most reliable sources for the Okinawan language available in English).
Verse 1 English
Today when I came home, there was a good smell in the air. What could it have been? Smelling so delicious… It was something that you made. Was it champuruu? Was it Irichii? Or was it Okinawa soba? But the thing is, I just had a lot to eat!
Chorus
如何すがやー?あり食みぶさっさー。 やしがよー、なー一腹なとーさー。 如何すがやー?あり食みぶさっさー。 如何すがやー? なー大事なとーん。
如何・ちゃー・How
すん・to do
あり・That/it
ぶさん・Want to do
っさー・Emphasizing particle
なー・Already, jeez, further
一腹 ・ちゅふぁーら・Full (stomach)
ないん・to become
-とーん・continuous form
大事・でーじ・Big deal, crisis, important
* 如何すん together carries the meaning of “what to do” as in “what do I do?”
Chorus English
What do I do? I want to eat that. But the thing is, I’m already full. What do I do? I want to eat that. What do I do? What a dilemma.
Verse 2
“食めー、食めー!”んでぃ言らったる物。 食むしぇー増しやさやー。 あんしから、くぬ匂っし見だんてぃん、 いっぺー 旨さんんでぃ分かいんどー! 地豆豆腐やたがやー? 泥沸かしーやたがやー? うりか砂糖油揚ーやたがやー? やしがよー、先ほど、 巨さるくゎっちー食でぃ来んどー!
食めー・かめー・Command form of 食むん
んでぃ・Quotation particle
言ーん・っいーん・to say
言らったる・っいらったる・passive, attributive form of 言ーん
し・particle that calls attention to the concept/idea of what comes before it
しぇー・し・ particle with an assimilated や (identical to のは in Japanese)
増し・まし・better, preferable
から・from
くぬ・this
匂 ・かば・aroma
っし・particle indicating with or by
見じゅん・んんじゅん・to see
見だん・んんだん・negative form of 見じゅん.
てぃん・even
いっぺー ・very
分かいん ・わかいん・to understand
地豆豆腐 ・じーまーみどーふ・jiimaami doofu
泥沸かしー ・どぅるわかしー・duruwakashii
うり・that
砂糖油揚ー・ さーたーあんだぎー・saataa andagii
Verse 2 English
“Eat! Eat!” is what I’m told so I know it’s better if I do eat it. And, with this aroma, without looking, I can tell it’s really good! Was it jiimaami doofu? Was it durukawashii? Or was it saataa andagii? But the thing is, I just had a lot to eat!
Verse 3
やーさどぅ旨さんでぃ言しが、やしがやーしく為いるまでぃ待たりーがやー?
やーさん・Hunger
やーさどぅ旨さ・やーさどぅまーさ・Phrase meaning “the hungrier you are, the more delicious it is.”
しが・but
やーしく・adverbial form of やーさん
為いん・ないん・to become
までぃ・until
待ちゅん・まちゅん・to wait
待たりーん・またりーん・potential form of 待ちゅん
Verse 3 English
They say “the hungrier you are, the better it tastes”, but I wonder if I can wait til I’m hungry.
