Van Dyke Parks
Lyric guide

Tokyo rose

Read Tokyo rose lyrics by Van Dyke Parks on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Van Dyke Parks visibility1 visits Video on page
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: Van Dyke Parks Canonical path: /van-dyke-parks/tokyo-rose Related lyric paths: 6 Video embedded: yes
Lyrics

Tokyo rose

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

In sight of the lights of Roppongi the night life of To ki yo goes

And out on the street with a beat from Tahiti a neon moon lollipop glows

A woman in silken pajamas is seen on the screen of a door

She slips on a ricepaper dress by Dior less the price of the ice on her clothes

The girl I call To ki yo Rose

Tokyo rose is blue

Tokyo knows it's true

What the night says we might like to do

We're in Tokyo time

When that moon turns lime

And the sky is a lavender brew

She trips through a door for hot sake

Unzips as her hips hit the floor

Her pearls were strung in the harbor below in a bar where I asked her for more

Down on a Cajun veranda a Barbajian band in a stew

Was playing a soca when I reawoke we were back at her penthouse us two

I spoke of my love for MacArthur the man not the park in L.A.

"But you're so much older!" she covered her shoulder

And I heard her say with a sigh

"A soldier may never say die!"

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "Tokyo rose"?

Van Dyke Parks performs "Tokyo rose", and this lyric page sits inside the Van Dyke Parks catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Tokyo rose"?

Yes. The related section below points to Bing Crosby and City On The Hill with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Van Dyke Parks?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Van Dyke Parks's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on Tokyo rose yet.