You’ve been hearing the ditty for decades, both in games and on the internet, but did you know that the original Mario Bros. theme—from the games, not the TV show’s intro—has official lyrics to go with it?

Anyone who has heard the excellent Mario & Zelda Big Band Live recording from 2003 (or, if you haven’t, above) will be familiar with this vocal version, which actually dates back to 1985, when fans submitted lyrics to a Japanese radio station and they were endorsed by Nintendo as official, with a recorded version of the song released on vinyl:

So that you can sing along, here’s a translated version of the lyrics, courtesy of an old Destructoid post:



Today, full of energy, Mario is still running, running Go save Princess Peach! Go! Today, full of energy, Mario runs Today, full of energy, jumping! Today, full of energy, searching for coins Today, keep going, Mario! Get a mushroom - it’s Super Mario! Get a flower - it’s Fire Mario! Goomba! Troopa! Buzzy Beetle! Beat them all! Mario is always full of energy and strong! Today, full of energy, Mario is still running, running Go and beat the Koopa tribe, go! Today, full of energy, Mario runs Today, full of energy, jumping! Today, full of energy, searching for coins Today, keep going, Mario! Get a star - become invincible! Quickly, go save Princess Peach! Lakitu! Blooper! Cheep Cheep! Beat them all! Mario is always full of energy and strong! Today, full of energy, Mario is still running, running He’s made it to the castle and gets fireworks! Lightly sidestepping the Hammer Bros. Show the last of your power, Mario! It’s been a long journey but it’s nearly at an end You’ve done it, you’ve done it! You’ve defeated Bowser! Princess Peach says “Thank you” Mario’s got a great big heart! Mario’s adventure is over for now, but Mario’s dream lives forever...

So Japanese. So inspirational.

This story was originally published in 2015.

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