sawyer's song; woodcutters' work song
A traditional work song sung by sawyers (woodcutters) while sawing lumber, often in a call-and-response style. Historical term; not part of modern daily life.
The sawyer's song is one of the work songs sung by woodcutters in the old days.
Standard kanji spelling for this traditional work song.
Variant using 唄, a character often used for folk songs.
Spelling with okurigana き, making the reading clearer.
Combination of okurigana and 唄; all four forms are used.
Compound of 木挽き (kobiki, 'sawyer' or 'woodcutting') and 歌 (uta, 'song'). The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it belongs to the tradition of Japanese work songs (仕事歌).