First of all, after this streak of 21 days, I’ll take a break to focus a bit more on my studies for my bachelor thesis on Visual Kei and to accumulate a bit more songs to translate in the future.
As you will be reading this, I’ll already be busy with the new and yet always the same university life, adding also the fact that I won’t be able to move into my apartment until mid-september. Even though this year feels the same as all the previous ones, I just recently realized that it should potentially be my last year in University, as I will graduate in the summer of the next year.
Thinking about that, made me realize that, in perspective, almost 3 years have passed since I created this blog, and in the meantime I managed to do so many things and write perhaps too many translation (not that this will keep me from translating more anyway). In these weeks, I was shocked by the speed at which I’m able to translate lyrics right now, with complex songs keeping me busy for 1 hour at the most, while in the past I remember spending hours on trying to figure out the meaning of the songs. This blog pretty much walked with me from my second year of university and kept being my testing ground for my increasing knowledge of the Japanese Language throughout these years. And while doing that it allowed me to gather so much material that I’ll be probably be using in my thesis. And, not to forget, allowed me to create a site full of translations that may help people understand what singers from another part of the world are saying: it’s funny remembering the adolescent me searching every corner of the internet to find a translation of a visual kei song and seeing the translation sites as this kind of heaven of hearth or source of every knowledge, while now I’m on the other side of the barricade.
Anyway, thank you as always for all the support, see you in a bit!
Just crying as always, you give up this lukewarm reality,
In that ambiguous way “Why are you just standing there?
What are you waiting for?”
Pierce! If YES then line with all the others*!
Pierce! If NO then break your shell!
Pierce! It’s fine even if you do it just to run away,
right now, shut down the replay switch.
Walk the promenade where the moss grows under the silver moon,
hold my hand so that we don’t slip,
Fly high, dive into the zero-gravity sky.
The whole now returns to zero!
Let’s Re:build it with you, loudly!
Even the stars go round and round with us at the centre!
Stretch out your hand and grasp the light,
that is the image of the tomorrow you hold in your hands,
until it fades out “Run!” to the world’s dawn!
Pierce! If YES then line with all the others*!
Pierce! If NO then break your shell!
Pierce! In order to go forward, right now,
with you, shut down the replay switch.
Look, in the grey snow
it feels like we can’t see anything
but from a crack in the sky the the moonlight sparkles.
Let’s go beyond that sky,
DIVE right now!
The whole now returns to zero!
Let’s Re:build it with you, loudly!
Even the stars go round and round with us at the centre!
Stretch out your hand and grasp the light,
that is the image of the tomorrow you hold in your hands,
until it fades out “Run!” to the world’s dawn!
The far away world goes round and round, if we were to meet,
let’s check once again! The reason why my blood is red
is because we are living, and that is the meaning of you being alive.
The bell of revolution is ringing,
I’ll take you with me,
We can go anywhere, beyond this beyond!
Accelerate the pace of your walking
and image any speed that goes through your mind**!
Cram into your pocket your reset ID card
The whole now returns to zero!
Let’s Re:build it with you, loudly!
It doesn’t matter if you vanish
into the dream of speeding up.
Let’s promise with our fingers***, the future is in our palm,
let’s hope that Iden and Tity**** may meet by chance,
—— with my voice!
Notes and Others
Words in Italic are in English in the original lyrics, sometimes they have been modified to fit better the lyrics.
*= a common word when talking about Japanese Society referring to the tendency of people to follow the general direction of society rather being outside of it.
**=may also meaning “surpassing”, with the image of a speed to leave the world behind. Nice pun.
***= it’s the kind of promise children in Japan make: the entwine their pinkies and they promise something. It gives a cute touch to the kind of promise, as if they were dreaming like they used to when they were children.
****= a pun on the word “identity”, probably meaning that the two identity, the one in the real world and the one in the world of dreams may meet one day.
*****= note too sure about this, but apparently the title comes from the Italian world “altra”, meaning “alternative”. The meaning is that the song is about dreaming of an “alternative world” and making it into a real world.
Nobody will steal the you I hid at the bottom of my heart,
even if it’s just an illusion, even if I can’t touch you,
because I want to be by your side.
Darling,kiss my pain
Paint over everything!
I wanna breath that day
I want it to exceed reality
Hey, FLASH BACK HONEY
While I still believed those affected words
which are none but a mere consolation, you burnt my body.
The scenery I used to see right nearby
would continue forever, or at least I thought so,
the end has never gives any previous notice.
Darling,kiss my pain
I can’t break free from that day!
I wanna breath that day
If I close my eyes, I can go meet you
Hey, FLASH BACK HONEY
I walk alone these city streets the same streets I’ve walked with you each light, each sign, each tree places we’ve been, places we’ve laughed, places we’ve cried all these memories come rushing through My Visions of PLEASURE Chaos and Pain with YOU! Where am I now, am I falling apart now save me baby I reach for the blue sky! Black Clouds cover my heart! Do I wish for Death, or for just one last breath, just maybe oh no
Nobody will steal the you I hid at the bottom of my heart,
even if it’s just an illusion, even if I can’t touch you,
because I want to be by your side.
Darling,kiss my pain
Paint over everything!
I wanna breath that day
I want it to exceed reality
Hey, FLASH BACK HONEY
Notes and Others
Words in Italic are in English in the original lyrics
Yep, I’m still walking down memory lane. A song about remembering a past relationship with a mixed feeling of nostalgia, regret and hurt. A constant in Alsdead song is that they always sing about “almost getting crazy” because of certain memories/sensations as this is one of their main concept.
The rain… the rain… it washes everything away, but the traces of tears will never disappear.
All the things in my hands have fallen of.
The rain… the rain… You have wandered around and got lost, but there was no place to arrive.**
Come on, forget everything already,
embrace the loneliness and sleep quietly,
get devoured by the swarming crows and taste thoroughly the last pain.
The voice that doesn’t reach loses its support,
The rain… the rain… it erases everything, but the doesn’t end ever…
Come on, forget everything already,
burn your body in the whirling Hell fire.
If we will not be able to share happiness and sadness,
let’s bite to death this freedom which imprison us and let’s disappear like that.
In my distant memories, a child is shedding tears, run away right now!
You left there the loneliness I thought I had forgot, run away from this world!
Come on, forget everything already,
embrace the loneliness and sleep quietly,
get devoured by the swarming crows and taste thoroughly the last pain.
Come on, forget everything already,
burn your body in the whirling Hell fire.
I’ll give to you all my affection and hatred,
this funeral officer* of the smile is nauseous for the admiration he had for you.***
Notes and Other
*= the word “officer” is a kind of replacement word that until I find a better one, the true meaning is “the person leading the funeral procession”. I’m open to suggestion.
**= probably referring to the dead person, meaning “we kept walking in a direction (towards the future) looking for something, but in the end, you will never reach that goal because you are dead”.
***= it’s a strange sentence and I’m not 100% sure about the translation.
I always used to think at Kra as very cheerful positive band, so I remember that when this song came out it really left an impression on me because of its gloominess. Fast forward to this day, I randomly thought of this song and suddenly I wanted to know what was about.
It is a very dark song about a dead person, in the “why did you die?!” kind of vibe.
and wa-wa-wake up but we’re still in Shizuoka Prefecture***.
I’ve no money, but I have time,
everything is for my favourite****!
Truth is I would like to go with the Shinkansen,
but, since if I did so I wouldn’t be able to buy chiekis***** no more,
no matter if I cry, no matter if legs become swollen,
the pandemonium runs through the night.
While moving I would like to sleep,
but there’s sound leaking from someone’s earphones,
whispers, the smell of food
and the person in front of me recline his seat and get closer.
Are we there yet? Not yet?******
Did we arrive?
We’ve being going for just 2 hours so
still, still, still, still, still
9 more hours to go!
Being jam packed for 5 minutes
in a busy train is hell,
but being rocked for 8 hours
in this bus is a sweet hell!
In the darkness, the notification
that my favourite**** tweeted something,
I open my smart-phone and the light illuminated the inside of the bus,
my heart is racing and pandemonium bus goes forth.
My face without make up looks like the one of a ghost,
since I sleep in a weird position, my hair is messy,
even if snooze, even if drool,
it will be fine if I’ll be pretty in front of my favourite****.
I take my shoes off on the foot rest,
I take care of my legs on the leg rest,
the seat behind me is empty so I can completely recline mine,
a three row seat bus is like heaven!
Hankyuu Bus, Nankai Bus,
Vip Liner, Orion Tour,
Kira Kira class on Amigo buses,
Jam Jam Liner, any of them would be fine but, in the end
I travel on a Willer*******
In queue for the bus, a person
with the hoodie of the same band
sometimes stand out,
our eyes meet, after a slight bow,
we tacitly greet without a word:
“Oh comrade, let’s withstand this long fight!”
Notes and Other
*= So, the title is a pun on the word 百鬼夜行, literally “A multitude of demons walking through the night” and representing pandemonium in Japanese folklore. The band united the word with 夜行バス(note how some kanji are similar), which are very cheap buses which cover big distances during the night for convenient prices. The whole song is about a fan enduring a hellish trip in these kind of buses just to follow her favourite band member on tour in a far off city.
**=a very impolite word, probably referring to a non-visual band fan.
***= guessing the main character is departing from Tokyo, Shizuoka prefecture is the one just next to Tokyo Prefecture.
****=a kind of “elegant sounding” word to indicate the protagonist’s favourite bandman.
*****= small instant polaroid photos of the band members which the fan can take it in special meet-and-greet event.
******= this is so great. They are mocking Kiryu which in so many song use this same line as if some kind of spirit/creature is playing hide and seek. In this different context, it sounds like the protagonist is asking if they arrived yet.
*******= all these names are night bus companies, of course the last one is, Weller, is the cheapest but the one with the least services.
Just love how they turned this song around with a parody. I think the notes explain pretty much everything. Pure genius. By the way, you can find the translation of the song who inspired this here.
Title: The song to put as background music on LINE in order to be popular
Here we go to the barbecue,
there are a lot of women!
Let’s bring more shrimps*,
if some hair grows on your belly just shave it, man!
Women in their twenties, thirties, and forties,
and the ones in their fifties who say all the others just cheat on each other.
They are all soft and cute when they are young,
all the lit** women have rhinitis in general.
Oh oh oh
do you like sucking that melon soda with a straw?
Oh oh oh
You almost look like Michopaa***, wanna eat some shrimp* bowl?
Hey, ‘sup**? What’s your LINE ID?
Are you into Shibuya style****?
Hey, ‘sup**? What’s your LINE ID?
All broken to pieces*****
Looks like I’m not popular at all,
if so, I’ll go for the women in their fifties.
Nope, here we go sixties’ girl,
if it goes wrong, let’s go for the seventies’.
I’m the new hot thing**,
everyone is mingling**.
I look around myself at the barbecue,
I want you.
Oh oh oh
looks like she’s a widow
oh oh oh
an 80yo lady with rhinitis
Hey, ‘sup**? What’s your LINE ID?
Are you into Sugamo style******?
Hey, ‘sup**? What’s your LINE ID?
You are lit** as always.
Hey, ‘sup**? What’s your LINE ID?
Siiiiick**!
Hey, ‘sup**? What’s your LINE ID?
You only have a landline phone.
Making Making Love
Making Making Trust
it’s Making
Making Making Wife
Kiss my tits
Making Making Love
Making Making Trust
it’s Making
Making Making Wife
I’ll ride you on friday
oh oh oh
Party, shrimps, pudding, Change my LIFE
oh oh oh
Lit**, lipstick, rhinitis, 80yo lady
Hey, ‘sup**? What’s your LINE ID?
No, not your garakee*******
Hey, ‘sup**? What’s your LINE ID?
First, go to your store application
Hey, ‘sup**? What’s your LINE ID?
Log in
Hey, ‘sup**? What’s your LINE ID?
You only have a landline phone.
Hey, ‘sup**? How’s going with your LINE ID?
Soooo bomb**
Hey, ‘sup**? How’s going with your LINE ID?
It is convenient
Hey, ‘sup**? What’s your LINE ID?
It’s your birthday?!
Hey, ‘sup**? What’s your LINE ID?
Let’s talk, so lit**.
Oh oh oh
Now, she’s not a widow anymore
oh oh oh
my 90 yo wife.
Notes and Other
Words in Italic are in English in the original lyrics.
*=the phrasing in the first sentence is a bit strange and it looks like a very lame sexual joke about making his bulge bigger masked as a sentence like “let’s bring more shrimps”. The second time the shrimps appear, it feels like a call back and the same joke. It’s a very Golden Bomber-like thing, so I’m 70% confident about this.
**=they keep using trending words used by the cool kids in these last years so I tried to match these expressions with the ones used in the english language. Of course they are using those as a way to mock the other artist by putting them in very out of context sentences that make them sound lame.
***=so this is a mess. Apparently a japanese tv personality who is actually a cute girl, posted a photo of her wearing a Chopper (the deer from One Piece) on Instagram calling herself Mi-Choppaa (“Mi” is the reading of the first kanji of her name, “Choppaa” is Chopper’s name in Japanese) and it went kinda viral. Why did they put this in the song? Probably because they wanted to mock this trending topic.
****= is a kind of music/fashion trend who used to be popular around 40 years ago. Since the song is about hitting on older ladies, he’s trying to flirt with them by asking what’s their favourite style, but he tries to do it in a smoothish kind of way which only sounds lame.
*****= I’m not too sure, but he might refer both to himself (as if his heart was broken) and the QR code to add people on LINE, which is, well, a QR code, so all pixeled and staff.
******= a call back joke from the Shibuya Kei, with a twist. Since now he’s flirting with 80 years old ladies, he’s asking in the same smoothish way if they are into the style Sugamo, an area of Tokyo famous for being full of old people and clothes shop for them.
*******=the kind of phones that used to be around before smartphones. Since in Japan some people just don’t want to deal with phones with too many applications, these kind of phones are still extremely popular among a certain part of the population (mainly elderly people).
I mean, if you have read all the notes, I feel like you kinda got the vibe of the song. It took me sooo much time to look up all those information, but to me Golden Bomber songs are just sooo fun to translate that I kinda get lost into them. Enjoy!
