作詞：天野鳶丸

春の日、春の白さに僕、負けた。　
晴れた日、空の高さが僕、責めた。

春一番、雪も溶けた。新芽も出た。ほら、蕗の墓。
皆、気分が昇るのなら、僕が独り落ちたのと一緒。

おろし立ての、新しい服。外套脱いだ。前を見てる。
皆、気分が暖かいのなら、僕が余計に寒くなる。

「置いてけ堀、裏の裏は表じゃ無い。」

春の日、春の白さに僕、負けた。　
晴れた日、空の高さが僕、責めた。

* * *

By the White of Spring, I was Defeated.

Lyrics: Amano Tonbimaru
Trans.: Alex Fyffe

On a spring day, by the white of spring, I was defeated.
On a sunny day, high in the sky, I was condemned.

First storm of spring, the snow melted. Buds blossomed. Look, a butterbur sprout.
Everybody, when your feelings are high, mine alone will fall.

Brand new clothes. Overcoat removed. Looking straight ahead.
Everybody, when your feelings are warm, mine will grow frigid.

“Left in a ditch, the bottom of the bottom is not the top.”

On a spring day, by the white of spring, I was defeated.
On a sunny day, high in the sky, I was condemned.

Notes:

Trans. 10/26/2011.

Amano Tonbimaru is the lead singer of Guruguru Eigakan, so I am assuming the lyrics are his, although the one site where I found the band’s lyrics in Japanese does not list the name of the lyricist.

作詞：UA

それは多分そうね きっと盗まれた
4/14 23:00 西の風5m 我慢 冗談 相談 傲慢 花壇
自慢 油断 舞台の中央に捨てられた裸の心臓
ジャバラなあたしがめくられてく お化け 怪獣 悪魔 泥棒
そしてあたしの夢は 一時停止のまま
割った玉子もフライパンに届かずじまい 不埒なあなたが舌を出す
誰か どうか お構いなく 彼を あいつを 消して 檻に入れて
とかげ らくだ きりん 泥棒

* * *

Thief

Lyrics: UA
Trans.: Alex Fyffe

That must be it I’m certain it was stolen
4/14 23:00 West wind 5mph Patience Joke Discussion Arrogance Flowerbed
Pride Negligence A naked heart thrown onto center stage
Accordion me turns over Ghost Monster Devil Thief
And so my dreams are suspended in time
The cracked egg never even made it into the frying pan Insolent you sticks out your tongue
Someone Somehow Don’t bother with me It’s him That guy Kill him Throw him in jail
Lizard Camel Giraffe Thief

Notes:

Translated in 2008. Revised 10/19/2011.

作詞：MUKAI SHUTOKU

ゆれている日曜日 すり抜ける人混み
雨上がりの空は黄色い 気持ち晴れたつもり

東京湾に群がるミヤコカモメの集団
くちばしに食わえたどっかの国のゴミ袋
体毛は黒と白とねずみ色の合間
腹ん中、コンクリートが詰まっていっぱい
反射した品川の鈍い光　まどわされてふらつき
肌、ただれる雨が酸性　染みこんでとてもむずかゆい
夢に触った跡がない　流されていつのまにか消えた
赤くさびた釘　心臓に刺さったまんま

心臓に刺さってる　赤くさびた釘を早くぬいて
心臓に刺さってる　赤くさびた釘を早くぬいて

終末思想ずっと漂う街の気配
でも終わりはぜんぜんやってこないみたい
３００円の傘の先端を地面に突き刺す
手ぶらで歩き出す　雨はもう降ってない
砂漠に。砂漠のどっか真ん中に
砂漠に。砂漠のどっか真ん中にいるかんじ
わりと意外なほど、とてもさびしい

ゆれている日曜日　すり抜ける人混み
雨上がりの空は黄色い

割と…さびしい

* * *

Desert

Lyrics: Mukai Shutoku
Trans.: Alex Fyffe

I work my way through a crowd of people on a drifting Sunday,
after it has rained and the sky is yellow, in order to clear my mind

A flock of seagulls are gathered at Tokyo Bay
clutching trash bags from another country in their beaks
Their feathers are shades of black and white and grey
and their stomachs are packed full of concrete
I stagger in a daze in the dim light reflecting off Shinagawa
The acid from the blistering rain has seeped into my skin and itches
Nothing remains of the things I touched in my dreams — they are washed away, suddenly gone
replaced with these red-rusted nails stuck in my heart

Hurry and pull them out, the red-rusted nails stuck in my heart
Hurry and pull them out, the red-rusted nails stuck in my heart

I see signs of the end times in this ever-drifting city
and yet the end never seems to come
I stab the tip of my 300-yen umbrella into the ground
and walk empty-handed now that the rain has stopped
In the desert. Somewhere in the middle of the desert
In the desert. It feels like I’m somewhere in the middle of the desert
and it’s lonelier than I thought it would be

I work my way through a crowd of people on a drifting Sunday
The sky is yellow after the rain

and a little… lonely

Notes:

Trans. 6/6/2009. Revised 10/18/2011.

Another special thanks to Grady Martin for all of his help.

Shinagawa is the name of a river.

I’m not exactly sure what he means by どっかの国のゴミ袋, but it literally translates to “trash bags from a country somewhere.” Whether or not he is implying a specific country without saying it, I don’t know.

作詞：吉野寿

馬鹿な男が立っている
雨上がりに
唇噛んで太陽が去るのを待っている
連なるテールライトが
河のように赤く流れる国道で
独り突っ立って風の中

憧れて　人の世に焦がれて
窓枠のもどかしさを
飛び越えてやって来た
魂は燃えている
夕焼けに負けない程
無様に転げ落ちたって
どこまでも信じている

見えざる影に刃を振り翳しては
敗れる事が唯一の生きている証
馬鹿な男が立っている
大事そうに胸に抱えているものは
二束三文のシケた詩
二束三文の真実

現れて
忽然と消えて行く
暁の儚さを
携えてやって来た
魂は燃えている
雷鳴を蹴散らす程
励ましなんて用は無い
目隠しで立ち向かうさ

そうさ 「明日はきっと晴れる。俺には判る。」

* * *

Don Quijote

Lyrics: Yoshino Hisashi
Trans.: Alex Fyffe

A foolish man stands,
after it has rained,
biting his lip, waiting for the sun to go down
A line of taillights stream by
like a river down the highway
He stands alone in the wind

Yearning, burning for the human world
he leaps over
the weary windowsill
His spirit is so bright
he beats out the sunset
No matter how many times he stumbles
he continues to believe

Raising his sword against invisible shadows,
defeat is the only proof that he’s alive
A foolish man stands
holding his treasures in his heart:
a cheap and brooding song,
a cheap reality

He holds in his hands
the transience of dawn
that is here
and then suddenly gone
His soul is so bright
it drives out the thunder
Without a word of encouragement
he blindly fights on

“It will clear up tomorrow. I just know it.”

Notes:

Trans. in 2008. Revised on 10/18/2011.

作詞：相沢靖子

いつもいつも思ってた　サルビアの花を
あなたの部屋の中に　投げ入れたくて
そして君のベッドに
サルビアの紅い花　しきつめて
僕は君を死ぬまで　抱きしめていようと

なのになのに　どうして他の人のところへ
僕の愛の方が　すてきなのに
泣きながら　君のあとを追いかけて
花ふぶき舞う道を
教会の鐘の音は　なんてうそっぱちなのさ

とびらを開けて出てきた君は　偽りの花嫁．
ほほをこわばらせ　僕をチラッと見た
泣きながら　君のあとを追いかけて
花ふぶき舞う道を
ころげながら　ころげながら
走りつづけたのさ

* * *

Salvia Flowers

Lyrics: Aizawa Yasuko
Trans.: Alex Fyffe

I always used to think about how I wanted
to throw salvia flowers around your room
and spread red salvia flowers
all over your bed
and I would tell you that I would hold you till you died

And yet, somehow, you found someone else
who you loved more than me
I ran crying after you
Cherry blossoms fell and danced on the street
and the ringing of the church bells sounded false

You came through the door, a faithless bride.
Your lips stiffened, and you glanced at me
I ran crying after you
Cherry blossoms fell and danced on the street
Stumbling, stumbling
I just kept running

Notes:

Trans. 10/14/2011.

“Stumbling, stumbling…” ころげる means to fall over, but it most frequently seems to be used with 笑う, to laugh, to indicate “falling over laughing.” However, I assume in this case he simply means that he is stumbling as he continues to chase after his faithless bride.

“Your lips stiffened…” I believe that ほほ actually means “cheeks,” so the line should be “Your cheeks stiffened, and you glanced at me.” However, this could be taken the wrong way in English, and since stiffening lips seem to be more common in the English language than stiffening cheeks, I went that route.

Hayakawa Yoshio was the lead singer of the highly influential 60s rock band Jacks. This song is from his first solo album.

作詞：ミネタカズノブ

瞳を閉じれば 聞こえてくるだろう
拳握った 少年の声が!!!

鼻血が夕暮れ!! にじんだ夕暮れ!!!
かすむ彼方は 此の世の終わりか!!

カチカチ耳カス チカチカ星クズ
あの娘に会いに 夜空に飛び立つ

指先に止まった 赤トンボ
何処へ帰るの 赤トンボ

僕等は若くて 心が歪んだ
叫ぼう!叫ぼう!僕等は此処だ!!!

瞳を閉じれば 聞こえてくるだろう
拳握った 少年の声が!!!

* * *

Tokyo Boy

Lyrics: Mineta Kazunobu
Trans.: Alex Fyffe

If you close your eyes, you will hear
the voice of a bare-fisted boy!!!

The nosebleed evening!! The blurred evening!!!
The mist on the horizon could be the end of the world!!

Dry earwax, glimmering stardust
flying through the night to meet a girl

Red dragonfly resting on my fingertips,
where do you call your home, red dragonfly?

We are young, our hearts are twisted
We shout! We shout! We are here!!

If you close your eyes you will hear
the voice of a bare-fisted boy!!!

Notes:

Trans. 2008. Revised 2011.

“bare-fisted.” The line more literally reads: “the voice of a boy making a fist,” but bare-fisted boy had a certain ring to it that I couldn’t ignore. I think it gets across both the rage and the vulnerability of the 東京少年.

The chorus is closer to: “red dragonfly that stopped on my fingertips, to where will you return, red dragonfly?”

作詞：MUKAI SHUTOKU

現代。
着地点はねえ　ずっと飛んでるキブン
ヘンタイの思想は共感できん
四季が巡り　色とりどりの人類模様
俺はいつも動揺を押さえきれん
・・・伝えたい　俺のこのキモチを
貴様に伝えたい　俺のこのキモチを

伝達できん自分に腹が立つ
生まれ育ったその環境、歴史、思想すべてブチこんで
表すことが出来ればいい
意味がわからん言葉で意志の疎通を計りたい

犬猫畜生と分かち合いたいのだ
貴様に伝えたい　俺のこのキモチを

伝えたい　伝えたい
貴様に伝えたい　俺のこのキモチを

* * *

Feeling

Lyrics: Mukai Shutoku
Trans.: Alex Fyffe

Present day.
There’s nowhere to land. I feel like I’m forever flying.
I can’t sympathize with perverse thoughts.
Seasons change with all the colors of the human condition.
I can’t contain this constant trembling within me.
. . . I want to explain this feeling.
I want to explain to you what I’m feeling.

I get frustrated with myself when I can’t communicate.
I wish I could express
my devotion to the environment, history and ideals that gave birth to me.
I want to measure my ability to communicate with words I don’t understand.

I want to share it with the dogs and the cats and the beasts of the field.
I want to explain to you what I’m feeling.

I want to explain, I want to explain,
I want to explain to you what I’m feeling.

Notes:

Trans. 2008. Revised 2011.

作詞：坂本慎太郎

友達がいる 夕べステージで
君は歌ってた まるでスターのように
恋人の歌 バンドがやってた
僕はその歌 すごくいいと思った

初めてギターに触れるような
本当に恋をしてるような
今すぐ何かやれるような
そんな気分さ

友達がいる からのフロアーで
君は踊ってた まるでオモチャのように
恋人の歌 バンドがやってた
僕の記憶が 合ってるとすれば

初めてギターに触れるような
本当に恋をしてるような
もう一度何かやれるような
不思議な気分さ

* * *

My Friend Plays in the Band

Lyrics: Sakamoto Shintarou
Trans.: Alex Fyffe

My friend, last night on stage
you were singing like you were a star
The band was playing a love song
I thought it was a really great song

The moment you touched the guitar
I fell deeply in love
And before long I felt like
anything could happen

My friend, you were on the floor
dancing like a wind-up toy
The band was playing a love song
or that’s how I remember it

The moment you touched the guitar
I fell deeply in love
And again I had the magical feeling
that anything was possible

Notes:

Trans. 10/12/2011

作詞：坂本慎太郎

目が覚めて じっと何もせず
俺は 試されてる 今も こんな時にも
夜が明け 何げなく
死んだ つもりになる 過去が追いかけて来る

奇麗な目 人形 何も見ず
君は 諦めてる 既に 遠い昔に
郵便で お化けだか幽霊だかなんだか
そんなような者から送られてきた
しっぽ 尖った牙 あとは銀色の角

目が覚めて じっと何もせず
俺は 試されてる 今も こんな時にも
冷凍して お化けだか幽霊だかとにかく
そんなような者から送られてきた
俺のかわいい奴 そばでじっとしている

冷たいギフト 冷たいギフト
冷たいギフト 冷たいギフト

* * *

Cold Gifts

Lyrics: Sakamoto Shintarou
Trans.: Alex Fyffe

I open my eyes and quietly do nothing
but I’m still trying, even now, at a time like this
Day dawns, carelessly
I think about dying. The past is catching up with me

A doll with pretty eyes doing nothing
you already gave up a long time ago
I have received things through the mail
from monsters and ghosts and other creatures –
a tail, a sharpened fang, a silver horn

I open my eyes and quietly do nothing
but I’m still trying, even now, at a time like this
I have received things frozen
from monsters and ghosts and other creatures –
my precious servants, motionless by my side

Cold gifts, cold gifts
cold gifts, cold gifts

Notes:

Trans. 2008. Revised 2011.

作詞：MUKAI SHUTOKU

発狂した飼い猫を
川へ捨てに行って
念仏唱えてさようなら
中古の戦車を拾って帰る

Aという名の野良猫は
3丁目でくたばった
泣いてるポーズの野球帽
マンガのバッチがとれかかる

風 風 鋭くなって

鼻水たらして 斜めの角度の野球帽

夕暮れ時間 オレ いる 橋の上

ボルトの赫サビ 墨田川
屋形船では花遊び

風鋭くなって 鉄の鋲打たれた橋
オレ いま橋の上 鉄風あびて 鋭くなって
夕焼けあびて 侍 余裕の花遊び
風鋭くなって にっこり笑った 芸者の少女

都会の野良猫 眼光鋭くなって
鉄風の中 少年たちは球ひろい
そう 鋭くなって 笑った少女と目があった
風 鋭くなって 都会の少女はにっこり笑う!!
にっこり笑って 鋭くなって 笑って笑って 風鋭くなって

* * *

The Iron Wind Sharpens

Lyrics: Mukai Shutoku
Trans.: Alex Fyffe

He went down to the river
to toss in his crazed cat
said farewell with a little Buddhist prayer
and went back home in a used tank he found there

The stray cat he called A
dropped dead in 3-choume
but he’s crying because he lost
the manga badge from his baseball cap

the wind, the wind’s getting sharper

snot drips from his nose, he wears his cap at an oblique angle

In the evening I am standing on a bridge,

bolts rusted red, on the Sumida River
someone plays with flowers on a pleasure boat

The wind’s getting sharper, slams against the iron rivets of the bridge
I am on the bridge, the wind envelops me, getting sharper
sunset washes over a samurai who has time to play with flowers
the wind’s getting sharper, grinning geisha girls

The light in the eyes of the stray city cats is getting sharper
boys pick up baseballs in the iron wind
yes, it’s getting sharper, and they meet the eyes of the grinning girls
the wind’s getting sharper, and the city girls grin!!
grinning, getting sharper, laughing, laughing, the wind is getting sharper

Notes:

Trans. 2008. Revised 2011.

3-choume = district 3.