I'm trying to keep up my Japanese by translating songs, though I'm still very much a beginner. Most of the music I listen to is Vocaloid related, but there may be some variation here and there. I'm open to requests and questions!
Comments: This was a request! I took the lyrics from a Youtube comment, but it turned out to have quite a few typos, so I based my translation off the subtitles in the video itself. Enjoy!
That day, the playground I was gazing at,
Gently soaked in the blue sky
In a suddenly empty classroom,
You were already gone
Yesterday, in the book I couldn't read,
Was a boy with an unwavering dream
He was chasing a red star
That’s what I wanted to become
The more I pray,
The more harsh words travel along my throat
My reflection on the window of the last train,
What kind of person does it look like?
Ah, the location of youth,
And the rules of happiness haven’t been found, so
Even smothered in mud,
Even with clumsy feet,
I must still be searching for them
I must still be working towards them
Ah, we boys,
The passion of everyday, and the promises,
If they’ll just disappear again,
If they’ll pass us by,
Let’s just leave them here
Since they stood strong in the same world
On the other side of the road is a version of myself,
They’re calling out with an innocent smile
Surely, they arrived before me
I’ve got to go to the home that won’t disappear
The more wounds I get,
The clearer my threshold for continuing becomes
At the starting line, my pulse races
That constant sound will never change
Ah, the location of youth,
And the true goal are still far ahead, so
Surely, even the adults,
Like innocent children,
Must still be continuing on,
Must still be continuing forward
Ah, we boys,
The struggles of everyday, from here on out,
In both the window of our eyes and next to our hearts,
They will surely shine on forever
You should realize it soon enough
Taking along anxieties and unrelenting fears,
Unable to fly, I’m still spreading my wings
Naturally, that place becoming my motivation,
More than anyone else, I’m looking forward to it
Ah, we boys,
If there is unease in our hearts,
Surely that itself,
Surely in all of the world,
Those feelings are the most beautiful
Ah, the location of youth,
Beyond its first page, once again,
You, with a smile and trembling voice, are gently whispering
“I was standing strong in the same world”
“I’m standing strong in the same future”
“When stepping into a foreign country, everyone is a mirror Alice;
Before throwing out tradition, I have a feeling that there was something else there..( Θ)”
Comments: This was a request! I gave it my best shot, though it’s very abstract... See below the lyrics for notes!
Be Alice…
To Abyss…
Weep Alice…
Welcome to you!
The mirror principle, a lost child in chains
A self-righteous mutation
Change me... Change me…
And the loyalty currently loaded with earnest prayers
Knock wood... Knock wood…
In hopes to point out the uncovered criminal
Seeking out the rare twinkle or just relying on fate,
No, I refuse them both; to the point of rejecting anything immobile,
I want to be pragmatic
Door to the heart, door to the heart,
Alice* is pressed against the inside
A nameless person of a nameless nation
Breaking the rules, you are dropped back to earth
The foolishness of not recognizing a crime as a crime, and cruelty, together in a bouquet
The unforgettable you who passed by, not recognizing love as love
The momentary evil disappeared, onto the next suspicion
That’s right, instead of freedom to the point of no meaning,
I want the binding strength of reason
Door to the heart, door to the heart
Julia** is angry on the outside
Spinning a parasol, carrying a kitten,
With a blade held high, she’s a mean-spirited girl
Sneaking through the broken down door, a multitude of arrows are pointed towards the opening
I don’t need anything in hand, not the spear of irritation
For goodness sake, two identical souls’ committed deeds come down to… well...
The difference between emotional strife
Door to the heart, Door to the heart
What’s inside is Alice, dyed in red
Door to the heart, door to the heart
Julia is smiling, full of evil intent
Change the world, change the world
The world is filling up, with lost children learning,
Average residents,
And a lying savior
Notes:
* - Originally “亜理子,” which is a Japanese name that can be read as “Arisu,” “Ariko,” etc. Since the song directly references “Alice” in English, I took some liberties and romanized it.
** - Originally “珠理亜,” which you’ll notice is almost the previous “Alice” name but reversed. It’s pronounced “Juria,” which is typically romanized as “Julia.” This seems to be keeping with the motif of the mirror, with Alice and Julia being reflections of each other.
Comments: The original lyrics are in the Youtube video description. This was a request!
“If I don’t do my best, right here, right now, I won’t be able to do my best ever again”
There have been countless times like that in life
We truly only get one shot at this
Some sort of chance to take it all back,
No matter how much you cry, it won’t come around… To that I say,
Let’s think; if only once in your life, you were able to use your ultimate finisher,
Would you use it right now?
If you don’t win this, is this the end for you?
Surely, that’s not the case
No matter how many times, people will retreat, retreat away,
Climb up the road back home,
And get stronger along the way
“If I don’t do my best, right here, right now, I won’t be able to do my best ever again”
Why were there “countless times” like that?
The truth is, it’s not just the one shot we get,
I believe an endless amount of chances to take things back
Must exist out there
Let’s think; if only once in your life, you were able to use your ultimate finisher,
Would you attack here and now, at the cost of destroying yourself?
No way, don’t pull the ace from your sleeve for that
No matter how many times it takes, people will retreat, retreat away,
And by remembering the way home,
They become stronger
By retreating one million times and crying one million times,
We can dream of ultimate triumph, and continue living
Let’s think; if only once in your life, you were able to use your ultimate finisher,
Would you use it right now?
If you don’t win this, is this the end for you?
Surely, that’s not the case
No matter how many times, retreat, retreat away
It’s okay to run away, you know
No matter how many times, people keep climbing, climbing,
And they get stronger along the way
“Thank you to everyone’s support; this song has finally reached 10,000 views!”
Song Title: PASSIONAIRE
Music: yanagi
Vocals: MEIKO
NND Link: https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm1984267
Original Lyrics: https://piapro.jp/t/5AMe
Comments: This was a request! It’s a really fun song, please enjoy!
(come on, everybody! move your body!)
Tonight, it’s a crazy carnival
The rhythm of burning passion, it floods my system
So now! Let’s dance to our hearts’ content
Overflowing emotions hotly melt away our entanglements, it’s a dancing night!
In the evening dyed red, as the conga beat resounded,
The beach bonfire’s light this evening and Mr. Moon lured me out
Unrequited love hidden in my chest
Come on it’s starting, the mysterious, amazing festival; tonight’s wonderland
Bursting with sweat, my heart takes a turn
Aching for feeling, that woman turned with a sunny smile
A sweet-smelling target
Gather your courage, let’s sing and dance
Like the beat is about to burst open, let’s scream our excitement
※
Ignite love, a-yah-yah
Burning hearts, melt in the pulsing beat
Come on, throw out your tiresome mask
A 1 am dream encounter, spin to the starry sky
Tonight, it’s a crazy carnival
The rhythm of burning passion, it floods my system
So now! Let’s dance to our hearts’ content
Overflowing emotions hotly melt away our entanglements, it’s a dancing night!
(everybody dance now!)
Joining hands, it’s a rushing sensation
Lightly dye those cheeks with a blush
Clear your mind, tension flying high
Put your feelings into song
Comments: The original lyrics are in the Youtube video description. This is such a pretty song, I’ve been sitting on this translation for a while trying to get the nuances right...
“I’m sorry if I made you cry?”
This voice that always missed the mark,
Just past midnight,
I hid it behind a deep sigh
Hey, that's enough already,
Of pushing all those silly emotions under the covers
Ah, instead of that,
I’ll silently keep the ace up my sleeve
The curtain sways in the summer breeze,
It brushes against dry lips, and touches my voice
It’s bothering me; this state of affairs and the reasons behind it, I can't grasp it
Damp from tears soaked in faint moonlight,
If I swallow these bitter feelings,
Just how should I move on from this?
I'm pondering boring questions like that
Sorry for looking troubled
The voice that should be easily silenced;
It leaked through the outer layer of emotions,
And echoed with honesty
“Hey, that’s enough already”
The thorns hidden in those words rip at my body
Ah, instead,
I'll firmly bury it away, this tired lie
The audio keeps its slow tempo,
This deliberate melody keeping time hurts my ears
It's bothering me; it doesn't seem to match this situation at all
The bad feeling hiding in this weekend’s calendar,
Along with some coffee that’s gone cold, I gulp it all down
I'm looking for the words that will save the day
Dry lips met mine
It was so sudden, I was taken by surprise
I cautiously leaned in
After assenting to this inquiry,
As usual, I’ll turn off the lamp
The curtain sways in the summer breeze
Damp lips breathe it in, it touches my voice
It’s bothering me; this state of affairs and the reasons behind it, I can't grasp it
Well anyway, “It'd be nice if it was sunny on Sunday”
Entranced by this sweet every day,
I was able to get just past it today again, huh?
I'm pondering boring things like that
Well, that's enough, right?
I'll give in to my listlessness, and fall asleep
Hi everyone! I hope you guys have been able to take care of yourselves despite the crazy situation now. I’m incredibly lucky in that I am able to continue working from home (which is a safe environment for me).
I’m going to start working on some requests (from...... a year ago.....) and also clean up some translations I’ve done since I left (but didn’t post). I’m going to try and keep myself productive in these times. Please feel free to let me know if there’s a translation you’ve been looking for recently, and I’ll see what I can do.
Comments: The original lyrics are in the Youtube video description. Oh hey it’s me! I’m super rusty, but I hope this prompts you to check out ADA’s stuff. They only have a few songs right now, but I really like them.
Once again, I’ll get sick of it all, and everything will turn into lies.
Once again, I got sick of it all, and everything turned into lies.
The sky doesn’t wait for me; it’s a crimson sunset.
I don’t get any better. I never learn anything.
The town suddenly goes quiet,
And I get the feeling that I’m alone now, in the end
“Where should I go?” “...”
“Is it fine to stay here?” “...”
Once again, I get sick of it all,
Everything turns into lies, everything turns into lies, I wait for tomorrow.
Once again, I get sick of it all,
Everything turns into lies, everything turns into lies, I wait for tomorrow.
Whose words? Whose heart? Whose system? Who is this? Who is this?
Because I’ve gone off somewhere else.
Once again, I get sick of it all,
Everything turns into lies, everything turns into lies, I wait for tomorrow.
Once again, I get sick of it all,
Everything turns into lies, everything turns into lies, I wait for tomorrow.
Ah, I’ve made some ugly art without learning anything again today.
Ah, I’ve been waiting for tomorrow without going anywhere again today.
Ah, I’ve made some ugly art without learning anything again today.
Ah, I’ll wait for tomorrow without going anywhere again today.
Once again, I get sick of it all,
Everything turns into lies, everything turns into lies, I wait for tomorrow.
Once again, I get sick of it all,
Everything turns into lies, everything turns into lies, I wait for tomorrow.
秒針を噛む / Chewing on the Second Hand of the Clock (English Lyrics)
“Nice to meet you. I’m ACAne from ‘Zutto Mayonaka de Ii no ni.’”
Title: 秒針を噛む / Chewing on the Second Hand of the Clock
Music: ずっと真夜中でいいのに。 (Zutto Mayonaka de Ii no ni.)
Vocals: ACAね (ACAne)
NND Link: https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm33955869
Original Lyrics: https://piapro.jp/t/XvTN
Comments: I wanted to try my own hand at translating this! I found a great site here that offers an explanation for the cryptic final line of the song. They also go through their interpretation line-by-line in Japanese, which is pretty cool! See the bottom of the post for that note. This song is on Zutto Mayonaka de Ii no Ni’s first album, called “Tadashii Itsuwarikarano Kishou.” It’s available for purchase and I highly recommend it!
The illusion of my life was continuing as usual,
Then “I get it.” Was said once; it won’t go back to how it was
It was a premeditated crime, right? After crying during dinner,
You were laughing
“I feel the same way.” I’m racking up falsified feelings,
Breathing, keeping my thoughts to myself, always just accumulating things over time
No matter what, saying “goodbye” face-to-face,
That’s something I’m not qualified to do
Diving into the ashes, chewing the second hand of the clock,
In the middle of a daydream, I smashed it and broke it to pieces
But it didn’t break; it wouldn’t stop for me
Without knowing the “truth,” it just continues
Just like this, I want to steal away, hide, and forget
Even though there’s not a single thing I’ve come to understand,
Don’t come to me and apologize,
Because I don’t need any words without form
Side effects that won’t go away; “I’ll come to grips with it however I can.”
Leaving it at that, now there’s no way to return home
Even though it’s total bullshit, even though it wasn’t for my sake,
You defended that
My eyes and my mouth, they serve no meaning,
Because I’m so down in the dumps; I can’t move
So don’t look for me, will you do me a favor and leave me be?
No matter where you look, no matter where you are; I won’t open up
Diving into lungs, chewing the second hand of the clock,
In the middle of a daydream, I smashed it and broke it to pieces
But it didn’t break; it wouldn’t stop for me
If this charade is going to continue...
Just like this, I want to steal away, hide, and forget
Even though there’s not a single thing I’ve come to understand,
Don’t come to me and apologize,
Because I don’t need any words without form
Clinging and screaming, there’s no morning
Laughing, falling over, it’s pathetic
The fact that it’s not anyone’s fault,
I want to blame that on someone
“Am I really here, I wonder?”
I know the truth of the matter
Even though I’ve been abandoned, I still believe
Just like this, I want to steal away, hide, and forget
Just like this, I want to steal away, hide, and forget
Just like this, I want to steal away, hide, and talk
Even though there’s not a single thing I’ve come to understand,
Don’t come to me and apologize,
“Why me, who never trusts anyone?”
Because I don’t need unsalvageable lies
Hareta, reira*
* - The interpretation of this lyric that I’ve found I like the most (which I found on the site linked at the top) is something along the lines of “after the night, the sun breaks through.” “Hareta” in Japanese means the sun coming out, or the brightening of a situation. “Reira” in Arabic means “night,” which is where the "breaking through the darkness” comes from. So it seems our song protag was able to get over their horrible break up! The site also notes that “Reira” is a girl’s name, so it may also be the name of the protagonist in this song.
Comments: The original lyrics are in the Youtube video description. The title refers to a flower commonly known as Touch-Me-Not in English, but the scientific name is impatiens balsamina.
(The Dream was broken, You are the one
On another planet, Anything could happen)
No shoes,
No sense of discomfort,
I’ve become just like a wild beast
Leave the dirtied fruit
Hey, over here; catch me if you can
Follow the sound of my clapping*
What is there to do after a night full of stars?
You and your loud laughter, the rain that has yet to stop,
Please forgive me
I didn’t know what it meant to be loved,
And I’ve been living that way, until now
“It’s a new dawn,” or “It’s unneeded,” things like that,
Looking at this fire, those same words… ah,
There’s no way I could say them, right?
Isn’t it beautiful?
No shoes,
No sense of discomfort,
I’ve become just like a wild beast
Oh but, eventually all of this will be forgotten and disappear, huh?
You and your loud laughter, the rain that has yet to stop,
Please forgive me
I didn’t know what it meant to be loved,
And I’ve been living that way, until now
“It’s a new dawn,” or “It’s unneeded,” things like that,
Looking at this fire, those same words… ah,
There’s no way I could say them, right?
Isn’t it beautiful?
(The Earth was broken, You are the one
On another planet, Anything could happen)
* - From what I understand, this Japanese line specifically uses a catchphrase that’s said when you’re playing a Japanese game where one person is blindfolded (the “monster”) and has to catch everyone; everyone else has to clap their hands and chant while running. So if I were to replace it with the American equivalent, the line would become “Marco Polo.” But I thought it was might be kind of a mood killer.
Comments: Lyrics are in the description of the Youtube video. This is a song from mao sasagawa’s 2nd album, “The Season I Dreamed,” which is available on Itunes!
I hear the sound of an ambulance approaching
At 6 in the morning, I'm sleeping
On the pedestrian bridge I'm always walking on,
I’ll see how it looks with blood spilled on its scenery
Sometimes, things that I want to do don't really come to mind,
But besides that, I've had my dose of caffeine
If I'm in a dream, I can say whatever I want
Like “I love you,” or “I hate you,” or “I envy you;” I can say it all
The fact that there's no meaning to “you and me,”
Was said by the temperature of the neighborhood run-down telephone booth
The pronunciation of those ever-hated words;
It's a useless love, but still, I want to see you
The classmate I loved committed suicide a while ago,
And I just heard about it before this
If I'm in dream, I can do whatever I want
I can love, I can hate, I can envy; I can do it all
I want to try to touch the skin of someone I can't come to understand;
I want to know their same body temperature
I want to try to cut off the head of someone I can't come to understand;
I want to become the same type of animal
The smell of morning enters the dark room,
At 6 in the morning, I lamented everything
Even the always faint voice of the worst human being,
It’s begrudgingly desirable, and despised
The season that's died out,
Seems to be the only thing left to think about in this mind
If I'm in a dream, I can go anywhere
To love, to hate, to envy; everything
Everything is born at some point,
And it all dies, returning to the sea
Rather than use words, why don't you hurry and get out,
The voice caught in a spider's web
I've come to hate everything, everything
It's unforgivable, but it's growing, growing,
I want it to hurl it all outside the window
I want to try and touch the nakedness of someone who I can't come to understand;
I want to know their same body temperature
I want to cut the head off of someone I can’t come to understand, and make sure;
I want to become the same type of animal
Comments: I got a request to do this song! I found the lyrics here. This song is only on Kikuo and Hanatan’s collab album, “KikuHana Dai Ichi Maku.” There’s some reprints on Youtube if you’re interested in listening; but the song (and full album) is available on Itunes!
La la la...
I’m always being chased; this way, that way, fidgeting
I’m mesmerized by the torn atlas and the broken clock
Ah, how interesting, ah
Why? Why? Even with the blindfold, I didn’t notice
I don’t know where to go, I don’t know when I’ll arrive
Now, let’s run together on top of the abandoned road
Burning, festering, it’s all soot; time keeps going backwards
I’ll meet you whenever and wherever, so, until then
I’ll move, I’ll fidget, the clockwork spins
I move
I’m always turning, at the end of a road, fidgeting
With my broken sense of touch, I can only find dead ends
Yes, it is very interesting
Why? Why? The broken machine is screaming
I don’t know where to go, I don’t know when I’ll arrive
Let’s dance in the small garden of stained roses
Dissolving, crumbling, it’s all trash; Stepping, crossing, it’s just a bridge
I’ll meet you whenever or wherever; but now, despite that,
Once more I’m moving, fidgeting; and then the clockwork breaks
I stop moving
I want to be broken
I want to be broken, thrown away, and left to rest
I’m a complex robot, you see
It kind of feels like I have a heart
I want to be broken
I want to be broken, thrown away, and left to rest
I’m a complex robot, you see
It kind of feels like I have a heart
I want to be left to rest,
Since I’m moving until I can pierce you
I’m just messing around; until then,
There will be peace, oh
ウッドペッカーは夜泣く / The Woodpecker Cries at Night (English Lyrics)
“My Name is Yuukisan. This is my seventh upload.”
Song Title: ウッドペッカーは夜泣く / The Woodpecker Cries at Night
Music: 有機酸/ewe (Yuukisan)
Vocals: Flower
NND Link: https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm27373072
Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXHRYHEfRbw
Original Lyrics: https://piapro.jp/t/qPpt
Comments: The 5mg / 3mg lyric refers to types of cigarettes. I don’t smoke myself, but I tried my best to translate it accordingly. I’m still feeling pretty rusty getting back into translating, but I wanted to put this one out there since I’ve been sitting on it for a while!
“Excuse me over there, young miss, can you spare a little time?”
Glass-like superficial men, public indecencies, rude behaviors, low-ranking soldiers
"I’ll fill the cracks in your heart,"
The gold piece on the tongue that spits out such commonly-used one-liners,
Can it be consumed by Asperger’s?
There’s a ton of people, even though the town is garbage
I thought that, walking, walking, and getting tired of walking
And then thinking on it, I realize I've become garbage too
Getting together with the cleaning lady I met,
Working the exact equivalent of the happiness I received
My name is... what was it again?
You, with your laugh, are so cute
Seriously, to a disgusting degree
If you can, don’t leave that spot there, okay?
You, with your laugh, are so cute
Seriously, to a disgusting degree
Just watching, only just watching
Gazing at an unlit light bulb, I sighed
It comes and goes through the uncertain labyrinth of my mind
The woodpecker cries at night
It’s not me, it’s not me
From the other side of the wall, I waved
To the you watching the moon,
“Good night.”
Could the me of yesterday become
Something important to someone else?
But that’s all fine so, look over this way!
I swallowed and drank up exhaust fumes
5mg, the square root of 3mg,
It’s all good right, it doesn’t matter
Asking someone to give me praise,
That’s not what this is
“Since it’s just one piece of candy...”
It was plucked out with the tip of a fork,
Even though it was backed into the deepest corner of a layer
If we meet tomorrow, what should we talk about?
If it’s just one time, whether or not I’ll be forgiven,
After I return my heart to you,
Will be determined by the answer of a lonely desert
You, with your laugh, are so cute
Seriously, to a disgusting degree
I’ve got an unreliable core, more or less
If I’m not close enough to touch,
If it becomes painfully obvious,
I’ll just go and play hide and seek, in a dark nesting place
After a kiss from my cut lips, I started the trek home
Until everything is okay, rest here, then just leave whenever
I know about the lying,
I don’t hate it, I don’t hate it
The pouring rain strikes against the window,
And my heart creaks away
Gazing at an unlit light bulb, I sighed
When you try thinking about it calmly, it’s an age-old story
The woodpecker cries in the night
It’s not honesty, it’s not honesty
From the other side of the wall, I waved
To the you watching the moon,
“…Good night.”
クラスで一番人気のあの子は校舎の裏で人を殺した / The Most Popular Girl in Class Killed Someone Behind the School Building (English Lyrics)
“You like me, right?”
Song Title: クラスで一番人気のあの子は校舎の裏で人を殺した / The Most Popular Girl in Class Killed Someone Behind the School Building
Music: mao sasagawa
Vocals: Hatsune Miku
NND Link: https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm33283466
Youtube Link (Producer’s self-cover): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guVxiBNmq58
Comments: Long time no see, here’s a song someone requested! This song is intentionally vague at certain points, so I tried to keep that tone throughout. It’s been a while so I apologize for any awkward translations!
Ah, stop—until I can understand,
I want you to spare me some time
Ah, dive into it--until it’s over
I want you to spare me some life.
(That’s what I want)
Ah, turn back, turn back time
Ah, turn back, turn back time
Ah, turn back, turn back time
Ah, turn back
The most popular girl in class
Killed someone behind the school building
The most popular girl in class
Killed someone behind the school building
Ah--
Tricked, it was a matter of trickery, huh.
Ah--
Hidden, it was a matter of hiding away, huh.
(?)
“I lived in the worst way, so I became the worst”
Trust is just a form giving up, that much I know.
But that’s just fine, so won’t you whisk me away?
You like me, don’t you?
Electronica.
It’s love, you know? The afterlife, am I right?
The most popular girl in class
Killed someone behind the school
The most popular girl in class
Killed someone behind the school
Ah--
Tricked, it was a matter of trickery, huh.
Ah--
Fear, that’s what caused the mistake, huh.
Ah, turn back
Turn back time, if we turn back time…?
Because everything, right--is hidden that way for a reason.
Hi everyone! Wanted to apologize for my absence as usual and to report that I'll get started on some of the requests you guys sent me as best I can. Thanks for always sending me messages, even when I drop off the face of the planet. Life has been crazy busy as per the norm! I also have a bit of a ulterior motive, as this is the only crowd who will be as excited as me about this--I recently got to go to Japan and attended Vocaloid Master 40!! I met koyori, HarryP, ZenryakuP, and yukkedoluce and it was absolutely unreal. They were all so kind and put up with my jumbled Japanese (I was so nervous). They also all signed the CDs I bought! (ZenryakuP's album is not pictured but I bought that too.) If I get time, I'll work on translating the songs on these albums that may not be readily available online. It's on my to-do list. (If you guys want me to prioritize one, feel free to suggest it.)
Hi!!!! I just wanted to thank you for your translations, you've translated a lot of favorite songs, like cafne, hakidasu, and nuit... so yeah!!! Thank you for your hard work
Hi! Thanks so much!! I realize this is super late but I only just saw this, I appreciate the message :)