Nagayama Youko - Jon kara Onna Bushi

It's been forever since I posted here but it's about time that I started again. After about 5 months of my new life in Japan I think I've settled in pretty well. Here's one of my favorite enka songs.

雪は下から 舞い上がり 赤い裳裾に まといつく太棹三味線 女の旅路 燃えるくすぶる はじける愚図る 離れられない 男(ひと)がいる じょんからじょんから わかって欲しい バチの乱れは 気の乱れ別れ言葉は 言わせない 深みにはまった 女の弱み 男ごころは 風より軽い 月にかくれて されるまま じょんからじょんから 哭かせて欲しい 鉛色した 空の色春は私にゃ 遠すぎる 太棹たたけば 糸さえ切れる 憎いいとしい せつない辛い指にからまる 女節 じょんからじょんから あんたが欲しい

Snow dances up around me Clinging to my the red hem of my skirt A shamisen, a woman's journey I burn and smolder, I split and fume There's a man I can't let go of I want to make you understand with the sound of my strings The chaos of my pick is the chaos of my heart I won't let you say goodbye This is the weakness of woman who fell too hard The heart of a man is more fickle than the wind Now, as I'm hidden by the moon I want to make you cry with the sound of my strings The sky is the colour of metal Spring is too far from me When I pluck the shamisen its strings snap Hateful, dear, heartrending, painful -- the song that twines around my fingers I want to keep you with the sound of my strings

Luna Sea: "SHADE" and "TIME IS DEAD" English Translation

Luna Sea is Japanese band that began in the visual kei vein in the late 1980's. They're very influential in that scene, though they'd pretty much moved on from that style by the time they broke up in 2000. They re-formed in 2010 for a world reunion tour, and released their first new single since disbandment just this past March. The members are J (bass) and Inoran (guitar), who were founding members, and Shinya (drums), Sugizo (guitar/violin) and Ryuichi (vocal). They have a facebook and all.

The first song I heard of theirs was the 'never-give-up' ballad "UP TO YOU." It's still my all-time favorite Luna Sea song, but I'll introduce you to some others here.

"SHADE"
By the way (or b-t-dubs, as the young say): do you ever listen to Japanese music and the う's start to sound like French ue's? Almost like い's? I notice it a little in this song, but much more in the next one.

招かれた絶望　エナメルの夜に ガラスの心崩れ落ちて　残ったものは…  壊れた砂時計　悲しみを刻む 冷たく包み込む　あなたのような影  この苦しみを呉れてやる この悲しみを呉れてやる この苦しみを呉れてやる　Ah  Throw a shadow on me

Despair visited me, one black night  My glass heart shattered and all that's left is...  A broken hourglass, marking my sadness  A shadow like you, engulfing me I'll let you taste this bitterness  I'll let you taste this sadness  I'll let you taste this bitterness Ah Throw a shadow on me

"TIME IS DEAD" (the 'reboot' version and the 90's version, which starts about 4:00). I like how they both have the same pose in the thumbnails, ふふふ. The lyrics on the lyric sites are a little different that what he sings at two moments (like for one he isn't saying 仕掛けが, he's saying けりかりくあ or something I dunno I listened to it too many times to care anymore), so I kind of just went with whatever I thought made more sense. I like corrections if you have some.

崩れ行く 現実は 残された 死を選ぶ  思い出せない 歯型の跡に気がふれる  土に帰れば 幸せは来る? 仕掛けが 生れ  月の光を すべてを 引き換えに微笑んでいた  思い出せない 歯型の跡に気がふれる 土に帰れば 幸せは来る?  仕掛けが 続き  雨を降らせる ネ・フ・テ・ュ・ス 毒を降らせる ア・ヌ・ビ・ス  捕らわれた 人々は 禁断の 赤い実を齧じる  思い出せない アダムとイブの誤ちが  歴史のフィルム 終わらせていた  仕掛けが 終わる  その目が閉じる時 ネ・フ・テ・ュ・ス  もう戻れない ア・ヌ・ビ・ス  「月の光の下 終る」

Our crumbling reality chooses death, all that remains  We are all driven mad by these teethmarks that no one can remember  If we return to dust will we be happy?  The game has begun  We laughed in exchange for the moonlight, for everything  We are all driven mad by these teethmarks that no one can remember  If we return to dust will we be happy?  The game continues  Nepthys brings us rain   Anubis brings us poison  The captives nibble at the forbidden red fruit  The sin of Adam and Eve, lost to our memory, ended the reel of history  The game is over  When those eyes close Nepthys  We can't go back Anubis  "It ends beneath the moonlight"