Song Lyrics Thread

[Asarii]

I know this a silly thread considering the fact that most songs aren't written in English. However, it's still possible to know what the songs are about even if they're translated. Discussion questions:

• Which song lyrics are your favourites?
• What are the most romantic/happy/sad/fierce/etc lyrics?
• If the artist is a singer-songwriter who do you think has the best songwriting ability?
• Do you like English being sprinkled into songs?

Remember to credit the translator or link to a source for common net courtesy!

---

I love Ayu's song lyrics- especially her ballads. Translations taken from here.

Most romantic:

What you offered straight to me
With a smile for the last time
Was just so beautiful
That I gave way to tears

Surely, that day
The two of us touched love

We sought for each other
Lost ourselves at times
And found each other at last
So whatever result may be waiting for us

It's nothing but
Destiny

la la la la la la la la la la
la la la la la la la la la la

In the sky you set out for
Stars are shining tenderly upon me

Stay by my side, my love
Crossing over time and changing your shape
You see? The future we haven't yet seen
Remains here like this

Stay by my side, my love
Crossing over time and changing your shape
The future we haven't yet seen
Remains here

Trust me, my love
You live within me
So I'll never
Say good-bye to you

Surely, that day
The two of us touched love

The saddest:

This year, another season has passed.
Memories have become faded.
The border between my vague dream and
reality has become blurred.

Even so, the dream I once told you of
had not a single lie in it.
La La-i

Today was fun,
and tomorrow will surely be fun as well.
"These days will continue forever,"
or so I thought at the time.

Throughout the endless days I felt
as if something was missing.

I blamed it on these unnatural times,
and just gave up.
La La-i

Today was very sad,
and even if I cry tomorrow,
someday the time will come that I can laugh
and remember the time we had together.

How much time must pass by,
in this finite existence of ours?
We'll live in the now,
and what will we find?

---

My preference is no English in the lyrics at all. Sometimes it's out of place, and often times grammatically incorrect. If one MUST add a word or two in a foreign language, I wish it would be something other than English; Sound Horizon for example has used French, Greek, German and Russian.

[phio_chan]

It's not a silly thread!

Which song lyrics are your favourites?

I guess I'll share my current favorite one:

There’s no way that I can love someone
But I want to be loved by someone
Even if yesterday stays unchanged forever
We can’t go anywhere, you and me

Oh God, where did you go?
Hey, but there’s no answer
It’s always like this

Are you still here?

You’ll never walk alone
I’ll go with you
Carrying any sin you’ve got
I’ll walk down the pathless road
All alone with you

Translation by Words of Songs

What are the most romantic/happy/sad/fierce/etc lyrics?

Let's see, I guess I'll add it as I think of it, but now I can share the most romantic lyrics I've heard so far:

Se di noi due uno solo potesse ricever l’amor del’mondo,
io sarei felice di donarlo a te.
“if one of us, only one, could take the world’s love,
I would be happy to give it to you”

Accettalo senza esitazione, te ne prego.
Io ti stringo dolcemente nell’abbraccio del mio amore piū sincere
“Accept it without hesitation, please, I gently hold you in the embrace of my sincerest love”

Te ne prego, va avanti per la strada che tu credi.
Prego perchè tu non perda mai la tua anima pura e sincera.
“Please, follow the road in which you believe.
I pray for you not to lose your pure and sincere soul.”

Se uno di noi due fosse scelto per il regno della morte,
io sarei felice di offrirmi.
"If one of us should be chosen for the realm of death,
I’d willingly, happily voulunteer"

Ti prego, non essere triste,
perchè io già ricevo da te tanta felicità da non meritarla
"Please, don’t be sad,
because I already receive from you so much happiness that I don’t deserve it"

Il mio cuor ti sarà per sempre vicino, per sempre vicino
"My heart will always be by your side, always"

Prego perchè quel tuo sorriso gentile non si oscuri mai, non si oscuri mai
"I pray for your gentle smile to never fade in darkness, never fade in darkness"

Se di noi due uno solo potesse ricever l’amor del’mondo,
io sarei felice di donarlo a te
“if one of us, only one, could take the world’s love,
I would be happy to give it to you”

Prego perchè quel tuo sorriso gentile, sorriso non si oscuri mai,
"I pray for your gentle smile, your smile, to never fade in darkness"

Translation by Palace Behind the Moon

• If the artist is a singer-songwriter who do you think has the best songwriting ability?
• Do you like English being sprinkled into songs?

supercell and EGOIST have their lyrics all done by the group's leader, ryo. And I have to say he's awesome in doing both, even though he said it was hard to think of words which were appropriate for the singers. Akiko Shikata sometimes writes her own lyrics, although in Sorriso it was someone else. Her lyrics are more calm, I think, if I compare it to ryo. I love both style.

ryo often adds English phrases or sentences in his lyrics. I personally don't mind as long as it matches the song. I don't really like how Japanese pronounce English sometimes because it sounds weird, but I suppose it's hard to overcome given their strong accent. I appreciate the effort, though. And also there are some Japanese with good English. Akiko Shikata, in other side, totally love to mix many languages in her songs. Sorriso is purely in Italian, but sometimes she add Italian or German or Greek or Hymmnos (from the game Ar tonelico) and who knows how many more she can add in a song. While I don't really mind songs like that, I prefer songs in one language from top to the end. I feel like it conveys the message stronger in one language. But that's just me, maybe. XD

And Asa-chan, Seasons lyrics is very sad but pretty!

[Asarii]

There are beautifully written lyrics!

EGOIST sings the ending theme for Psycho-Pass, right? All Alone With You is a nice song as well.

supercell and EGOIST have their lyrics all done by the group's leader, ryo. And I have to say he's awesome in doing both, even though he said it was hard to think of words which were appropriate for the singers. Akiko Shikata sometimes writes her own lyrics, although in Sorriso it was someone else. Her lyrics are more calm, I think, if I compare it to ryo. I love both style.

That's the tough part about being a songwriter whose songs are sung by other people. Although it may sound right in one's head, it might turn out completely different depending on who's singing. At least in All Alone With You, the vocalist does a good job interpreting ryo's lyrics.

ryo often adds English phrases or sentences in his lyrics. I personally don't mind as long as it matches the song. I don't really like how Japanese pronounce English sometimes because it sounds weird, but I suppose it's hard to overcome given their strong accent. I appreciate the effort, though. And also there are some Japanese with good English. Akiko Shikata, in other side, totally love to mix many languages in her songs. Sorriso is purely in Italian, but sometimes she add Italian or German or Greek or Hymmnos (from the game Ar tonelico) and who knows how many more she can add in a song. While I don't really mind songs like that, I prefer songs in one language from top to the end. I feel like it conveys the message stronger in one language. But that's just me, maybe. XD

There are times when accents disappear when singing, but sometimes it's hard to make out English words if the vocalist is obviously not used to the language. It also comes with confidence as well: if the singer belts out foreign lyrics without being afraid then the accent is not as noticeable. Shiina Ringo is a good example of someone who can sing in English even though she is not a native speaker.

Yeah, it can be confusing if more than one language is used in a single song. It's easier to understand what the song is about if the lyric is written the same throughout.

And Asa-chan, Seasons lyrics is very sad but pretty!

Isn't it? I remember I used to keep a log of Ayu's lyrics, and SEASONS was one of my favourites.

[phio_chan]

EGOIST sings the ending theme for Psycho-Pass, right? All Alone With You is a nice song as well.

Yes, for both endings. And I love them both.

That's the tough part about being a songwriter whose songs are sung by other people. Although it may sound right in one's head, it might turn out completely different depending on who's singing. At least in All Alone With You, the vocalist does a good job interpreting ryo's lyrics.

Reading about it at Wikipedia, looks like it's especially hard for ryo because he originally composed pieces for Vocaloid to sing. Since it's not a living being, he said he didn't have to worry about strange or open lyrics. While he needs to be more thoughtful now because he composes for humans. Very interesting. But I agree that the singers do well in song interpretation. It comes with the right atmosphere. So kudos to both of them. XD

There are times when accents disappear when singing, but sometimes it's hard to make out English words if the vocalist is obviously not used to the language. It also comes with confidence as well: if the singer belts out foreign lyrics without being afraid then the accent is not as noticeable. Shiina Ringo is a good example of someone who can sing in English even though she is not a native speaker.

Yeah, it can be confusing if more than one language is used in a single song. It's easier to understand what the song is about if the lyric is written the same throughout.

I guess so, eh? Confidence helps to sharpen the performance even if you actually can't do too well. I wonder if these singers have short session in English or something when they sing with it? Or in other languages if they sing in other languages. Listeners with their native language being used in the song can tell whether the singer does well or not, so I wonder if the singers do some 'research' before using a specific language in their song for best performance. XD ***

[Asarii]

Yes, for both endings. And I love them both.

Neat! I like the previous ED too. I'd have to check out more of her songs then.

Reading about it at Wikipedia, looks like it's especially hard for ryo because he originally composed pieces for Vocaloid to sing. Since it's not a living being, he said he didn't have to worry about strange or open lyrics. While he needs to be more thoughtful now because he composes for humans. Very interesting. But I agree that the singers do well in song interpretation. It comes with the right atmosphere. So kudos to both of them. XD

This makes sense: creating songs for Vocaloids and actual people are very different things. If something doesn't sound right, Ryo could easily adjust the program himself; it's harder to instruct someone else in comparison. (It's probably why I tend to prefer Vocaloid songs sung by Vocaloids as opposed to live covers because the "mechanical" voices are part of what makes up the songs.)

I guess so, eh? Confidence helps to sharpen the performance even if you actually can't do too well. I wonder if these singers have short session in English or something when they sing with it? Or in other languages if they sing in other languages. Listeners with their native language being used in the song can tell whether the singer does well or not, so I wonder if the singers do some 'research' before using a specific language in their song for best performance. XD

Perhaps singers might not need a session for short simple phrases, but it's definitely needed if they're going to sing a whole chorus, verse or even the entire song in a foreign language. Japanese speakers are able to manage Italian pronunciations well so I'm not sure why not a lot of people (with strong accents) go for Italian instead!

[phio_chan]

I hope it's okay to write this here.

Anyway, sometimes I have trouble understanding Japanese lyrics. Not in understanding the English translation as it is, but to understand the whole atmosphere/theme of the song. For example:

Mizu no naka ni yoru ga yureteru
Kanashii hodo shizuka ni tatazumu
Midorinasu kishibe
The night is wavering in the water
The greening shore is so still and silent
That it is painful*

Utsukushii yoake wo
Tada matte iraretara
Kirei na kokoro de
If only I could wait
For a beautiful dawn
With a pure heart...

Kurai umi to sora no mukou ni
Arasoi no nai basho ga aruno to
Osiete kureta no wa dare
Dare mo ga tadori tsukenai
Soretomo dareka no kokoro no naka ni
Who told me that
There is a land without any conflicts
Beyond the dark seas and skies?
No one can reach that land,
Or perhaps it only exists in someone's heart

Mizu no nagare wo shizumete
Kureru daichi wo uruosu shirabe
Ima wa doko nimo nakutemo
Kitto jibun de te ni ireruno
Itsumo, itsuka, kitto
A melody that can quench the thirst
Of the land that calms the waters' flow
Even if it does not exist anywhere right now,
I will come to possess it
Always, someday, for sure

Mizu no akashi wo kono te ni
Subete no honoo wo nomikonde nao
Hiroku yasashiku nagareru
Sono shizukesa ni tadoritsuku no
Itsumo, itsuka, kitto
Anata no te wo tori...
Let the token of water be in my hands
Even after engulfing all the flames,
It still continues to flow, gently and broadly
I will reach its tranquility
Always, someday, for sure
With your hand in mine...

The arrangement is beautiful, so Kajiura-ish. But I didn't really understand the whole meaning. Maybe because I don't follow the series it's used on (Mizu no Akashi is an insert song for Gundam Seed). Maybe I find the term "mizu no akashi" (token of water? I knew "akashi" as "proof" or "record"). When combined the words feel just strange. But I still enjoy the song.

Ever felt like that?