#hyakumannayuta no chiri SCUM

[eyelectricmoon]

BUCK-TICK 百万那由多ノ塵SCUM (Hyakumannayuta no chiri SCUM) - English translation & romaji

"Millions and trillions of dust SCUM"

We are not alone Even if we lose our way and sight We are not alone We’ll meet some day, in the wind Suspended in the darkness, burning How you longed for that warmth Suspended in the darkness, burning How you longed for that sun Don’t forget, you have to reach your destination

Millions and trillions of garbage Millions and trillions of lives and dreams Millions and trillions of garbage Millions and trillions of lives and dreams

We are not alone Even if we lose our way and sight We are not alone We’ll meet some day, in the wind Don’t forget, you have to reach your destination

Millions and trillions of garbage Millions and trillions of lives and dreams Millions and trillions of garbage Millions and trillions of lives and dreams

original kanji & romaji under cut

kanji

俺たちは独りじゃない はぐれても迷っつていても 俺たちは独りじゃない 風の中  いつか会うんだ 闇に浮かんで燃えてる 温かさがそう欲しかった 闇に浮かんで燃えてる あの太陽が  そう欲しかった 忘れるな辿り着けるはず

百万那由多の塵介 百万那由多の夢命 百万那由多の塵介 百万那由多の夢命

俺たちは独りじゃない はぐれても迷っつていても 俺たちは独りじゃない 風の中  いつか会うんだ 忘れるな辿り着けるはず

百万那由多の塵介 百万那由多の夢命 百万那由多の塵介 百万那由多の夢命

romaji

oretachi wa hitori janai haguretemo mayotteitemo oretachi wa hitori janai kaze no naka itsuka aunda yami ni ukande moeteru atatakasa ga sō hoshikatta yami ni ukande moeteru ano taiyō ga sō hoshikatta wasureru na tadoritsukeru hazu

hyakuman nayuta no chiri kai hyakuman nayuta no yume inochi hyakuman nayuta no chiri kai hyakuman nayuta no yume inochi

oretachi wa hitori janai haguretemo mayotteitemo oretachi wa hitori janai kaze no naka itsuka aunda wasureru na tadoritsukeru hazu

hyakuman nayuta no chiri kai hyakuman nayuta no yume inochi hyakuman nayuta no chiri kai hyakuman nayuta no yume inochi

[gaijin-fujin-resonance]

百万那由多ノ塵SCUM / Hyakumannayuta no Chiri SCUM

SUBROSA starts with an echo of dripping water, a flickering cinematic landscape of staticky electronics and cold wind, before resolving into the warmest, chiming, bell-like guitar, rocking back and forth in open 4ths like a lullaby. Imai’s slightly gravelly voice, untreated, raw and honest, against the homespun crackle of a vinyl record, is a revelation. The first time I heard that opening line, I was shocked by his openness and sincerity, like an unexpected hug on a cold, blistering day. The gentle, fatherly reassurance of “We are not alone…” is a bold opening statement, setting the emotional tone for the rest of the album. Note the sweetness of that ‘we’. (Not a condescending ‘you’, not the pronounless Japanese vagueness so typical of Imai’s usual lyrics. We. Imai is right down in it with us.)

The form of the music is that late 80s / early 90s 4AD proto-shoegaze, all shimmering echoey reverb guitars on the verse, breaking into big, warm, fuzzy distortion on the chorus. It’s a grunge cliché because it’s so damn effective for a long, driving build to climax. But the moment the explosive drums kick in at 2:58, Toll demonstrates that for all the electronics and guitar pyrotechnics the band is famous for, Buck-Tick’s secret weapon is and has always been its sensitive, restrained and yet immensely powerful rhythm section. This is the essence of what B-T do, stripped completely bare. Build up a slightly inhuman, chattering electronic soundscape like a scifi CyberTokyo – all the better to show off the warmth and the humanity of the human musicians alternately working with the machines or struggling against them. Despite Imai’s cold, metallic cyborg fantasies, the humanity of life always wins. Whatever you are feeling, B-T are right there with you,

If you like this, then try: Blue Flower by Pale Saints

[yoursweetvalo]

百万那由多の塵SCUM

Millions and Millions of Garbage

Music and lyrics by Imai Hisashi

please feel free to correct this translation at any time! i’m in no way an expert and this is my interpretation of the lyrics. enjoy!

俺たちは独りじゃない

はぐれても迷っていても

俺たちは独りじゃない

風の中いつか会うんだ

we’re not alone

even if we’re apart or lost.

we’re not alone,

one day we will meet in the wind.

闇に浮かんで燃えてる

温かさがそう欲しかった

闇に浮かんで燃えてる

あの太陽がそう欲しかった

we wanted the warmth

floating and burning in the dark.

we wanted that sun

floating and burning in the dark.

忘れるな　辿り着けるはず

don’t forget. we will get there.

百万那由多の塵芥

百万那由多の夢命

百万那由多の塵芥

百万那由多の夢命

millions and millions of garbage

millions and millions of dreams and lives.

millions and millions of garbage

millions and millions of dreams and lives.

[gaijin-fujin-resonance]

SUBROSA TRACK BY TRACK

I'm going to try to do a musical analysis track-by-track of all the songs on Subrosa.

Although I originally planned to do it all on post, the first two entries simply got too long. So instead, here is a Master Post that I will update as I write and post them:

百万那由多ノ塵SCUM / Hyakumannayuta no Chiri SCUM

スブロサ SUBROSA

夢遊猫 SLEEP WALK - Muyubyo SLEEP WALK

From Now On

Rezisto

神経��な階段 / Shinkeishitsu na Kaidan

Raijin Fujin (have blogged about extensively already)

冥王星で死ね / Meiosei de Shine

遊星通信 / Yusei Tsushin

paradeno mori

ストレリチア / Strelitzia

Just a note on my methodology: I like to think of music writing as hermeneutics. What this means to me, is that listening to music (especially when it involves translation) is an active process, a evocative collaboration between the artist and the fan, in which the personal interpretations of individual listeners play an important role. That means all music is inherently polysemic, because each listener brings their own experiences, expectations and associations. There is no single correct meaning of a song (no, not even the songwriter's - though the songwriter can certainly say that certain readings are unintended). We tease out potential meanings.

I welcome interaction on hermeneutic posts! Please feel free to reblog, reply, or otherwise share to add your own layers of meaning. It's OK to disagree, offer alternative views, or even contradict what I have written. Disagreement is natural; it is an important part of thinking critically. The only thing I would ask is that you focus your disagreement on the text rather than the human writing it. This blog is a call-out free zone. Please focus on aesthetic judgement of the art, and try to leave moral judgement of other fans out of it. This includes accepting the fact that different fans have different headcanons around the songwriters, and that's OK.