SAYONARA DOLL Translation

Original Lyrics | Romanji Readings | English Translation | Translation Annotations

This song reminds me of feelings I've never had, and it engages me in ways I don't know how to comprehend. It's such a simple song, yet it has a great beauty to it enhanced by the imagery of the lyrics and the nostalgic background vocals.

SAYONARA DOLL
MONGOL800
ETC Works 2

夢を見ていた
長い長い夢を
昔々この島で
君と出会い恋に落ちた

まるでロミオとジュリエット
許されない恋
二人は愛を育む
争いをよそに

不条理な現実
言葉も国境も
壁という壁を
愛は越えた

争いは金を生み
悲しみや憎しみだけが残る
弱い者を盾に槍をつく
平和を餌に蠅が集る

忘れないでこの島を　この海を
いつの世も　いついつまでも

忘れないであの唄を　約束を
いつかまた出会える日まで
いつの世も　いついつ　いつまでも

夢を見ていた
長い長い夢を


SAYONARA DOLL
Mongoru Happyaku
ETC Works 2

Yume wo miteita
Nagai nagai yume wo
Mukashi mukashi kono shima de
Kimi to deai koi ni ochita

Marude ROMIO to JURIETTO
Yurusarenai koi
Futari ha ai wo hakugumu
Arasoi wo yoso ni

Fujorin na genjitsu
Kotobo mo kokkyou mo
Kabe to iu kabe wo
Ai ha koeta

Arasoi ha kane wo umi
Kanashimi ya nikushimi dake ga nokoru

Yowaii mono wo tate ni yari wo tsuku
Heiwa wo e ni hae ga takaru

Wasurenai de kono shima wo Kono umi wo
Itsu no yo mo Itsuitsu mademo

Wasurenaide ano uta wo Yakusoku wo
Itsu ka mada deaeru hi made
Itsu no yo mo Itsuitsu Itsumademo

Yume wo miteita
Nagai nagai yume wo

SAYONARA DOLL
MONGOL800
ETC Works 2

I’m dreaming
a long, long dream
of that far away time on that island
where I met you and fell in love.

We’re like Romeo and Juliet,
Our love could not be allowed
We let our love grow (1)
we’ll be indifferent to the struggle (2).

This absurd reality
of words and borders.
That wall,
our love climbed.
We struggled to get money,
and all we were left was sadness and hatred.
The weak take up their spear and shield,
and peace baits flies.
Don’t forget this island, or this sea
never, until the end of time (3)
Don’t forget this song, or our promise
until that day we can meet again
don’t ever forget, ever(4)
I dreamed a dream
It was a long, long dream.


Translation Annotations:

1. Hakugumu means to raise something, or cultivate like one cultivates talent, or a plant. I had trouble finding an English equivalent for some reason.
2. I’m not so sure of this one. I mean, I know that arasoi means struggle, but the yoso worries me. Since I not familiar with the word, I think I may have made a mistake in the translation. It is that, or it’s an Okinawan word that I do not know.
1. Ok… this doesn’t translate well, so I’ll explain it. He is trying to emphasize at what point it’s okay to forget the island and whatnot, but we don't really have words for itsumademo. The first line translates something like… never in this generation, and never until an unspecified that time that is far off. Not really beautiful, eh?
3. Same words as 1, I just translated them different to get the point across.

More from ETC Works 2

I'm not really sure why I didn't notice before, but MONGOL800 do a cover of the famous Nadasousou!

If you're curious, here is the original, sung by Rimi Natsukawa.

She is a famous Okinawan singer who I absolutely love. It is one of my many regrets not picking up one of her albums while I lived in Japan. If you're curious about her stuff, which is largely more traditional than Nadasousou, I went to the trouble of making you a short playlist of my favorites here.

This is MONGOL800's cover of the song, and as you can tell, they changed it pretty significantly.



Who are The Majestics that MONGOL800 are playing with? I have yet to find out. All I know is that I'm relatively sure it's not these guys.

Covering the Boom

On ETC Works 2, Monpachi covers a song by The BOOM, but it's not the one you would expect. That song, of course, is the song that was inspired by Okinawa, Shima Uta:



It's a beautiful song, right? It's also the reason why people think The BOOM is from Okinawa, though their hometown is actually in Yamanashi Prefecture. So, it's interesting to me that Monpachi would cover a song by a non-Okinawan band that has done Okinawanesque music, but choose a song completely unrelated to the styles they have been getting into (which is infusing traditional Okinawan music into their punk).

What is even more interesting is that the original song sounds like this:



Is that ska/reggae I hear in there? Isn't that what almost the entirety of ETC Works is? But why, then, does it sound like vaguely Okinawa country when Monpachi covers it?

(Unfortunately, I do have a youtube video of the song. May have to rectify that myself in the near future.)

It's just too fascinating for words!

Boku and Jelly Translation

Original Japanese | Romanji Reading | English Translation | Translation Annotations

While I've technically already translated half of Minami Kaze to Taiyou, I'm still going to call this the inaugural translation for the new album, ETC Works 2. After all, I've drawn a picture for it, and completed the entire translation!

As for the picture, I know the song conjures up less wintry theme, but I decided to relate it to the climate I'm used to, and not Okinawa. I still included a jelly fish, so I don't feel like it's too out of place.

Boku and Jelly
MONGOL800
Etc Works 2

彷徨う　定め
風に乗って　波に乗って
ゼロのなって　ユラユラ

漂う定め
風に乗って　波に乗って
ゼロになって　ユラユラ

ユラ　ユラ　ユラ　ユラ
ユラ　ユラ　ユラ　ユラ

水面に浮かぶ銀の月
ユラユラと　微笑む

さぁ迷う　ただただ　漂う
さぁ迷う　ただただ

漣踊る　海の月
ユラユラと　見守るの

Boku and Jelly
Mongoru Happyaku
ETC Works 2

Houkou Sadame
Kaze ni notte Nami ni notte
ZERO ni natte YURAYURA

Tadayou sadame
Kaze ni notte Nami ni notte
ZERO ni natte YURAYURA

YURA YURA YURA
YURA YURA YURA

Suimen ni ukabu Gin no Tsuki
YURAYURAto Hohoemu

Saa mayou Tadatada tadayou
Saa mayou Tadatada

Sazanami odoru Umi no tsuki
YURAYURAto Mimamoru no

Me and Jelly
MONGOL800
ETC Works 2

Our (1) fate is to wander,
to ride the wind, to ride the waves,
and to become nothing, swaying from side to side

Our fate is to drift,
to ride the wind, to ride the waves
and become nothing, swaying from side to side (2)

Drifting, drifting, drifting
drifting, drifting, drifting

The silver moon floats on the surface of the water
swaying from side to side, it’s smiling down on us

Well, we’ll be lost, only drifting (3)
well, we’ll be lost

The moon in the sea dances on the ripples
Swaying from side to side, it’ll watch over us.

Translation Annotations:

(1) This entire song is entirely bereft of subjects, so it’s not really clear whose fate it is to wander. That being said, since the song is called “Boku and Jelly” which translates as “Me and the Jellyfish”, I think I can safely assume he is saying we.

(2) Yurayura is an onomatopoeia used for ripples in water, or someone who is sort of drifting. It’s not a very easy word to translate. But, it is supposed to evoke the image of something moving back and forth.

(3) This is a cool twist of words! “only” in Japanese is often said as “tada”. When you say “tadatada” you are emphasizing that it is the only thing (seriously!). The next word, to drift, is pronounced tadayou. So, he played on the sound “tada” to make a cool sentence.

ETC Works

I haven't lived in Japan for two years, so imagine the massive amount of ambivalence I was feeling when Monpachi announced their new album. Joy for new music, but chagrin and not being able to easily obtain it.

It turns out that facebook is a magical thing. I may have mentioned there(read: proclaimed loudly and complainedly) that I wished I could have the album, and one of my best friends from Japan happened to see it. One month later, the doorbell rings while I'm in the shower. When I come out, my roommate hands me a package from Japan.

I am total EXCITE when I see this. I frantically unbind it from his cardboard wrapping, and find ETC. Works 2!

Needless to say, there was much squealing.

There is still much squealing.

There will be much squealing.