Real Good Japanese Song: English Translation for “怪獣の花唄(Kaijyu no Hanauta)” by Vaundy and Analysis on the Song Lyrics

Music Video of “Kaijyu No Hanauta” by Vaundy

Hello everyone. Today, I’d like to introduce a song which is very fresh and trendy in today’s Japanese music scene. The artist name is “Vaundy”, who is a university student but thought to be a great and very talented musician. I haven’t heard his songs that much, but a month ago, one of my students used a song called “怪獣の花唄(Kaijyu No Hanauta)” in a school festival and I was very impressed with the song’s beautiful and emotional melody line. So, today, I’d like to make an original translation for this great song, and try to analyze the song’s message.

My English Translation Lyrics of “Kaijyu No Hanauta” by Vaundy

思い出すのは君の歌 (omoidasunowa kiminouta)
What I recall is your song
会話よりも鮮明だ(kaiwa yorimo senmeida)
It’s more vivid than conversations
どこに行ってしまったの(dokoni itte shimattano)
Where have you gone?
いつも探すんだよ(itsumo sagasundayo)
I’m always trying to find

思い出すのは君の歌(omoidasunowa kiminouta)
What I remember is your song
歌い笑う顔が鮮明だ(utaiwaraukaoga senmeida)
A face of singing and smiling is so vivid
君に似合うんだよ(kimini niaundayo)
It just suits you
ずっと見ていたいよ(zutto miteitaiyo)
I want to see it forever

でも最後に見たいのは (demo saigo ni mitainowa)
But what I want to see for the last
きっともう君の夢の中 (kitto mou kimino yumenonaka)
Is perhaps in your dream
もう一度(mouichido)
Once again
また聞かせてくれよ (mata kikasete kureyo)
Please let me listen to again
聞きたいんだ (kikitainnda)
I wanna listen

もっと (motto)
More
騒げ怪獣の歌 (sawage kaijyu no uta)
A Song for Monsters, Be louder
まだ消えない(mada kienai)
It hasn’t disappear yet
夢の歌唱えて(yumeno uta tonaete)
Sing the dreamy song
君がいつも (kimiga itsumo)
You are always
歌う怪獣の歌 (utau kaijyu no uta)
Singing the Song for Monsters
まだ消えない (mada kienai)
It hasn’t vanished
口ずさんでしまうよ (kuchizusande shimauyo)
I still find myself humming

思い出すのは (omoidasunowa)
What I do remember is
君がいた (kimiga ita)
That you were there
ギター持ってる (gitaa motteru)
Holding the guitar
君がいた (kimiga ita)
You were there
忘れられないんだよ(wasurerarenaindayo)
I can’t forget it
だから僕が歌うよ (dakara boku ga utauyo)
So I want to sing

でも最後に見たいのは (demo saigoni mitai nowa)
But what I want to see for the last
きっともう君の夢の中 (kitto mou kimino yumeno naka)
Maybe in your dream
もう一度 (mouichido)
Just once again
また聞かせてくれよ (mata kikasete kureyo)
Let me just listen one more time
聞きたいんだ (kikitainda)
I wanna listen

もっと (motto)
I need more
騒げ怪獣の歌 (sawage kaijyu no uta)
A Song for Monsters, Be louder
まだ消えない(mada kienai)
It hasn’t disappear yet
夢の歌唱えて(yumeno uta tonaete)
Sing the dreamy song
君がいつも (kimiga itsumo)
You are always
歌う怪獣の歌 (utau kaijyu no uta)
Singing the Song for Monsters
まだ消えない (mada kienai)
It hasn’t vanished
口ずさんでしまうよ (kuchizusande shimauyo)
I still find myself humming

落ちてく過去は鮮明で (ochiteku kakowa senmeide)
A falling past is vivid
見せたい未来は繊細で (misetai miraiwa sensaide)
And a future I want to show is sensitive
すぎてく日々には鈍感な君へ (sugiteku hibiniha donkanna kimie)
And for you feeling dull for days passing away

ねぇ、もっと (ne motto)
Hey, More

騒げ怪獣の歌 (sawage kaijyu no uta)
A Song for Monsters, Be loud
まだ消えない(mada kienai)
It hasn’t disappear yet
夢の歌唱えて(yumeno uta tonaete)
Sing the dreamy song
君がいつも (kimiga itsumo)
You are always
歌う怪獣の歌 (utau kaijyu no uta)
Singing the Song for Monsters
まだ消えない (mada kienai)
It hasn’t vanished
口ずさんでしまうよ (kuchizusande shimauyo)
I still find myself humming

ねぇ、僕ら (ne bokura)
Again, we are
眠れない夜に手を伸ばして (nemurenai yoruni tewo nobashite)
Reaching out for a sleepless night
眠らない夜をまた伸ばして (nemuranai yoruwo mata nobashite)
Extending a night that never sleeps
眠くないまだね (nemukunai madane)
I’m not sleepy yet
そんな日々でいたいのにな (sonna hibide itainonina)
I just want to spend such days
懲りずに (korizuni)
I never learns but
眠れない夜に手を伸ばして (nemurenai yoruni tewo nobashite)
Reaching out for a sleepless night
眠らない夜をまた伸ばして(nemuranai yoruwo mata nobashite)
Extending a night that never sleeps
眠くないまだね (nemukunai wo madane)
I’m not sleepy yet
そんな夜に歌う(sonna yoru ni utau)
I’m singing in such night
怪獣の歌 (kaijyu no uta)
Song for Monsters

My song analysis on “Kaijyu No Hanauta” by Vaundy

Again, it’s a very beautiful and mysterious song. As a Japanese, hearing this song, I couldn’t help thinking of my youth, teenage years. As always, a great Jpop song’s lyrics has sometimes very abstract lyric and thanks to that, these can remind us many kind of things and interpretations.

So, What is the “Song for Monsters”? Is the monster, me or you or him or her? However, we need to listen such great songs not by brains but hearts and body I think. Then, I feel like the song is a message song that says we should’t forget what we felt when we were young even after you became adult. Maybe monster is a metaphor of our youth, and “A song for monsters” can be also translated into “a song of monsters”. So, when I heard the line of “A song of monsters, be louder” it felt so emotional and I was almost crying. We shouldn’t forget a precious days of monsters.

Anyway, thank you very much for reading. Here is a gig live video clip of Vaundy and can see the live ver. of the song. His voice is so great that it can be felt even better than the original version.

A song for monsters starts from around 4:37

Thank you very much for reading the article. I would prefer your comments or some other topic requests for me to write. Please write a comment or give me an email through contact page.

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Analysis of Japanese Song Lyrics: “水平線(Suiheisen: horizontal line)” by backnumber

Hello everyone. It is terribly hot these days in Japan. I’m OK because I live in the northern part of Japan, but if you live in Tokyo, the temperature can kill you. Every person seems like soft-boiled people in Tokyo when I visited a week ago and of course including me though. The funniest and confusing scene I saw in Tokyo was everyone wore masks even in the station in outside. WHY JAPANESE PEOPLE…? Then I thought they will die soon due to not COVID but heatstroke.

Anyways, recently I’ve received an email of inquiry. Since I could hardly have received such email so far, I was so happy by receiving email(you can send me from the “contact” page in the menu). Then I was so happy that I asked the person what do you want me to write about in this blog. Then the person kindly suggested me that the analysis of Japanese song lyrics can be a good topic since the person feel something important can be lost through Google translating.

Then I thought, that would be great! And the person said “Perhaps some of back number’s would be great!” Great! I love back number too! So, let’s start with the latest hit song: Suiheisen!

“Suiheisen” is loved by many people especially by Japanese High schoolers.

Listing to the song, we can feel some sad and happy, such mixed feelings. But to me, a sad atmosphere outweighs the positive one. Watching the MV, a Japanese female high school student throw everything away and walk into the sea, I couldn’t understand what the MV wants to describe. Bullying or something? I thought. However, the song was actually dedicated a certain kind of people. You can check the caption by the artist just down below the video page.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqEr3P78fz8&ab_channel=backnumber

Here is my brief translation.

The spreading of COVID-19 gave a huge impact on our daily lives, and we were forced to have had a tough decisions as a back number. And then, Inter-High School Competition (High School national tournament for sports clubs) has canceled for the first time of its long history, and some high school students who strived for holding the tournament gave a letter to us. Mr. Shimizu, who worked hard for the tournament of track and field when he was a high school student, realized that the tournament was supposed to be held in his home town Gunma prefecture, and their band’s song “SISTER” should have been played in the opening ceremony, and then he tried to do something for them and suddenly he created the song “Suihensen” We would like to publish this song today of October 18th, when the opening ceremony of the tournament should have been held.

Then, everything made sense to me. That’s why the song is such a moving song.

Here is a song lyrics in English and Japanese. The song lyrics are so deep to get simply for even Japanese. The words are simple though, the combinations are so poetic that it can be understood easily. Absolutely, the song is a kind of song that the interpretation can be dedicated by each of us, but mainly the core of the song is to embrace the sadness or darkness in our lives. Here is my translation of the chorus part, which is very difficult to translate and understand.

水平線が光る朝に In the morning when the horizon shines
あなたの希望が崩れ落ちて Your hopes collapse into pieces
風に飛ばされる欠片に While the broken pieces are blown with wind
誰かが綺麗と呟いてる Someone is saying those pieces are beautiful
悲しい声で歌いながら Singing with a sad voice
いつしか海に流れ着いて 光って Those pieces would reach the ocean and shine someday
あなたはそれを見るでしょう You would see it
あなたはそれを見るでしょう You would see it

Above all, my analysis of this song is that this is a kind of a fight song for the people who somehow disappointed deeply with something in their life. Generally speaking, we don’t say it’s beautiful when somebody is collapsing, but the song seems to say such kind of things. In short, as long as we live, we face many kinds of difficulties and sometimes we overcome or lose or collapse. However, as long as we live, the song would tell us our lives are still dazzling like sea glasses found in the sea shore.

Thank you very much for reading the article. I would prefer your comments or some other topic requests for me to write. Please write a comment or give me an email through contact page.