さち子
Sachiko
The horizon and the sweet late-summer ocean breeze
Blowing through the girl’s newly cut short hair
Melancholy carried by a freight train running across the seashore
Tears and the prologue to a kiss hidden inside a seashell
Summer bluer than the sea…
Memories now flowing from the car stereo
Sounds of the waves and your singing
In the vast loneliness of a late-summer sunset beach
Chasing after the shadow of her straw hat blowing in the wind
Running across the shore with her toenails painted red
Creating ripples in the water
Epilogue to a nearly forgotten mermaid fairytale
Summer deeper than the sea…
Ah, resounding from the far corners of my memory
Sounds of the waves and your singing
I always knew it would one day end like this
Our brief time together
Like bubbles fading into the bottom of the ocean
Even if you were a fish I would still find you
Endlessly I keep calling out your name
Where are you singing now?
I first started translating this in October 2014 and I still don’t know if it’s any good. But I simply can not improve on it any more than this, so I’m posting it now.
I will say this much. I’m a grown-ass man but I have to admit: the line “いつかはこんな風に終わること分かっていた” (“I always knew it would one day end like this”) actually brings a tear to my eye.
What an incredible song. Music doesn’t get any more perfect than this.
I love this song and your translation 🙂 thank you!
I’m glad you found the translation useful, stella! 🙂 I spent a half an hour or so trying to improve on it the other day, but I probably ended up changing only a word or two. I think it’s nearly as good as I can make it right now. I’ll probably come back again in a year or so and see if I can still improve on it somehow…
Thank you for the translation! I love Lamp; their music is so calming. It can be hard to find translations for a band that isn’t as well known as it should. I hate to ask but could you translate 二十歳の恋 or point me where I could find a translation? Regardless of your answer, thank you for your work!
Cheers
Hey Michael. I love Lamp too! I’d like to translate the lyrics to that song, and I am genuinely hoping to do so, but I have to be honest: realistically I have no idea when or if I’ll ever actually get around to it. Sorry!
Thank you for your honesty. I actually found the Lyrics in Japanese on this website (https://www.xiaotaiyang.org/article/41024622.html) and I just used google translate from there.
Lamp’s songs are so beautiful!!
Thank you so much. This is one of my all-time favorite songs for the harmonies in the bridge alone.
Cheers!
This is my favorite Lamp song, so finding out the lyrics to it just made my day. This track really does a good job following the emotional story in the lyrics – I REALLY felt and loved the melancholic emotions just from the instrumental before even knowing the translation. When the lyrics and instrumentals are combined, this track just becomes a masterpiece. Thanks for the translation, its super beautiful.
Cheers BaconSunset. It really is a beautiful song. Almost too beautiful. Glad you dug the translation!