Flowers, One Monme | 花一匁1
English | Romaji |
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“I wish it could be midnight forever”2 is what I grumbled at 5 AM |
Zutto mayonaka de ii no ni tte koboshita gozen go-ji |
All I can see is waveforms, rotten demo bass | Me ni mieten no ha hakei dake desu, kusareta demo beesu |
Crafting between coincidence and inevitability, morning mist is a four-season affair | Guuzen⇄hitsuzen no kousaku, asamoya ha foo shiizun |
I want to make songs that will be my painkillers | Itamidome-you no kyoku tsukuttokitai |
I can’t get away from my routines anymore |
Ruutin kara mou nukedasenai |
Want to quit, but can’t, so much it hurts | Yametai yamerarenai, kurushii hodo |
Isn’t it stupid3, making courtesy calls? | Gokigen nante ukagatte, baka ja nai? |
Don’t the things I make already exist? | Boku ga tsukuru mono ha sude ni aru mono ja~n |
An all-nighter that feels like I can get something done, that will let me pass on in peace4 |
Nanika dekisou na yofukashi, joubutsu-saseta shi |
Don’t anticipate a special character | Tokubetsu na kyara ni kitai ha shinai de |
My T-shirt’s full of wrinkles; | Tii shatsu mo shiwakucha |
So that I don’t get done in by that faint lingering scent | Asai nokoriga no kougeki ni yararenai you ni |
I want some meaning – “Flowers, one monme!”5 | Imi ga hoshii yo, hana ichi monme |
– Though I know I won’t get it | Te ni hairenai koto wakattetemo |
Complaining all the time about things that are unlike me | Gara ni nai koto bakari taratara koboshite |
I wish you would laugh at me again, as I am now | Konna boku wo mata warattekuretara ii no ni |
My feeble complaints flew away, they've gone flying around |
Tondecchatta yowane ga tobichitta |
It was me who got your white sleeves dirty | Kimi no shiroi sode wo yogoshita no ha boku da yo |
So why did you apologize? | Nande ayamatta? |
Since then, I haven’t been able to appear onstage | Ano toki kara butai ni tatenai mama datta n da |
I can’t get away from my routines anymore |
Ruutin kara mou nukedasenai |
Want to quit, but can’t, full of forced smiles | Yametai yamerarenai, aiso egao |
Isn’t it stupid, making courtesy calls? | Gokigen nante ukagatte, baka ja nai? |
Don’t the things I sing already exist? | Boku ga utau mono ha sude ni aru mono ja~n |
An all-nighter that feels like I can get something done, a poem that will let me pass on in peace |
Nanika dekisou na yofukashi, joubutsu-saseta shi |
Don’t anticipate a special character | Tokubetsu na kyara ni kitai ha shinai de |
My T-shirt’s full of wrinkles; | Tii shatsu mo shiwakucha |
So that I don’t get done in by that faint lingering scent | Asai nokoriga no kougeki ni yararenai you ni |
I want some meaning – “Flowers, one monme!” | Imi ga hoshii yo, hana ichi monme |
– Though I know I won’t get it | Te ni hairenai koto wakattetemo |
Complaining all the time about things that are unlike me | Gara ni nai koto bakari taratara koboshite |
I wish you would laugh at me again, as I am now | Konna boku wo mata warattekuretara ii no ni |
A conference for commiseration, started in my pajamas |
Pajama sugata de hajimatta kyoukan kaigi |
Disheveled hair, half-dried splashes of water | Kami furimidashite, hankawaki mizushibuki |
Tomorrow is an early morning, it’s the day to take out the plastic trash6 | Asu ha hayaoki, gomidashi pura no hi |
Set my noisy alarm and say “good night…” | Urusai araamu wo setto-shite guddonaito |
Though I’ll feel down even if I’m laughed at; though I can’t entice you to me |
Warawaretatte hekomu kedo, kobiurenai kedo |
I won’t anticipate a special future | Tokubetsu na mirai wo kitai ha shinai shi |
My T-shirt’s full of wrinkles; | Tii shatsu mo shiwakucha |
Etch the faint lingering scent into my chest, so it won’t wash away | Asai nokoriga, mune ni kizame, nagasanai you ni |
I’m happy I lost – “Flowers, one monme!”7 | Makete ureshii, hana ichi monme |
I want a prescription that’s good for loneliness | Sabishisa ni tsuyoi shohousen hoshii yo |
Complaining all the time about things that are unlike me | Gara ni nai koto bakari taratara koboshite |
It’s not good to work too hard on nights when you have to wake up early, so | Hayaoki no yoru mo ganbarisugi ha yokunai no de |
I pray that I’ll be healthy | Kenkou de iraremasu you ni |
“Flowers, one monme!” |
Hana ichi monme |
“Flowers, one monme!” | Hana ichi monme |
1 "Hana Ichi Monme" is a Japanese children's song that accompanies a playground game very similar to Red Rover. The "monme" in question is a unit of currency from the Edo period - a very small piece of silver. Phrases from various children's songs come up throughout the album this song leads, Jinkougaku (沈香学). |
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2 The first of many self-references in this song - the very first words are the band's name, "Zutto mayonaka de ii no ni." |
3 The lyrics "baka ja nai" here are likely a reference to another of this artist's songs, "Baka ja nai no ni". |
4 The term here is 成仏 - to attain Buddhahood or pass on into Nirvana, also used to mean a peaceful death. |
5 A play on the formula of the children's song "Hana Ichi Monme". Like Red Rover, one team will say they want a player from the other team - "Ano ko ga hoshii [...] (name) ga hoshii". ACAね says she wants other things - meaning, for example. |
6 Japanese neighborhoods have set days on which residents take out different types of trash, rather than having dumpsters or carts that sit outside all the time. It's usually against the rules to put your trash out the night before it's due to be picked up, so you have to wake up early the morning of to put your bags outside. |
7 Another play on the "Hana Ichi Mone" children's song lyrics. The set phrases are "We're happy we won" (katte ureshii) and "We're upset we lost" (makete kuyashii). ACAね reverses this to say she's happy she lost. |