Agehachou

Swallowtail

Performed by: Porno Graffitti
Translated by: Mina-P (Email: Minako@senshigakuen.com)
Version 1.00

Note: Porno Graffitti is wonderfully predictable... they always start off the summer with a wonderfully upbeat song that just screams, "We're at the beach, and summer is here." In the year 2001, that song was "Agehachou." Meaning "swallowtail" (a type of colorful butterfly), uses the best of Porno Graffitti summer songs: upbeat rhythms, great guitar work, and most importantly, super-fast Haruichi-san lyrics for Akihito-san to sing. Let me tell you, Porno Graffitti is a workout in karaoke... One of my favorite songs from PG, and definitely highly recommended... even if Haruichi-san lyrics DO tend to be a downer. We need to find him a woman.

hirari hirari to maiasobu you ni
sugata miseta agehachou
natsu no yoru no mannaka     tsuki no shita
yorokobi toshite no ieroo     urei o obita buruu ni
yo no hate ni niteiru shikkoku no hane

Quickly quickly like it's dancing around
The swallowtail shows itself
In the middle of a summer night     beneath the moon
Yellow with joy     wearing blue like sorrow
The pitch-black wings are like the ends of the earth

tabibito ni tazunetemita     doko made iku no ka to     itsu ni nareba oeru no ka to
tabibito wa kotaeta     owari nado wa nai sa     owaraseru koto wa dekiru kedo

I was visited by a traveler     I asked, "Where are you going?     When will it be over?"
The traveler replied,     "There is no end     although you can just stop."

sou...jaa     oki o tsukete to miokutta no wa zutto mae de
koko ni imada kaeranai
kare ga boku jishin da to kitsuita no wa
imasara ni natte datta

"Well...then     be careful," I saw him off as he left before me
He can't come back here again
I only just now realized
That he was really me

anata ni aeta     sore dake de yokatta
sekai ni hikari ga michita
yume de aeru dake de yokatta no ni
aisaretai to negatteshimatta
sekai ga hyoujou o kaeta
yo no hate de wa sora to umi ga majiru

I'm so glad that     I could simply meet you
The world became filled with light
Although I'm glad that I could just meet you in dreams
I wished that you would love me
The world changes its look
At the ends of the earth, sky and sea mingle

shijin ga tatta hitohira no koto no ha ni kometa     imi o tsui ni shiru koto wa nai
sou     sore wa tomo ni     dekiru nara anata ni todokeba ii to omou

If a poet fills a single leaf with meaning     it doesn't mean that you'll sudddenly understand it (1)
That's right     if you can do it     with friends, I'd want to for you to get that message

moshi kore ga gikyoku nara     nante hidoi sutoorii darou
susumu koto mo modoru koto mo dekizu ni
tada hitori butai ni tatteiru dake na no dakara

If this was a play     what a horrible story it would be
You can't go forward and you can't go back
Because you're just standing on a single stage

anata ga nozomu no nara     kono mi nado
itsudemo sashidashite ii
furisosogu hi no kona no tate ni narou
tada soko ni hitonigiri nokotta boku no omoi o
sukuiagete kokoro no sumi ni oite

If you wish     I give myself to you
Whenever you wish
I'll become your shield from the pouring fire (2)
If there's a handful of my feelings left at the bottom
Scoop them up and leave them in a corner of your heart

anata ni aeta     sore dake de yokatta
sekai ni hikari ga michita
yume de aeru dake de yokatta no ni
aisaretai to negatteshimatta
sekai ga hyoujou o kaeta
yo no hate de wa sora to umi ga majiru

I'm so glad that     I could simply meet you
The world became filled with light
Although I'm glad that I could just meet you in dreams
I wished that you would love me
The world changes its look
At the ends of the earth, sky and sea mingle

kouya ni saita agehachou
yuragu sono keshiki no mukou
chikazuku koto wa dekinai oashisu
tsumetai mizu o kudasai
dekitara aishite kudasai
boku no kata de hane o yasumeteokure

A swallowtail blossomed in the wilderness
On the other side of the wavering scenery
The oasis won't come any closer
Please give me cold water
If you can, please love me
Please set wings upon my shoulders

(1) I swear this is really clever in Japanese. The word meaning "word" in Japanese is kotoba, and it's written using the characters for "language" (koto) and "leaf" (ha/ba). In this line, Haruchi-san is saying something along the lines of a poet filling the "leaf" part of kotoba (in other words, filling a word) with meaning, but how people reading it might not always the meaning the poet had in mind. As Porno Graffitti's lyricist, I'm sure that Haruichi-san is very familiar with this...

(2) In this verse, Haruichi-san uses a very interesting, if hard to work with, metaphor. He literally says that he'll become a "shield of flour" (like, how you can throw flour on a fire to put it out). This makes much more sense in the context of the next two lines. But still... FLOUR? Um, okay.

Lyrics belong to Haruichi and Sony Music Records, taken from the Kumo o mo tsukamu tami album, SRCL-5325 (track 3). Not like the words make any sense if you haven't heard the song, anyway. Romanized and translated into English very badly by Mina-P, with desperately needed help, as always, by Mako-chan. Any comments or corrections can be mailed to Mina-P at Minako@senshigakuen.com.

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