Nakamori Akina - SAND BEIGE -Sabaku e-

SAND BEIGE -to the desert- is Nakamori Akina's 12th single, released on the 19th of June 1985. It reached number 1 on the Oricon charts, but as far as I'm aware is not one of Akina's better known songs. I absolutely love Akina and at some point on this blog will introduce her properly, but unfortunately I'm sick with a cold at the moment and don't have the energy to do so in this blog post! I also translated this whilst sick so apologies if it doesn't make much sense. I really enjoyed translating this song, actually - I felt trying to be more poetic was quite fun, and I hope the results aren't TOO bad. I enjoyed it but it was more difficult than I first thought - there's quite a few lines I still don't really understand (especially the one about a veil of tears) and I have to apologise for those. Translating this song made me question my Japanese skill and I'd be lying if I said I didn't still feel a bit down about it.

Anyway, please enjoy this wonderful Youtube video of the beautiful Akina performing this song!

SAND BEIGE －砂漠へ－

作詞：許瑛子

作曲：都志見隆

サハラの夕日を　あなたに見せたい

さよならを私から決めた別離の旅なのに

翼を広げて　火の鳥が行くわ

地の果ては　何処までか　答えてはくれないの

砂も風も乱れて　逢いたいあなた

愉しすぎた笑顔が

Ah　月よりまぶしい　これも愛なの?

星屑　私を抱きしめていてね

アナ　アーウィズ　アローホ　SAND BEIGE

涙のヴェールも　渇きつくしたら

神秘の顔立ち

崩れる私を　支えてお願い

アナ　アーウィズ　アローホ　SAND BEIGE

このまま一人で　眠りについたら

無口な女になるわ

主を失くした　ラクダがポツリと

草求め果てしなく　一人さまようその姿

焼けつく砂丘に　窓からマアッサラーマ

私には愛ひとつ　空に返せなかった

元気でねとひとこと　くちづけ交わし

何度も振り返れば

Ah　あなたも泣いていた　それも愛なの?

東へ行くのよ　唇かみしめ

アナ　アーウィズ　アローホ　NILE

夢に包まれた　子供に返って

笑ってみたいの

遠くであなたが　呼んでる気がする

アナ　アーウィズ　アローホ　NILE

破いた写真は　宙に舞い踊り

無くなってくだけなのに

星屑　私を抱きしめていてね

アナ　アーウィズ　アローホ　SAND BEIGE

涙のヴェールも　渇きつくしたら

神秘の顔立ち

崩れる私を　支えてお願い

アナ　アーウィズ　アローホ　SAND BEIGE

このまま一人で　眠りについたら

無口な女になるわ

SAND BEIGE -To the Desert-

I want to show you the setting sun of the Sahara

Even though saying goodbye and parting from you

Was a journey I decided upon myself

Spreading out its wings

The phoenix continues its journey

How far is it until the end of the earth?
Can’t you answer me?

Becoming disheveled by both the sand and the wind

I want to see you

That smile of yours when you’re having too much fun

Ah, is brighter than the moon    
Is that also love?

I’m like stardust, so please hold me tightly (1)

I want to see the beige coloured sand (2) (3)

Once this veil of tears dries up

It will take on a mysterious form (4)

I’m falling apart, so please support me

I want to see the beige coloured sand

If I end up falling asleep alone like this

I’ll become a woman who is unable to speak

A camel, abandoned by its owner

Casts a lonely figure as it wanders, tirelessly begging for grass

As the sand dunes go up in flames

I say goodbye from the window (5)

This is the one love I couldn’t return to the sky

With only the words “take care”
We exchanged a kiss

No matter how many times I look back on it

Ah you cried too

Is that also love?

Whilst biting my lips, I head for the East

I want to go to the Nile

I want to become wrapped up in my dreams

And laugh like a child once more

I have the feeling you are calling my name from far away

I want to go to the Nile

The photographs I tore up dance in the air

Even though they will eventually disappear

I’m like stardust, so please hold me

I want to see the beige coloured sand

Once this veil of tears dries up

I will take on a mysterious form

I’m falling apart, so please support me

I  want to see the beige coloured sand

If I end up falling asleep alone like this

I’ll become a woman who is unable to speak

Translation Notes:

The theme for this song is that Akina is heartbroken so visits the Sahara to get over her lost love, but isn’t quite ready to move on as she keeps thinking about her ex. So the lyrics may randomly seem to talk about camels but in reality she’s walking through the Sahara talking about things she sees as she goes along.

1. Technically a more literal translation is “please hold onto the me who is like stardust” but my friend pointed out that makes no sense in English so I changed it. I guess she’s trying to say that she feels she’ll fall apart easily so wants her ex to keep her together.

2. アナ　アーウィズ　アローホ Is apparently Arabic for “I want to go to” but is the male form of saying it, according to Yahoo Japan. I’m not sure if the lyricist made a mistake or if perhaps this is supposed to be from the perspective of Akina’s ex? Perhaps her ex wants to follow her to the Sahara? She also uses this later when she says she wants to go to the Nile. I don’t know any Arabic so I’m unsure of how to write this in romaji. Yahoo Japan says it’s Egyptian dialect…

3. Nobody really seems to know what on earth Sand Beige is. General consensus seems to be that it either means literally beige coloured sand or is the way the lyrics are describing the Sahara desert. Sadly because of translating it into English I had to go with what made more sense and now I’ve lost the actual song title in translation…

4. This line is the bane of my existence and genuinely made me question my Japanese skill and want me to give up translating. Even if I google parts of this line it just comes up with the song lyrics, that is how little sense these verbs make together. It literally says “when this veil of tears tires of being thirsty”. Veil in katakana is also one character off of “well”, so I’m not sure if that’s what the songwriter meant...I also considered that it could be Arabic again and googled, with google suggesting a hijab. Whilst this would make sense culturally I still don’t understand... Interestingly, there’s a phrase in English which is “vale (not veil) of tears”, which is meant to represent all the pain one goes through in life before they’re rewarded with happiness in heaven. The only way I can think of understanding this line is to say that Akina’s tears will “tire of being thirsty” aka dry up, and then for some reason she will take on a mysterious form.

5. Another line that made me want to die. Apparently sand dunes can go on fire, I had to google this. What window is she saying goodbye from? Who is she saying goodbye to? THE SAND DUNES? THEY CAN’T HEAR YOU, AKINA. Ps apparently マアッサラーマ means goodbye in Arabic. I’m basing this on what fans on Yahoo Japan said. If any lovely Arabic speakers find this blog and wish to comment telling me how to write this in “English” (Or in Arabic!) then I would be really happy!

Moritaka Chisato - Yurusenai「ユルセナイ」森高千里。歌詞と英語の翻訳

Yurusenai ("I can't forgive you") is the B-side to the 1988 single released by Moritaka Chisato (who I've spoken about on this blog before), THE Stress. THE Stress is a slightly remixed version of the original song Stress, found on her 4th album, Mite. It was a hit and has been covered by Abe Natsumi of Morning Musume (which is the first version of the song I heard) in 2006.

However, this is not a translation of THE Stress. This is a translation of the lesser known B-side, Yurusenai. By lesser known, I mean that there are literally no lyrics in Japanese to this on the internet that I could find and that I therefore had to transliterate it by ear. That's right. I was so obsessed with working out the lyrics to this song that I watched the only performance of it (at least, the only one I found on the internet), the self cover version on her channel, and actually got my friend living in Japan to send me a 1000 yen gift card so I could BUY the actual thing from iTunes. I listened to this song over and over again in the attempt to catch the 2 lines I could not understand. And yet I still couldn't quite get one of them.

What, did you think I was an ordinary human being?

It's not like this song is even that great or one of her best, but I really enjoy it for what it is - a piece of fun pop music. I also appreciate the lyrics about her taking control and dumping her idiot boyfriend, even if the line "women are weak" is a tad sexist.

Lyrics are by Chisato herself and composition is by Saito Hideo, who also wrote THE Stress and apparently a lot of other J-pop songs including ones by KinKi Kids. I will Google you later, my new friend Saito-san.

Here's the self cover from her very own Youtube channel!

ユルセナイ

ユルセナイ

ダダダダダ

ダダダダ

もう我慢できないわ

ダダダダダ

ダダダダ

これ以上

ユルセナイ

いい加減にして

もう我慢できないわ

いろいろあるけど

これ以上ユルセナイ

私を勝手に決めつけないで

本当に女をわからないのね

おもしろおかしく楽しげに見せてるけど

本当は嫌気持ち焼いてるの

知らないところね

冗談すぎるの

ほどほどにてしておいてね（1）

そのうち気持が離れても

知らない

あなたのせい

ダダダダダ

ダダダダ

ダダダダダ

弱いのよ

ダダダダダ

ダダダダ

ダダダダダ

お仕舞よ

なんだかんだ言っても
女の子弱いのよ

不安だけれども

この恋はお仕舞よ

今ごろ気づいて

焦ってみても

調子に乗ってた

あなたがバカよ

おもしろおかしく楽しげに見せてたけど

今度は私が約束を破ってみせるわ

そこまでしなくちゃわからないPLAYBOY

自分のやりたいことばかりしていちゃう

恋劇ね

ダダダダダ

ダダダダ

もう我慢できないわ

ダダダダダ

ダダダダ

これ以上ユルセナイ

ダダダダダ

ダダダダ

女の子弱いのよ

ダダダダダ

ダダダダ

この恋はお仕舞よ

ダダダダダ

ダダダダ

これ以上ユルセナイ

I can't forgive you

I can’t forgive you

Da da da da da

Da da da da

I can’t take it any more

Da da da da da

Da da da da

I can’t forgive you any more

Give me a break

I can’t take it any more

Lots of stuff has happened between us but

I won’t forgive you any more

Don’t say things about me you don’t know

You really don’t understand women, do you?

I act like I find it funny and nothing is wrong, but

I’m really burning up inside with jealousy

You didn’t know that about me, did you?

This is beyond a joke

Don't act like this so often(1)

And within that time period, even if our feelings change(2),

I won’t care

It’s all your fault

Dadadada

Dadadada

Dadadadada

I’m weak

Dadadadada

Dadada

Dadadada

This is the end

No matter what we may say

Women are weak

Even though I’m full of worry

This love is over

Please realise by now

Even if you’re impatient

You got too carried away

You’re an idiot (3)

I acted like I found it funny and nothing was wrong but

This time I’ll show you I can break promises too

If I don’t do at least that much, then you won’t get it you PLAYBOY

And you’ll end up doing only whatever it is you want to (4)

This is such a dramatic romance (5)

Da da da da da

Da da da da

I can’t take it any more

Da da da da da

Da da da da

I can’t forgive you any more

Da da da da da

Da da da da

Women are weak

Dadadadada

Da da da da

This love is over

Da da da da da

Da da da da

I can’t forgive you anymore

Translation Notes

1. UPDATE 2021/04/13 : Someone finally posted the lyrics to the internet so now I know what this line is!!!! (Previous translation note:This is the one line of the song that no matter how many times I listened to it I just couldn’t quite get what she was saying. I THINK it’s something along these lines but I just don’t know. So frustrating! If you can decipher it please let me know!)
2. Basically says “even if our feelings are separated”
3. I’m not really sure if this is supposed to be 焦って (from 焦る, to be in a hurry/impatient) or if it’s 圧せて (from 圧せる, to dominate). I feel like the latter would make more sense in this context, but when I google the two verbs with みても only the first appears to be in common use. So maybe she’s saying even though he’s in a hurry with the relationship but he just got too carried away and he’s stupid?
4. Not sure if she’s talking about herself or the guy the song is about
5. This is literally 恋 (love)＋劇 (play) squished together. I tried googling it but I didn’t really seem to find anything describing the actual definition of the word. From what I gather it’s just meant to be like, a romance themed drama, so like, a dramatic love. If you google Romance Play in English you get a description of Shakespeare’s romance plays/tragi-comedies, which apparently include elements of both joy and destruction. Lovely.