Dissecting Gaze-lyrics - 13Stairs[-1]
13STAIRS[-1]
by ZeEnigMa@DeviantArt
This is for many the best song on DIM, me included, and I really wanted to find out what it's about right down to the details. I saw an interpretation on Tumblr where someone concluded that it's about prostitution in Japan, but looking at the words carefully, it definitely isn't. Instead, this is once again one of Ruki's many rants again the evils of the music industry. There is something very captivating about these lyrics in places, but I truly wish Ruki hadn't written most of it in English, because he too easily resorts to common phrases of profanity, which ultimately do little for the song.
Ideology of corruption Taihai shisou Ukiyo banare no Grave
Grave of the Floating World Discrimination against music
Disillusionment
Discrimination against music
-- I was a little on the fence on how to translate this section, because I'm not sure what kind of connotations Ruki is giving the word ukiyo. As you probably know, it refers to the lifestyle of entertainment professionals (actors, prostitutes, geisha) in the big urban centres of 17th to 19th century Japan. It literally translates into 'floating world', which is what it probably seemed like to not within it in those days: a dream-like world apart from mundane reality, with endless dance, laughter, wine. It both fascinated people and was frowned upon, and the art it produced was considered low-brow and vulgar.
I'm inclined to think that Ruki is employing ukiyo as an ideal world of artistic independence (and that is how I translated the lines); he means to say that the music industry used to look like something akin to the Floating World in his young eyes, but he's been disillusioned since. But of course there is always the possibility that he's referring to the decadence and corruption and artistic derivation that were also a part of that reality.
Legal 13 Gouhou no 13
The loser who was brainwashed The loser who was brainwashed
-- The "legal 13" refers to the common myth that a man/woman given the death penalty must climb thirteen steps to the scaffold on which the execution takes place (which actually isn't how it goes nowadays); Ruki himself said in an interview that he had death row in mind while writing the lyrics. I think he means to say that in his opinion the music industry has pretty much condemned itself to "death", as in corruption beyond redemption. The industry people who've allowed themselves to be caught up in the money-making ideology of the industry are 'brainwashed losers'.
The Thirteen Steps (2003), directed by Masahiko Nagasawa. A thriller revolving around themes of redemption and revenge and a man in death row. I ran into this during my research, watched and sincerely recommend it!
Bullshit
Commit suicide in with-it-ness
Right now... In front of me!
-- These lines are pretty self-evident except for that curious "with-it-ness". I googled it and turns out it actually means something! It's a term in the field of social psychology created by American researcher Jacob Kounin in the 1970's, and refers to a teacher's ability of keeping track of what is happening in the classroom. I strongly suspect, however, that this is not what Ruki is referring to... But I have no idea what else it could be. The point of this passage is in any event that Ruki wants the corrupted industry people to take responsibility for their crimes in the good old-fashioned Japanese way, in other words they should kindly just eliminate themselves.
You cannot understand my vulgar thought
It is a correct answer
It is your duty to train a slave waving a waist
-- So, the truth of the matter (the "correct answer") is that these money-making management people can never understand the way Ruki's (in their opinion) vulgar mind works; all they do is relentlessly churn out idol clones who do as they're told. The 'waist-waving' presumably refers to the carefully orchestrated choreographies of idol groups.
Rotten buyer
Shame on you!
Commit suicide in with-it-ness
In front of me!
Bravely...
-- Here Ruki seems to bring up a new subject to scorn: the "buyer" i.e. the consumers, who also ought to kindly off themselves for daring to support the rotten idol machinery.
Rotten seller
Know yourself!
Commit suicide in with-it-ness
Before that... Suck my dick
-- Back to the "seller" i.e. the industry managers. Ruki urges them to face the ugly truth about themselves and then perform some oral sex on him before actually killing themselves.
Structure of the music industry. Read more here, if you're interested.
The industry has been already over
The red base
All the losers sing a hymn in hell
Enjoy a vulgar play
-- The "red base" is basically the point of no return. The moral event horizon. The point where the sirens are blaring and the speakers are announcing in monotone computer voices: "Self-destruction in 3... 2... 1..." There's no saving this industry; it's rotten to the core!
-- The hymn part takes me back to something I was told years ago in Sunday school. (I haven't been a Christian since I was fifteen, but some things you just never forget, I guess...) Catholics used to say in the 16th century that Lutherans were 'singing their way to hell' because their hymns were too cool and catchy. Martin Luther himself said, however, that "there is no singing in Hell", period. This is probably not the slightest bit relevant info here, though; the meaning is simply that the corrupted people will be chanting those catchy, derivative pop tunes in a pitiful state of corruption and rottenness, and the "vulgar play" refers to everything that goes on around it.
[OT: You know, the more I look into Ruki's lyrics, the more he's starting to sound like prince Hamlet... I wonder if he's ever read the play or seen it performed? Methinks he'd adore it.]
Go on, laugh - you cannot jump off this loop / Numbers and equations have guttled its core
Go on, laugh - can you keep it up? / A little bit still to 13
Saa warae Tobiorirenu loop / Suushikini kuwareta kaku
Saa warae Mada yarerundarou? / 13 made ato sukoshi
-- Ruki gets positively gleeful here towards the end, using rough language to urge the rich bastards to keep laughing for as long as they can, it won't last long: they're trapped in their own greed, done in by the endless counting of coins, only one step away from final destruction. By the way, in case you're wondering why I chose the verb 'guttle' here, it's because I wanted something to correspond with the Japanese verb 喰う (kuu -> kuwareta) which according to my dictionary is a vulgar term for eating (and thus only used by men, as usual).
Can't get back
A loser of the uncontrollability
Enjoy a vulgar play. Can't get back
-- The final lines repeat and reinforce what's already been said: the descent to hell is beyond control; just enjoy the ride, suckers.