[Lyrics] DISTRESS AND COMA
In order to escape the horrors of Propositional Logic, I decided to use the recently scanned DISTRESS AND COMA booklet to translate the title track a little earlier than I anticipated.
This song is extremely sad. In a way, it's numbing - fitting the theme and title of the piece perfectly. It depicts a kind of pain that is hard to escape from, and that in itself is painful. Despite that, I think these lyrics are some of Ruki's best work - both thematically and grammatically. As always, I've tried to interpret and translate the lyrics to the best of my abilities, however please keep in mind this is just my personal interpretation and there may be errors in my translation.
I don't mind if people repost this; I'd like to get a translation from the official booklet out there. Scans are from empyreanhorizon, here.
DISTRESS AND COMA
Until your distress sleeps... Fill me up with your grief...
Hello...dear my bride. What are you looking at
with those eyes that don't even pick up the scattered butterflies on the floor?
I want to forget the blinding pain. The scars that persuade me to believe won't disappear.
Dance, dance, dance when I'm put to sleep. These tears won't stop.
Kill my voice and drop your lips to gently shaking hands.
Hello... dear my bride. Burn the soles of your feet.
Like needs closing in, ringing in my ears.
An unconscious sigh runs along my skin, and you smile at the blade that silently sways...
I want to forget the blinding pain. The scars that persuade me to believe won't disappear.
A numb reality appears in my starved dreams - there's only sadness.
If you tell me it's the real you, you can hurt me.
I won't forget. That I was attracted to you who knew pain.
Now, I'll sleep.
Dance, dance, dance until I can sleep. These tears won't stop.
Every time nothing filled my heart, you said I seemed to wither away.
Singing "one more time" in a starved dream - there's only sadness.
If you tell me it's you, you can hurt me.
In a dream that will one day end, "farewell"s are blossoming.
~~~
Notes: Yeah.. there are a lot. :x But I didn't want to litter the translation with footnotes, so I decided to just explain/analyse certain parts of the lyrics here. You can skip it if you want.
These lyrics are very vague. No pronouns are used throughout them, some verbs/lines are left unfinished, and there is no hint as to the gender of the speaker. Because of that, I believe there are two ways to interpret this song. However, this also creates two different scenarios. But I haven't actually read any interviews about DISTRESS AND COMA yet, so I don't know what Ruki actually intended.
Please bear with me as I'll try not to make this too long. ._." Firstly, it could be from the point of view of the girl who is in the coma. However, in this case, the coma is metaphorical and represents the pain she suffers because of her lover; she is in an abusive relationship:
"Dance, dance, dance when I'm put to sleep."
The lover "dances" while the girl is "put to sleep" by the pain. Other references:
"...and you smile at the blade that silently sways..."
"The scars that persuade me to believe [you] won't disappear."
"If you tell me it's the real you, you can hurt me."
These lines all refer to the pain the girl endures in the relationship. However, she can't leave because she still "believes" in him. The last line explains her submission to him - she is manipulated by his words, how he always shows her the "real him," and so puts up with everything for the relationship.
Another way of looking at it is from the point of view of the lover. Interpreted this way, the scenario is very different. The coma the girl is experiencing is real, and the lover is reduced to staying by her side, waiting in pain. The lines mentioned before can therefore be interpreted in a different way:
"The scars that persuade me to believe won't disappear."
He is referring to emotional scars. His belief that she will one day wake up again won't fade because of what they've been through.
Those are just my personal interpretations, but I'd like to hear if anyone interpreted the lyrics differently. Also, if Ruki has stated what the lyrics are actually about, I'd be very grateful if someone could direct me to the interview/comment in which he talks about it.
-----
I'd also like to explain the line
"Kill my voice and drop your lips to gently shaking hands"
in a neutral sense. "Drop" here is being used as transitive verb, meaning it has to take an object. However, that object is "lips" and "drop my lips" doesn't make much sense, even if you look at it metaphorically. After some Googling/dictionary scouring, I came across (remembered?) the fact that "drop" could have the meaning "lower," as in "drop one's gaze," and the line suddenly made sense. "Drop your lips to ... hands" means lowering your lips to kiss hands.
Ok, I'm done now. xD; One last note though: please, comment with your opinions on this!! I really want to hear what you all thought of the lyrics/translation and how you personally interpreted it, regardless of whether it matches what Ruki intended.
This song is extremely sad. In a way, it's numbing - fitting the theme and title of the piece perfectly. It depicts a kind of pain that is hard to escape from, and that in itself is painful. Despite that, I think these lyrics are some of Ruki's best work - both thematically and grammatically. As always, I've tried to interpret and translate the lyrics to the best of my abilities, however please keep in mind this is just my personal interpretation and there may be errors in my translation.
I don't mind if people repost this; I'd like to get a translation from the official booklet out there. Scans are from empyreanhorizon, here.
DISTRESS AND COMA
Until your distress sleeps... Fill me up with your grief...
Hello...dear my bride. What are you looking at
with those eyes that don't even pick up the scattered butterflies on the floor?
I want to forget the blinding pain. The scars that persuade me to believe won't disappear.
Dance, dance, dance when I'm put to sleep. These tears won't stop.
Kill my voice and drop your lips to gently shaking hands.
Hello... dear my bride. Burn the soles of your feet.
Like needs closing in, ringing in my ears.
An unconscious sigh runs along my skin, and you smile at the blade that silently sways...
I want to forget the blinding pain. The scars that persuade me to believe won't disappear.
A numb reality appears in my starved dreams - there's only sadness.
If you tell me it's the real you, you can hurt me.
I won't forget. That I was attracted to you who knew pain.
Now, I'll sleep.
Dance, dance, dance until I can sleep. These tears won't stop.
Every time nothing filled my heart, you said I seemed to wither away.
Singing "one more time" in a starved dream - there's only sadness.
If you tell me it's you, you can hurt me.
In a dream that will one day end, "farewell"s are blossoming.
~~~
Notes: Yeah.. there are a lot. :x But I didn't want to litter the translation with footnotes, so I decided to just explain/analyse certain parts of the lyrics here. You can skip it if you want.
These lyrics are very vague. No pronouns are used throughout them, some verbs/lines are left unfinished, and there is no hint as to the gender of the speaker. Because of that, I believe there are two ways to interpret this song. However, this also creates two different scenarios. But I haven't actually read any interviews about DISTRESS AND COMA yet, so I don't know what Ruki actually intended.
Please bear with me as I'll try not to make this too long. ._." Firstly, it could be from the point of view of the girl who is in the coma. However, in this case, the coma is metaphorical and represents the pain she suffers because of her lover; she is in an abusive relationship:
"Dance, dance, dance when I'm put to sleep."
The lover "dances" while the girl is "put to sleep" by the pain. Other references:
"...and you smile at the blade that silently sways..."
"The scars that persuade me to believe [you] won't disappear."
"If you tell me it's the real you, you can hurt me."
These lines all refer to the pain the girl endures in the relationship. However, she can't leave because she still "believes" in him. The last line explains her submission to him - she is manipulated by his words, how he always shows her the "real him," and so puts up with everything for the relationship.
Another way of looking at it is from the point of view of the lover. Interpreted this way, the scenario is very different. The coma the girl is experiencing is real, and the lover is reduced to staying by her side, waiting in pain. The lines mentioned before can therefore be interpreted in a different way:
"The scars that persuade me to believe won't disappear."
He is referring to emotional scars. His belief that she will one day wake up again won't fade because of what they've been through.
Those are just my personal interpretations, but I'd like to hear if anyone interpreted the lyrics differently. Also, if Ruki has stated what the lyrics are actually about, I'd be very grateful if someone could direct me to the interview/comment in which he talks about it.
-----
I'd also like to explain the line
"Kill my voice and drop your lips to gently shaking hands"
in a neutral sense. "Drop" here is being used as transitive verb, meaning it has to take an object. However, that object is "lips" and "drop my lips" doesn't make much sense, even if you look at it metaphorically. After some Googling/dictionary scouring, I came across (remembered?) the fact that "drop" could have the meaning "lower," as in "drop one's gaze," and the line suddenly made sense. "Drop your lips to ... hands" means lowering your lips to kiss hands.
Ok, I'm done now. xD; One last note though: please, comment with your opinions on this!! I really want to hear what you all thought of the lyrics/translation and how you personally interpreted it, regardless of whether it matches what Ruki intended.