Mini-Album: Spirit
2015.10.14 cutting edge

Cities in Dust
Lyrics/Music: Susan Janet Ballion, Peter Edward Clarke, Steven John Bailey
Japanese Translation: Sakurai Atsushi
Arrangement: Jake Cloudchair & The Mortal

Going at nightfall
Won't look behind me
Off to meet with you, my friend
On black wings flying
Melting in darkness
To hover up above your sky
But wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend.

Falling and cracking
To heaven's limits
You sit and pray, you're praying now
On pure white feathers
Stains bloody crimson
You stand and sing, you're singing now
But wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
..Your city lies in dust..

Going at nightfall
Won't look behind me
Where am I going
On never-ending
On black wings flying
Melting in darkness
Oh never-ending
It never ends, no
..Your city lies in dust,
My friend
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend

For our sky and
For our world
You sit and pray, you're praying now
On pure white feathers
Stained bloody crimson
Your time has come...1
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend
 

Note: I took a certain amount of liberty with re-translating Sakurai's Japanese translation back into English, mainly because I wanted my translation to be singable with the original melody, but also to clarify the ambiguous phrasing slightly. The re-invocation of the image from "Melancholia" of the white feather stained with blood is entirely Sakurai's doing.

1) In Japanese, this line literally translates to "you're already..." with the question of "already what" left unanswered. It works as a literary device in Japanese, but rendered in English as-is, I think it sounds pretty cheesy, so I changed it to "your time has come" (which is the implied meaning, anyway.) I don't believe that Sakurai really intended the lyrics per se to have a sexual connotation, but when you listen to the recording, perhaps you'll agree that rather than the ravishment of cities, Sakurai's version of the song has a distinct undercurrent of the ravishment of not cities, but something synonymous with...ahem...kitties.

 

Cities in Dust (original lyrics)
Lyrics/Music: Susan Janet Ballion, Peter Edward Clarke, Steven John Bailey

Water was running; children were running
You were running out of time
Under the mountain, a golden fountain
Were you praying at the Lares shrine?
But oh your city lies in dust, my friend

We found you hiding we found you lying
Choking on the dirt and sand
Your former glories and all the stories
Dragged and washed with eager hands

But oh your city lies in dust, my friend
Hot and burning in your nostrils
Pouring down your gaping mouth
Your molten bodies blanket of cinders
Caught in the throes

And your city lies in dust

 

Cities in Dust
作詞/作曲：Susan Janet Ballion, Peter Edward Clarke, Steven John Bailey
和訳：櫻井敦司
編曲：Jake Cloudchair & The Mortal

夜をゆく　振り向かず　おまえに会うために
黒い羽　闇となり　おまえの空へと
But wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend.

堕ちてゆく　空の果て　おまえは祈っている
白い羽　血に染めて　おまえは歌っている
But wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
..Your city lies in dust..

夜をゆく　振り向かず　何処へゆく　果てし無く
黒い羽　闇となり　果てし無く　果てしも無い
..Your city lies in dust,
My friend
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend

この空　この世界　おまえは祈っている
白い羽　血に染めて　おまえはもう..
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend

 

Cities in Dust
Lyrics/Music: Susan Janet Ballion, Peter Edward Clarke, Steven John Bailey
Japanese Translation: Sakurai Atsushi
Arrangement: Jake Cloudchair & The Mortal

Yoru wo yuku　　furimukazu　　omae ni au tame ni
Kuroi hane　　yami to nari　　omae no sora e to
But wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend.

Ochiteyuku　　sora no hate　　omae wa inotteiru
Shiroi hane　　chi ni somete　　omae wa utatteiru
But wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
..Your city lies in dust..

Yoru wo yuku　　furimukazu　　doko e yuku　　hateshinaku
Kuroi hane　　yami to nari　　hateshinaku　　hateshimonai
..Your city lies in dust,
My friend
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend

Kono sora　　kono sekai　　omae wa inotteiru
Shiroi hane　　chi ni somete　　omae wa mou...
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend
Wow oh. Oh your city lies in dust,
My friend