Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Doron by King Gnu from Japanese to English.
These lyrics have verified word for word translations. Click any lyric word to see the translation and hear the pronunciation!
itsu datte kigentsuki na n da
It always comes with an expiry date
doko made mo kaya no soto na n da
I'm always left out in the cold
chibashitte kamitsuita
Bloodshot eyes, I bit back
mikata wa doko ni iru n da
Where are the ones on my side?
kyou datte kizu o nameatte
Even today, we lick each other's wounds
tsura no kawa toritsukurotte
Keeping up appearances
ibasho o mamotteru n da
Protecting the place where we belong
anata no koto o matteru n da
I'm waiting for you
shirokuro de tanjun ni warikire ya shinai yo
You can't just split it into black and white
hito wa itsu datte aimaina ikimono deshou
Aren't people always such ambiguous creatures?
bokura nani o daiji ni nigirishimekireteiru n darou ka
I wonder what precious things we've truly managed to hold on to
jinsei ni gaadoreeru wa nai yo na
Life doesn't come with guardrails
temoto ga kuruttara koosuauto
One slip of the hand and you're off the course
massakasama ochiteittara sugu ni bakemono atsukai da
Fall headfirst and they'll call you a monster right away
soko o doke soko o doke
Get out of the way, get out of the way
ima ja seigi ka aku ka soredokoro janai n da
Right now it's not about good or evil, there's no time for that
itsu datte kigentsuki na n da
It always comes with an expiry date
doko made mo kaya no soto na n da
I'm always left out in the cold
chibashitte kamitsuita
Bloodshot eyes, I bit back
mikata wa doko ni iru n da
Where are the ones on my side?
kyou datte kizu o nameatte
Even today, we lick each other's wounds
tsura no kawa toritsukurotte
Keeping up appearances
ibasho o mamotteru n da
Protecting the place where we belong
anata no koto o matteru n da
I'm waiting for you
chirakatta heya ni oshitsubusaresou da
I feel like this messy room's about to crush me
hito wa itsu datte okubyouna ikimono deshou
People are always such cowardly creatures, right?
shimekitta mado wa kokyuu o
Are the tightly shut windows
omoku shiteshimatteiru n darou ka
Making my breathing heavier, I wonder?
daitokai no tawaimonai dairen'ai
A trivial grand romance in the big city
takaku tobitakya hiza o mageru n da
If you wanna fly high, you gotta bend your knees
shagamanakya tobe ya shinai na
You can't fly unless you crouch down
hitoribotchi kodoku uzumaita
All alone, loneliness swirling around
koko kara nukedasanakya
I've got to break out of here
jibun o suki ni naritai n da
I want to learn to like myself
ashita o shinjitemimasenka
"Won't you try believing in tomorrow?"
nante kireigoto o narabetatte
Even if you line up pretty words like that
mujou ni mawaritsuzukeru shakai
Society keeps turning without mercy
mudana mon wa kirisuterareru n da
Anything useless gets thrown away
taigimeibun no otoori da
Make way for the noble cause
kono toori fujouri makaritoori
Just like this, absurdity wins the day
shirazu no uchi houmurareyou ga
Even if I'm buried without knowing it
ato ni wa hike ya shinai n da
There's no turning back now
ekimae o nagareru hitobito o nagameteru
I watch the people flowing past the station
daitokai tawai no nai kaiwa sae
In the big city, even trivial chatter
yakeni wazurawashikute
Feels so annoying
koko wa doko watashi wa dare
Where am I, who am I
tsugihagi darake no kioku no kage
Shadows of memories all patched together
kirameku utage to wa mukankeina
Far removed from the glittering party
nichijou e suikomare oyasumi
Sucked into everyday life, saying good night
itsu datte kigentsuki na n da
It always comes with an expiry date
doko made mo kaya no soto na n da
I'm always left out in the cold
chibashitte kamitsuita
Bloodshot eyes, I bit back
mikata wa doko ni iru n da
Where are the ones on my side?
kyou datte kizu o nameatte
Even today, we lick each other's wounds
tsura no kawa toritsukurotte
Keeping up appearances
ibasho o mamotteru n da
Protecting the place where we belong
anata no koto o matteru n da
I'm waiting for you
ashita o shinjitemimasenka
"Won't you try believing in tomorrow?"
nante kireigoto o narabetatte
Even if you line up pretty words like that
mujou ni mawaritsuzukeru shakai
Society keeps turning without mercy
mudana mon wa kirisuterareru n da
Anything useless gets thrown away
taigimeibun no otoori da
Make way for the noble cause
kono toori fujouri makaritoori
Just like this, absurdity wins the day
shirazu no uchi houmurareyou ga
Even if I'm buried without knowing it
ato ni wa hike ya shinai n da
There's no turning back now
shinai n da
I won't say good night
shinai n da
I won't say good night
shinai n da
I won't say good night
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蚊帳の外 — Left out / Out of the loop
蚊帳の外 literally means "outside the mosquito net," an image that has come to mean being excluded, ignored, or kept out of important matters. In the song, "何処までも蚊帳の外なんだ" expresses the feeling of being completely shut out from society or from where one belongs, making this idiom especially vivid and memorable.
King Gnu's "Doron" is a restless, sweaty sprint through city life where everyone feels like an outsider. The chorus opens with "いつだって期限付きなんだ" (everything always comes with an expiry date) and "何処までも蚊帳の外なんだ" (I'm always left outside the mosquito net). That second one is a great idiom to learn: being 蚊帳の外 means being left out of the loop, the one person not under the net. The singer bites back with bloodshot eyes and asks "味方は何処にいるんだ?" (where are my allies?), while people around him lick each other's wounds and patch up their faces to protect their little spot.
The verses get blunt about how unforgiving it all is. "人生にガードレールは無いよな" (life has no guardrails, huh): one slip of the hands and you go off course, and if you fall, you're instantly treated like a monster. There's a nice bit of tough advice in "高く飛びたきゃ膝を曲げるんだ" (if you want to jump high, bend your knees), meaning you have to crouch low before you can rise. Then the cynicism kicks in: "明日を信じてみませんか" (why not try believing in tomorrow?) is shrugged off as pretty talk, because society keeps spinning heartlessly and cuts away whatever is "useless". 大義名分 is a fun word here, a grand righteous pretext that lets the absurd parade straight through.
Near the end it goes quiet and dreamy: staring at crowds flowing past the station, asking "ここはどこ 私は誰" (where am I, who am I?), before being swallowed back into ordinary days with a soft "おやすみ" (good night). Then the chorus slams back in, ending on a stubborn "後には引けやしないんだ" (there's no backing down now).
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