Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Hikoutei 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!
donna yume o mi ni ikou ka
What kind of dream should we go chasing?
tadashisa bakari ni osoreononokanaide
Don't cower so much before what's "right"
jiyuujizai ni tobimawatte
Fly around wherever you please
suteppu bai suteppu biito o kizande
Step by step, keep the beat
hate no nai paatii o tsuzukeyou ka
Shall we keep this endless party going?
kono jidai ni tobinotte kon'ya kono machi o tobitatte
Jump aboard this era, and fly out of this town tonight
oozora o tobimawatte inochi yurase inochi yurase
Fly all around the open sky, let your life quake, let your life quake
kono kaze ni tobinotte kon'ya taifuu no me to natte
Jump aboard this wind, and become the eye of the typhoon tonight
oozora o tobimawatte inochi yurase inochi yurase
Fly all around the open sky, let your life quake, let your life quake
kawaribae shinai nichijou no katasumi de
In a corner of the same old everyday life
mujaki ni waratteiraretara ii yo na
It'd be nice if we could keep laughing innocently
muimina tabi o tsuzukeyou ka
Shall we keep going on this meaningless journey?
wan bai wan ippo zutsu de ii sa
One by one, it's fine to go step by step
kansei mo basei mo nomikonde
Swallowing both the cheers and the jeers
kono jidai ni tobinotte kon'ya orokana kui to natte
Jump aboard this era, tonight become the foolish nail that sticks out
ayamachi o osorenaide inochi yurase inochi yurase
Don't fear your mistakes, let your life quake, let your life quake
kono kaze ni tobinotte kon'ya na mo naki kaze to natte
Jump aboard this wind, tonight become a nameless wind
seidaku o awasenonde inochi yurase inochi yurase
Take the good with the bad, let your life quake, let your life quake
ooame furase daichi furuwase
Make the heavy rain fall, make the earth tremble
kako o iwae asu o ninae
Celebrate the past, shoulder tomorrow
inochi yurase inochi yurase
Let your life quake, let your life quake
ooame furase daichi furuwase
Make the heavy rain fall, make the earth tremble
kako o iwae asu o ninae
Celebrate the past, shoulder tomorrow
inochi yurase inochi yurase
Let your life quake, let your life quake
ooame furase daichi furuwase
Make the heavy rain fall, make the earth tremble
kako o iwae asu o ninae
Celebrate the past, shoulder tomorrow
inochi yurase inochi yurase
Let your life quake, let your life quake
ooame furase daichi furuwase
Make the heavy rain fall, make the earth tremble
kako o iwae asu o ninae
Celebrate the past, shoulder tomorrow
inochi yurase inochi yurase
Let your life quake, let your life quake
kono jidai ni tobinotte kon'ya kono machi o tobitatte
Jump aboard this era, and fly out of this town tonight
oozora o tobimawatte inochi yurase inochi yurase
Fly all around the open sky, let your life quake, let your life quake
kono kaze ni tobinotte kon'ya taifuu no me to natte
Jump aboard this wind, and become the eye of the typhoon tonight
oozora o tobimawatte inochi yurase inochi yurase
Fly all around the open sky, let your life quake, let your life quake
anata no kitai ni tobinotte kon'ya kono hane de tobitakute
Riding on your hopes, tonight I want to fly on these wings
kono oozora o tobitakute inochi umare inochi umare
I want to fly through this vast sky, life is born, life is born
kono kaze ni tobinotte kon'ya na mo naki kaze to natte
Jump aboard this wind, tonight become a nameless wind
seidaku o awasenonde inochi yurase inochi yurase
Take the good with the bad, let your life quake, let your life quake
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清濁を併せ呑んで — Embracing both the pure and the impure
清濁を併せ呑んで is a poetic idiom meaning to accept both the good and the bad, or to embrace everything without judging it. Literally, it means “swallowing both purity and impurity.”
In the song, this phrase encourages facing life in its entirety, accepting its joys and hardships while continuing to let your spirit surge forward.
"Hikoutei" means "airship", and the whole song is an invitation to climb aboard and take off. King Gnu open with a question, "どんな夢を見に行こうか" (what kind of dream shall we go and see?), and then tell you not to freeze up: "正しさばかりに恐れ戦かないで" (don't tremble in fear of only being right). The chorus is pure liftoff: "この時代に飛び乗って 今夜この街を飛び立って" (jump onto this era, take off from this city tonight). The hook "命揺らせ" (shake your life) is a command, and it repeats so often it turns into a chant. My favourite image is "今夜台風の目となって" (tonight, become the eye of the typhoon): you are the calm centre of all that wind.
The second verse is more grounded. In "代わり映えしない日常の片隅で" (in a corner of an everyday life that never changes), the singer just wants to laugh innocently, and he happily calls it "無意味な旅" (a meaningless journey). Two idioms are worth learning here. "愚かな杭となって" (becoming a foolish stake) flips the Japanese proverb 出る杭は打たれる, "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down", so being the stake that sticks out is the point. "清濁を併せ呑んで" (swallowing both the clear and the muddy) is a set phrase for accepting good and bad alike. Then the bridge goes big and a bit over the top, in a good way: "大雨降らせ 大地震わせ" (make heavy rain fall, make the earth shake) and "過去を祝え 明日を担え" (celebrate the past, shoulder tomorrow). The very last chorus swaps the chant for "命生まれ" (life is born), which lands as a quiet surprise after all that shaking.
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