Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Humor 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!
hirari kono yoru o odorunda
Lightly, I'll dance through this night
nandakanda de umaku iku
One way or another, it'll work out
ki ga shitekita gozen ichiji
I've started to feel that way at 1 a.m
subarashiki kono sekai o
Through this wonderful world
waruagaki tsunawatari
Struggling in vain, walking a tightrope
sono kokoro urahara ni munasawagi
Despite how I feel, my chest stirs with unease
nagai nagai yoru o koete
Getting through the long, long night
kaze tooru sukima umeatte
We fill the gaps where the wind blows through
wasurekaketa yuumoa ga
The humor I'd almost forgotten
machi no keshiki ni iro o otosu
Casts color over the cityscape
ikiataribattari samayotta
I wandered aimlessly
yume ni made mita tougenkyou wa doko
Where is the paradise I dreamed of?
kurakunattara hi o tomosou
When it gets dark, let's light a fire
kodoku o wakeaeru yo
We can share our loneliness
norarikurari to odorunda
Idly, I'll dance and drift along
nandakanda de yuuutsu ga
Somehow or other, gloom
kage o otoshita gozen niji
Cast its shadow at 2 a.m
doushiyoumonai kono sekai o
Through this hopeless world
waruagaki tsunawatari
Struggling in vain, walking a tightrope
sono kokoro urahara ni munasawagi
Despite how I feel, my chest stirs with unease
kokyuu o kobamenakutatte
Even if you can't refuse to breathe
sono ryouashi de tatte sakende
Stand on those two feet and scream
etai no shirenai yokubou ga
A strange, nameless desire
chiisana karada o mushibanda
Ate away at this small body
senobishitatte ahiru wa ahiru ka
Even on tiptoes, is a duck still just a duck?
sora no aosa o nagameteirunda
I'm gazing at the blue of the sky
konna yoru wa kikinareta
On a night like this, I wanna hear
uta demo kikitaina
A song I know by heart
kirari kono yo o odorunda
Sparkling, I dance through this world
nandakanda de umaku iku
One way or another, it'll work out
ki ga shiteiru gozen sanji
That's how it feels at 3 a.m
subarashiki kono sekai o
Through this wonderful world
waruagaki tsunawatari
Struggling in vain, walking a tightrope
sono kokoro urahara ni munasawagi yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Despite how I feel, my chest stirs with unease yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
(English)
hajimari to owari wa tsumujikaze
Beginnings and endings are a whirlwind
itsudatte toutotsu ni yusaburare
We're always shaken up without warning
taeshinobu toki wa eien ni kanjirare
The times we endure feel like forever
maa sore mo ima ja goikkyou
Well, now even that's kind of fun
hirari kono yoru o odorunda
Lightly, I'll dance through this night
nandakanda de umaku iku
One way or another, it'll work out
ki ga shitekita gozen ichiji
I've started to feel that way at 1 a.m
subarashiki kono sekai o
Through this wonderful world
waruagaki tsunawatari
Struggling in vain, walking a tightrope
sono kokoro urahara ni munasawagi
Despite how I feel, my chest stirs with unease
norarikurari to odorunda
Idly, I'll dance and drift along
nandakanda de yuuutsu ga
Somehow or other, gloom
kage o otoshita gozen niji
Cast its shadow at 2 a.m
doushiyoumonai kono sekai o
Through this hopeless world
waruagaki tsunawatari
Struggling in vain, walking a tightrope
sono kokoro urahara ni munasawagi
Despite how I feel, my chest stirs with unease
kirari kono yo o odorunda
Sparkling, I dance through this world
nandakanda de umaku iku
One way or another, it'll work out
ki ga shiteiru gozen sanji
That's how it feels at 3 a.m
subarashiki kono sekai o
Through this wonderful world
waruagaki tsunawatari
Struggling in vain, walking a tightrope
sono kokoro urahara ni munasawagi
Despite how I feel, my chest stirs with unease
nagai nagai yoru o koete
Getting through the long, long night
kaze tooru sukima umeatte
We fill the gaps where the wind blows through
wasurekaketa yuumoa ga
The humor I'd almost forgotten
machi no keshiki ni iro o otosu
Casts color over the cityscape
ikiataribattari samayotta
I wandered aimlessly
yume ni made mita tougenkyou wa doko
Where is the paradise I dreamed of?
kurakunattara hi o tomosou
When it gets dark, let's light a fire
kodoku o wakeaeru yo
We can share our loneliness
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Did you like this lyrics translation?
桃源郷 — Shangri-La / utopia
桃源郷 literally means “Peach Blossom Land,” a legendary hidden paradise, and is often translated as “Shangri-La” or “utopia.” In the song, the singer wonders where this dreamlike ideal place is, giving the lyrics a mysterious, adventurous feeling and making this an especially memorable word to learn.
King Gnu's "Humor" is a 1 a.m. pep talk to yourself. It opens with "ひらりこの夜を踊るんだ" (I'll dance lightly through this night) and the nagging hunch "なんだかんだで上手く行く" (one way or another, it'll work out). That phrase なんだかんだで is worth stealing: it means "somehow, after all the fuss," and Japanese speakers use it all the time.
The chorus is a clock. At 1 a.m. things feel fine, at 2 a.m. "影を落とした午前二時" (2 a.m., when it cast its shadow) as gloom (憂鬱) creeps in, and by 3 a.m. the hope comes back. Through all of it the singer is doing "悪あがき 綱渡り" (a desperate struggle, a tightrope walk). 悪あがき is a great word: struggling on when you probably already lost.
My favourite line is the blunt one: "背伸びしたってアヒルはアヒルか" (even standing on tiptoe, a duck is still a duck, huh). It's funny and a bit sad, and 〜たって ("even if") turns up again in "呼吸を拒めなくたって" (even if you can't refuse to breathe).
The answer the song lands on is small and warm. "忘れかけたユーモアが" (the humor I'd nearly forgotten) puts colour back into the streets, and "暗くなったら火を灯そう" (when it gets dark, let's light a fire) because "孤独を分け合えるよ" (we can share our loneliness). The paradise "桃源郷" (a Shangri-La, a dreamed-of utopia) never shows up, and by the bridge he shrugs: "まあそれも今じゃ御一興" (well, now even that is a bit of fun).
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