Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Senryo Yakusha (ALBUM Ver.) 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!
detaramena geki o kurikaeshite
Putting on the same nonsense play again and again
sujigaki wa itsumo muriyari de
The plot is always forced
inochi o tsugihagi
Patching life together
meiro no saki wa itsumo furidashi
The end of the maze always leads back to the start
tsuribashi o watare mukidashi de
Cross the suspension bridge, all exposed
norarikurari chidoriashi de
Dodging along on staggering feet
inochi no kakehiki
Gambling with life
kutabarya saigo
Once you drop dead, it's over
shinin nya kuchi nashi
Dead men tell no tales
kutta kuwareta no chabangeki
A farce of eat or be eaten
ichiya kagiri karisome no han'ei
A fleeting prosperity, for one night only
inochi no yasuuri
Selling life off cheap
donchou toji toudai o oshimai
Drop the curtain and bring this age to a close
dorojiai no hate ni kigeki ari
At the end of the mudslinging, there's a comedy
katasutorofi koeteke gou
Go on past the catastrophe, karma and all
koyoi no senryouyakusha
Tonight's star performer
kyouki no gotoshi kabuitechoudai
Dance wild like madness itself, please
maki tsukite hi no messuru toki
When the firewood runs out and the flame dies
kakemegutta soumatou no
The life that flashed before my eyes
sono nagame wa ataisenkin ka mankin ka
Is that view worth a thousand gold, or ten thousand?
kono me ni wa zekkei kana
To these eyes it's a breathtaking sight
isseichidai no oobutai
The grand stage of a lifetime
yuumei mumei mo kankeinai
Famous or nameless, it doesn't matter
soukai dake o choudai
Just give me that rush
anata to soushisouai de itai
I wanna love you and be loved by you
sukikatte houdai no shoubai
A business where I do whatever I please
koukai nante mendokusai ya
Regret is such a pain
aokusai yabokusai shougai o
For this naive, uncool life of mine
tada ikiru tame no koutai o choudai
Just give me the antibodies to simply survive
ai no te no gotoshi kuchi o dashi
Butting in like a backing chant
tachiba warukunarya osakini
And when things go south, it's "I'm out of here"
muishiki ni kushizashi
Skewering people without even knowing
doahou ni wa jikaku wa nashi
And the d*mn fool has no clue
nanisama mono da sonna mon da
Who do you think you are? That's all you are
Da da da mama no omanma de
Da da da, living off mommy's cooking
onaka panpan da
Your belly's stuffed full
papparapaana atama n naka
Nothing but airheaded nonsense in your head
bakana mama da
Still a fool
muimi kara nagameru imi o
The meaning you see from meaninglessness
shi kara nagameta sei no yakudou
The pulse of life seen from death
sono zama marude omatsuri doshaburi
It's just like a downpour on festival day
kono me ni wa zekkei kana
To these eyes it's a breathtaking sight
isseichidai no oobutai
The grand stage of a lifetime
yuumei mumei mo kankeinai
Famous or nameless, it doesn't matter
soukai dake o choudai
Just give me that rush
anata to soushisouai de itai
I wanna love you and be loved by you
sukikatte houdai no shoubai
A business where I do whatever I please
shouhai nante kyoumi wa nai ya
I've got no interest in winning or losing
aokusai yabokusai shougai o
For this naive, uncool life of mine
(English)
(English)
tada ikiru tame no koutai o choudai
Just give me the antibodies to simply survive
detaramena geki o kurikaeshite
Putting on the same nonsense play again and again
sujigaki wa itsumo muriyari de
The plot is always forced
inochi o tsugihagi
Patching life together
meiro no saki wa itsumo furidashi
The end of the maze always leads back to the start
tsuribashi o watare mukidashi de
Cross the suspension bridge, all exposed
norarikurari chidoriashi de
Dodging along on staggering feet
inochi no kakehiki
Gambling with life
kutabarya saigo shinin nya kuchi nashi
Once you drop dead, it's over, dead men tell no tales
kutta kuwareta no chabangeki
A farce of eat or be eaten
ichiya kagiri karisome no han'ei
A fleeting prosperity, for one night only
inochi no yasuuri
Selling life off cheap
donchou toji toudai o oshimai
Drop the curtain and bring this age to a close
dorojiai no hate ni kigeki ari
At the end of the mudslinging, there's a comedy
katasutorofi koeteke gou
Go on past the catastrophe, karma and all
koyoi no senryouyakusha
Tonight's star performer
kyouki no gotoshi kabuitechoudai
Dance wild like madness itself, please
Did you like this lyrics translation?
千両役者 — star performer / consummate actor
千両役者 literally means “a thousand-ryō actor,” referring to a performer whose talent and popularity are worth an enormous fortune. In the song, it describes the dazzling central figure taking the stage tonight, giving the phrase a theatrical, larger-than-life feeling.
King Gnu turn life into a kabuki stage here, and the whole song is one long, frantic performance. It opens with "出鱈目な劇を繰り返して" (repeating a nonsense play) and "筋書きは何時も無理矢理で" (the script is always forced), so from line one life is a badly written show where every road leads to "迷路の先は何時も振り出し" (the end of the maze is always back at the start). Then comes the blunt bit: "くたばりゃ最後
死人にゃ口無し" (once you croak, that's it / dead men tell no tales). That second half is a real Japanese proverb, 死人に口無し, and the slangy くたばりゃ (if you kick the bucket) makes it sound like a shrug from a street performer.
The title, 千両役者, means a star actor worth a thousand gold pieces, an Edo-era phrase for kabuki's biggest names, and the chorus begs "今宵の千両役者
狂気の如し歌舞いて頂戴" (tonight's star actor, perform like a madman for me). 歌舞いて is a playful verb built from the same root as kabuki itself. My favourite moment is the death scene: "駆け巡った走馬灯の" (the life flashing before my eyes), then "此の目には絶景かな" (to these eyes, what a view). Dying is the final curtain, and the singer still wants the applause. The silliest stretch, "お腹パンパンだ" (my belly is stuffed) and "パッパラパーな頭ん中" (an airhead inside my skull), is pure nonsense wordplay, and it's a lot of fun to say out loud.
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