Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Senryo Yakusha 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
Repeating a nonsense play over and over
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 brings you back to the start
tsuribashi o watare mukidashi de
Cross the suspension bridge, all exposed
norarikurari chidoriashi de
Dodging and weaving with a drunken stagger
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 that lasts just one night
inochi no yasuuri
Selling life off cheap
donchou toji toudai o oshimai
The curtain falls, bringing this era to a close
dorojiai no hate ni kigeki ari
At the end of the mudslinging there's a comedy
katasutorofi koeteke gou
Karma, push on past the catastrophe
koyoi no senryouyakusha
Tonight's star performer
kyouki no gotoshi kabuitechoudai
Perform like a madman for me
maki tsukite hi no messuru toki
When the firewood runs out and the flame dies
kakemegutta soumatou no
Of the life flashing 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, what 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 the thrill
anata to soushisouai de itai
I wanna be in love with you, and you with me
sukikatte houdai no shoubai
A business where anything goes
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 live
ai no te no gotoshi kuchi o dashi
Butting in like a backing chant
tachiba warukunarya osakini
When things turn bad, it's "I'll be off first"
muishiki ni kushizashi
Skewering without a thought
doahou ni wa jikaku wa nashi
The d*mn fool has no clue
nanisama mono da sonna mon da
Who do you think you are? That's just how it is
Da da da mama no omanma de
Da da da, on Mommy's home cooking
onaka panpan da
My belly's stuffed full
papparapaana atama n naka
Nothing but airhead nonsense in my head
bakana mama da
Still an idiot
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 festival in a downpour
kono me ni wa zekkei kana
To these eyes, what 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 the thrill
anata to soushisouai de itai
I wanna be in love with you, and you with me
sukikatte houdai no shoubai
A business where anything goes
shouhai nante kyoumi wa nai ya
I don't care about winning or losing
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 live
detaramena geki o kurikaeshite
Repeating a nonsense play over and over
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 brings you back to the start
tsuribashi o watare mukidashi de
Cross the suspension bridge, all exposed
norarikurari chidoriashi de
Dodging and weaving with a drunken stagger
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 that lasts just one night
inochi no yasuuri
Selling life off cheap
donchou toji toudai o oshimai
The curtain falls, bringing this era to a close
dorojiai no hate ni kigeki ari
At the end of the mudslinging there's a comedy
katasutorofi koeteke gou
Karma, push on past the catastrophe
koyoi no senryouyakusha
Tonight's star performer
kyouki no gotoshi kabuitechoudai
Perform like a madman for me
Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Did you like this lyrics translation?
千両役者 — star performer / top-ranking actor
千両役者 literally means a performer worth a thousand ryō, an old Japanese unit of money. It refers to an exceptionally skilled, charismatic actor, especially one who commands the stage.
In the song, “今宵の千両役者” presents the singer as tonight’s dazzling star, fitting the lyrics’ dramatic imagery of stages, curtains, tragedy, and spectacle. It is a memorable word because it combines historical Japanese theater culture with the idea of becoming the main character of the night.
King Gnu turn life into a cheap stage play here, and they lean all the way into it. It opens on "出鱈目な劇を繰り返して" (repeating a nonsense play), where the plot is always forced and you're "命を継ぎ接ぎ" (patching your life together). Every maze leads back to square one, and you cross the rope bridge staggering like a drunk. Then the blunt rule of the game: "くたばりゃ最後" (once you croak, that's it) and "死人にゃ口無し" (dead men tell no tales). That second one is a real Japanese proverb, and the slangy にゃ makes it sound like someone sneering it at you.
The title, 千両役者 (senryō yakusha), is an old kabuki term for a star actor worth a thousand gold pieces a season, so the chorus asks tonight's star to "狂気の如し歌舞いて頂戴" (sing and dance like a madman, please). 歌舞いて is a pun on kabuki itself. The curtain drops with "緞帳閉じ" (the stage curtain closes), and the flashback of a dying life, "走馬灯" (the revolving lantern your life flashes by on), is judged "絶景かな" (what a view!), a line lifted straight from a famous kabuki scene. My favourite part is how silly it gets in the middle: "お腹パンパンだ" (my belly's stuffed full) and "パッパラパーな頭ん中" (an airhead brain). Fame doesn't matter, winning doesn't matter; the singer just wants "爽快だけを頂戴" (give me only the rush) and "ただ生きるための抗体" (antibodies just to stay alive).
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