A.M.D.K.J. – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: SCANDAL
• Album: Kiss from the darkness

Lyrics & Translation

Learning Japanese with 'A.M.D.K.J.' by SCANDAL offers a unique opportunity to engage with modern Japanese rock and lyrical themes of self-determination. The song's title itself, a romanization of 'amidakuji,' introduces a cultural concept of a ladder lottery, providing a glimpse into decision-making in Japanese culture. The lyrics, penned by drummer RINA, are both poetic and direct, making them an excellent tool for understanding contemporary Japanese expressions and views on fate and personal agency.

[English]

Tangled-up security lines

In a town that's become overly sensitive and eerie

A lawless zone born from illusions

Most people just look away

Come on, try it if you're willing

Don’t romanticize it—know the reality

Some days, you just can't take it seriously

Sometimes, you pray to the gods

A game of fate—will it go one way or the other?

Draw the thread of destiny with your finger

Now, go deeper

Look with your own eyes, reach out and touch

The arrogant ones running wild

Makes me fed up with this world

The truth is colorless and transparent

A little cold, just a bit

Come closer, to the sound of clapping hands

Let’s do something better

If you're going to be a fool, might as well dance—no regrets

Ah, I’m already addicted

Stop spouting only common sense

Cool down that hardened mind

To the outdated, cold B-class critics

A punishment

The game of fate—bittersweet and sweet, it’s all on me

Gently open the game of fate

Now, release those feelings you've kept inside

Set free those thoughts

Not only you are afraid of an unpredictable tomorrow

Love, burning brightly and fading away freely

Now, go deeper

Look with your own eyes, reach out and touch

The arrogant ones running wild

Makes me fed up with this world

The truth is colorless and transparent

A little cold, just a bit

[Japanese]

張り巡らされた規制線

敏感になり過ぎた不気味な街は

幻想が生んだ無法地帯

目を逸らしてる人ばかり

その気になって 試してみなって

美化してないで 現実を知って

クソ真面目にやってらんない日もあるよ

時に、神頼み

運命のあみだくじ 伸るか反るかの話

運命のあみだくじ 指でなぞって

さあ、もっと深くまで

その目でみて触れて

我が物顔がはびこる

この世界に嫌気が差すよ

真実は無色透明で

少しだけ冷たい

手のなる方へ寄っといで

もっといいことしようよ

同じ阿呆なら踊らにゃ損々

ああ もう病みつきになってる

正論ばっか吐き捨ててないで

凝り固まった頭を冷やして

時代遅れの寒いＢ級評論家達に

お仕置きを

運命のあみだくじ 酸いも甘いも私

運命のあみだくじ そっと開いて

さあ、胸に閉じ込めた

その想い解き放て

予測不可能な明日が怖いのは　君だけじゃない

愛なんて自由自在に　燃えて消えてゆく

さあ、もっと深くまで

その目でみて触れて

我が物顔がはびこる

この世界に嫌気が差すよ

真実は無色透明で

少しだけ冷たい

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
規制線 /きせいせん/ B2	noun - barrier or cordon
不気味 /ぶきみ/ B2	adjective - creepy or eerie
幻想 /げんそう/ B2	noun - illusion or fantasy
現実 /げんじつ/ B1	noun - reality
運命 /うんめい/ B2	noun - fate or destiny
真実 /しんじつ/ B2	noun - truth
冷たい /つめたい/ A2	adjective - cold
想い /おもい/ B1	noun - thought or feeling
自由自在 /じゆうじざい/ C1	adjective - free and unrestricted
病みつき /やみつき/ B2	noun - addiction or obsession
冷やす /ひやす/ B1	verb - to cool down
明日 /あした/ A1	noun - tomorrow

Key Grammar Structures

• 敏感になり過ぎた不気味な街は

  ➔ The pattern of 'verb masu' + '過ぎる' (sugiru) indicates excessive or over- Do something.

  ➔ It means 'became too' or 'overly', used here to express being excessively sensitive.

• 運命のあみだくじ 伸るか反るかの話

  ➔ Using 'の' to connect noun phrases and 'か' for choices or alternatives.

  ➔ This phrase illustrates a choice or gamble in fate, with '伸るか反るか' meaning 'to stretch or to bend', a metaphor for risk-taking.

• 真実は無色透明で

  ➔ Using 'は' as a topic marker and 'で' to indicate the state or condition.

  ➔ The phrase describes that 'truth' is 'colorless and transparent', using 'で' to describe the state of being transparent.

• 少しだけ冷たい

  ➔ 'だけ' indicates 'only' or 'just' to limit the degree.

  ➔ It expresses that something is 'a little cold', with 'だけ' emphasizing the small degree.

• 美化してないで 現実を知って

  ➔ Using 'て' form + 'ないで' to indicate 'without doing' or as a command to stop doing something.

  ➔ It means 'without beautifying' or 'stop prettifying', encouraging accepting reality.

• 手のなる方へ寄っといで

  ➔ Imperative form '寄っといで' (yottoidede) used to invite or demand someone to come closer or follow.

  ➔ It is an imperative phrase meaning 'come closer' or 'gather here'.

• 予測不可能な明日が怖いのは　君だけじゃない

  ➔ Using 'な' after '予測不可能' (impossible to predict) to modify '明日' (tomorrow), and 'だけじゃない' to mean 'not only'.

  ➔ It indicates 'tomorrow that is unpredictable' is 'not only' scary to you but also others.