月に吠える – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: ヨルシカ, Yorushika
• Album: 月に吠える

Lyrics & Translation

Learning Japanese through Yorushika's "月に吠える" offers a unique opportunity to delve into the darker, more introspective side of the language and culture. The song is a homage to the poetry of Sakutarō Hagiwara, a pioneer of modern Japanese poetry, and as such, its lyrics are rich with literary devices and emotional depth. By studying this song, you can learn vocabulary related to complex emotions like loneliness (孤独, kodoku), despair (絶望, zetsubou), and inner conflict, as well as expressive, powerful verbs. The song's connection to classic Japanese literature makes it a special gateway to understanding the philosophical underpinnings that can be found in contemporary Japanese music.

[English]

Howling at the moon by the roadside

A shadow walks through the town

Unaware of the fullness

The night goes deep

Before I know it, there’s a crowd

Staring at this face

What do you know about me?

Pretending to be a beast

I want to throw everything away

I want you to tell me that I'm alive

If I sing like howling at the moon, oh, vividly

I want to shatter the earth with an ice pick and fill it with this malice

If I sing like howling at the moon

Oh, selfishly, as you wish

...

The pale moon by the roadside

Where could it be, people say

Can no one see it?

This ugly beast

Turns towards the pointed finger

Moving without a face

Something is watching me

In that shadow at the pier

I believe in nothing

No one expects anything from you

If I sing like howling at the moon, oh, vividly

I want to dip a hard pen in the moonlight and draw lines on the waves

If I sing like howling at the moon, oh, gracefully

As time flows

...

Ah, everyone thinks I'm a poor sick person!

...

I want to throw everything away

I still haven’t violated the world enough

If I sing like howling at the moon, oh, vividly

I want you to crush my skull with an ice pick and fill it with warm soup

Sing like howling at the moon

Oh, beast that dwells deep in my throat

This world is as you wish

...

Howling at the moon by the roadside

...

[Japanese]

路傍の月に吠える

影一つ町を行く

満ちることも知らないで

夜はすっと深くまで

気が付けば人溜まり

この顔を眺めている

おれの何がわかるかと

獣の振りをする

一切合切放り出したいの

生きているって教えてほしいの

月に吠えるように歌えば嗚呼、鮮やかに

アイスピックで地球を砕いてこの悪意で満たしてみたいの

月に吠えるように歌えば

嗚呼、我が儘にお前の想うが儘に

青白い路傍の月

何処だろう、と人は言う

誰にも見えていないのか

この醜い獣

指を差した方へ向く

顔の無いまま動く

何かがおれを見ている

波止場のあの影で

一切合切信じていないの

誰もお前に期待していないの

月に吠えるように歌えば嗚呼、鮮やかに

硬いペンを湖月に浸して波に線を描いてみたいの

月に吠えるように歌えば嗚呼、艶やかに

時間の赴くままに

あぁ 皆おれをかわいそうな病人と、そう思っている！

一切合切放り出したいの

ま、まだ世界を犯し足りないの

月に吠えるように歌えば、嗚呼鮮やかに

アイスピックで頭蓋を砕いて温いスープで満たしてほしいの

月に吠えるように歌えよ

嗚呼、喉笛の奥に住まう獣よ

この世界はお前の想うが儘に

路傍の月に吠える

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
月 /tsuki/ A1	noun - moon
吠える /hoeru/ B1	verb - to bark
影 /kage/ A2	noun - shadow
町 /machi/ A2	noun - town
生きる /ikiru/ B1	verb - to live
悪意 /akui/ B2	noun - malice
想う /omou/ B1	verb - to think
動く /ugoku/ B1	verb - to move
信じる /shinjiru/ B2	verb - to believe
時間 /jikan/ A1	noun - time
病人 /byoujin/ B2	noun - patient
世界 /sekai/ A1	noun - world
鮮やか /azayaka/ B2	adjective - vivid
硬い /katai/ B1	adjective - hard
指 /yubi/ A2	noun - finger
波止場 /hajimeba/ B2	noun - wharf

Key Grammar Structures

• 知らないで

  ➔ The te- form + で used to indicate an action performed in a certain manner or as a condition, here meaning 'without knowing'.

  ➔ The pattern "知らないで" indicates doing something without possessing the knowledge, functioning as a manner or condition.

• 一切合切

  ➔ An idiomatic expression meaning 'everything' or 'all' emphatically.

  ➔ An emphatic phrase used to refer to 'everything' or 'all' without exception.

• ように歌えば

  ➔ The volitional form + ば (if) used to suggest 'if you sing as...'.

  ➔ Using the volitional form + ば to express 'if you sing in the manner of...'.

• 獣の振りをする

  ➔ Noun + の + 振りをする (pretend to be/act as).

  ➔ Noun + の + 振りをする indicates pretending to be or act as the noun.

• ごとく

  ➔ A formal or literary expression meaning 'like' or 'as if'.

  ➔ Used to compare one thing to another in a formal or literary manner, meaning 'like' or 'as if'.