Hi
I got to like this song, but I don’t quite understand what it really is about. Is it a critique of Japanese Society and the women’s role in it, or is it a revenge/heartbreak song? Google doesn’t seem to help.
Lyrics (apparently)
罪を背負って この世の中に
女は生まれて 来るのでしょうか
心ならずも 背いた男の
怨み声やら 笹の風
嵯峨野 隠れ家
ああ 黒髪ざんげ
いつか馴染んだ 花街川に
流した浮名は いくつでしょうか
どれも真実を 捧げたものを
野暮な世間が嘘にする
嵯峨野 迷い路
ああ 黒髪ざんげ
生きる限りは 男に罪を
重ねて行くのが
運命でしょうか
髪を束ねて 剃刀当てて
切れぬ迷いの 糸を切る
嵯峨野 白露
ああ 黒髪ざんげ
I don’t know If I can add Youtube links here. But there are a couple of videos of her singing this song online.
Thanks a lot.
1 comment
I feel like this is best asked in r/translator but here’s my try.
It’s neither of those, but it’s a woman working in Hanamachi industry, perhaps as Geisha lamenting and perhaps regretting her own life as a woman who seems to be destined to fail in relationships with a man after another, while receiving much resentment although there were no choice (verse 1) and be treated with misunderstanding (verse 2).
There are a few keywords in each verse
1. 心ならずも背いた男の恨み声 I’m not too confident about the translation but I think this actually means “the voice of resentment from guys who turned their back in reluctance (can be heard)”
2. 花街, 浮名 respectively, (sort of) red lights district, bad name
3. [剃刀](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%BE%A1%E9%AB%AA%E5%89%83%E3%83%BB%E5%BE%A1%E5%89%83%E5%88%80-2015360): See definition 2. This was an old slang for Hanamachi workers whose fallen in love with her customer. It should be somewhat relevant to today’s Kyabakura girls, for the nature of how ladies there act nice as part of business, and how man goes there knowingly, and then how ugly it can turn into when either side start to actually falling in love despite the premises. Anyhow, the word here has poetic effect because the first definition razor blade is used in this scene for her to cut her hair. I feel like she’s cutting some chunk of hair to imply that she’s quitting her job for once to get out of this misery.