2014/09/06

NO RAIN, NO RAINBOW

Released on 2014 Oct. 29th, included in "LIVE - LEGEND 1999 & 1997 APOCALYPSE",
recorded on 2013 Jun. 30th at Legend "1999" concert,
(studio ver. included in "Metal Resistance" released in 2016 Apr. 1st).
Lyric: YOSHIFU-METAL, MK-METAL, NAKAMETAL / Music: YOSHIFU-METAL / Arr.: LEDAMETAL

This is SU-METAL's solo ballad.

NO RAIN, NO RAINBOW (Yamanai Ame / Endless Rain)

Why can't I sleep?
Why does the night end?
I don't want anything, even tomorrow,
the future without you.

Why was I smiling?
Why so though I was feeling lonely?
Nobody knows that I really just
wanted you to be by my side.

Even the despair becomes the light.
Though an endless rain continues to fall.
Even the despair becomes the light.
A sad rain throws a rainbow
far far away.

We shall never meet again,
but I want not to forget you forever.
If the dream continues, I wish I'll never wake up from it.

Why was I smiling?
Why so though I was feeling lonely?
Nobody knows that I really just
wanted to see you. That was all.

Even the despair becomes the light.
Though an endless rain continues to fall.
Even the despair becomes the light.
A sad rain throws a rainbow
even now.

An endless rain fills my heart
forever.



  ROMAJI LYRIC AND NOTES ARE BELOW.


[i] About the Title of This Song

Among BABYMETAL's fans, this song has been called "Yamanai Ame" (literally "a rain that doesn't stop") since the first performance. It is probably the most natural title according to the lyric. As of 2017 Mar., it has been performed only three times: 2013 Jun.30, 2014 Mar.2, & 2016 Sep.20.

There is a famous ballad "Endless Rain" by X Japan (a famous Japanese heavy metal band). This song somewhat resembles it in arrangement (especially in guitar interlude, but its interlude itself resembles those of others' ballads). Some fans said that its resemblance had been said so much that 'he' may have decided to change the title.

The phrase "No Rain, No Rainbow" is taken as "If there is no rain, there is no rainbow, too". It seems to be a Hawaiian proverb and seems to mean "there is a good time after a hard time", "there is a hard time before a good time" or "you must try hard to get a good result".

But, as long as she keeps her lover (or friend) in her mind, a sad rain continues to fall. I don't think the rainbow in this song means something happy that comes after a hard time. If the song writer himself named this song "No Rain, No Rainbow", he may have meant something like "we notice precious things only through hard experience".

[i+] About the Writers of This Song

The lyric of this song has a rather different character from other songs of BABYMETAL. Some lines are the ones that Japanese young female singer-songwriters are likely to write, so some fans said that SU-METAL herself may have written the lyric, but it was wrong.

There are no credits in the BD/DVD package, but Yoshifumi KOUCHI (the composer of this song; YOSHIFU-METAL) announced on his office's web site that the lyric is his collaborated work. Probably he is the main lyric writer. Other lyric writers' names have been found in JASRAC database J-WID (thanks to anonymous san @ 2ch BBS, added on 2015 Jan. 7th).

[ii] About the Span of the Rainbow She Sees.

"Doko made mo" means "(from here) to endlessly far distance". It is used both for movement (e.g. we run on 'endlessly') and for extent (e.g. the desert extends 'endlessly'). Therefore, there are probably two possibilities. (1) While she runs on toward the center of a rainbow (or any direction), the rainbow remains in the same size (and in the same direction) as before, as far as there are enough raindrops and sunshine. (2) If she sees one end of a big rainbow standing on the horizon, it may look like a bridge spanning from here to endlessly far. (If the setting sun is on the horizon in due west, one end of a rainbow stands at northeast, the top is 40-42 deg. above in due east & another end at southeast, and, if she looks at one end, the top and another end are almost out of her sight.)


NO RAIN, NO RAINBOW (Yamanai Ame / Endless Rain *0)

Romaji LyricEnglish TranslationNotes
 
Dooshite nemure-nai no? Why can't I sleep?
Dooshite yoru wa owaru no? Why does the night end?
Ira-nai nani mo, ashita sae mo, I don't want anything, even tomorrow,
kimi ga i-nai mirai. the future without you.
 
Dooshite waratteta no? Why was I smiling?
Dooshite samishikatta noni? Why so though I was feeling lonely?1,2
Dare mo shira-nai, hontoo wa tada Nobody knows that I really just
soba ni ite hoshikatta. wanted you to be by my side.
 
Zetsuboo sae mo hikari ni naru. Even the despair becomes the light.
Yama-nai ame ga furi-tsuzuite mo. Though an endless rain continues to fall.3
Zetsuboo sae mo hikari ni naru. Even the despair becomes the light.
Kanashii ame ga niji o kakeru yo, A sad rain throws a rainbow4
doko made mo. far far away.[ii]
 
Nidoto ae-nai kedo We shall never meet again,
wasure-naide itai yo. but I want not to forget you forever.5
Yume ga tsuzuku nara same-naide. If the dream continues, I wish I'll never wake up from it.6
 
Dooshite waratteta no? Why was I smiling?
Dooshite samishikatta noni? Why so though I was feeling lonely?
Dare mo shira-nai, hontoo wa tada Nobody knows that I really just
ai-tai. Sore dake datta. wanted to see you. That was all.
 
Zetsuboo sae mo hikari ni naru. Even the despair becomes the light.
Yama-nai ame ga furi-tsuzuite mo. Though an endless rain continues to fall.
Zetsuboo sae mo hikari ni naru. Even the despair becomes the light.
Kanashii ame ga niji o kakeru yo, A sad rain throws a rainbow
ima mo. even now.
 
Yama-nai ame ga kokoro mitasu yo, An endless rain fills my heart7
itsu made mo. forever.
 

Notes

  1. I will keep the tentative title for a while.
  2. This is "Why was I smiling while I was feeling lonely?". In the official lyric, the question mark is inserted in the middle of the line (Dooshite? samishikatta noni). I added "I was" in the translation on 2016 Jun. 18th.
  3. SU-METAL pronounces "samishi(i)". "Sabishi(i)" is regarded as orthdox pronunciation, but both pronunciations have been used equally for many hundreds years.
  4. In this section, "an endless rain" (& "a sad rain") corresponds to "the despair", "a rainbow" to "the light". It may be better to think the third line is inserted as a refrain and the second line is linked to the forth line: "Though an endless rain continues to fall, it throws a rainbow..." (as you know, a rainbow can be seen while a rain is falling if there is no cloud in the direction of the sun).
  5. This "kakeru"/"throw" is the same usage as building a bridge. "Hashi o kakeru" means "(people) throw a bridge (over the river)". "Hashi ga kakaru" means "a bridge spans (the river)".
  6. This is "I want to keep you in my mind forever".
  7. Literally it is a kind of imperative sentence to the dream ("don't go away!"). "Sameru" is said both about a person and about a dream: "you 'wake up' from a dream (or sleep)" and "a dream 'goes away' and you wake up". Japanese people often say "if this is a dream, don't go away!", or "---, go away quickly!".
  8. "Mitasu" (= fill) is the simple (= present) form. Probably sadness is newly added everyday while old sadness fades gradually, so the amount doesn't change.

36 comments :

  1. Hi, Du-Enki, love your work. I'm curious if Su did have a hand in this song, do you know if she's listed in the credits for any of Sakura Gakuin's songs? Just curious if you came across anything.

    Thanks!

    Chris

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Miss Suzuka is not listed in the credits of any songs of Sakura Gakuin.
      But the lyrics of "Magic Melody" were made by the collaboration with a web site for teenage girls. The readers of the web site posted their own episodes of one-sided love, the members of Sakura Gakuin selected ones they liked, and finally the professional lyric writer put them on the melody.

      I can't find the corresponding line in the lyrics, but the episode Miss Suzuka picked up is like this:
      "You treat me as a friend. I'm somewhat happy but I want to be treated as a girlfriend. However, I can't tell you I love you, being afraid that I can no longer be even a friend."
      http://s.maho.jp/p.asp?I=yumekore_sakura_n_1

      Delete
  2. WHENIM64-METAL08 March, 2015 12:05

    "Dooshite waratteta no?"

    At first, this phrase was I thought a question to her parted lover. In fact, I often found examples translated as "Why were you smiling?" Although I thought so, I've felt some sense of discomfort. Because it's hard to suppose the character of the Su-metal, saying bitches to the man broken up.

    Finally I understand this song to see your translation "Why was I smiling?". And I was convinced smoothly "Dooshite samishikatta noni?" .
    And an image of a girl with endurance and bravery comes to mind clearly, song has stains mind.

    Not only extensive knowledge and deep insight, polite commentary that are friendly to the reader is really great.
    Going forward, I wanna read this with fun."Dooshite waratteta no?"
    ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
    ※google先生のヘルプでは心許ないので和文も付けます。

    当初、このフレーズは相手の男への問いかけと思っていました。実際、"Why were you smilig?"と訳した例もよく見受けます。でもそう思いながら、ずっと違和感がありました。別れた男に愚痴るようなSu-metalのキャラは考えにくかったからです。

    あなたの翻訳”Why was I smiling?”を見てようやくこの歌を理解できました。"Dooshite(?) samishikatta noni?"もすんなり納得しました。
    そして耐え忍ぶ凜々しい少女の姿がくっきり浮かんできて、歌が心に沁みてきました。

    幅広い知識と深い洞察のみならず、読み手に配慮した丁寧な解説は、本当に素晴らしい。
    これからも楽しみに読ませていただきます。

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for agreeing with my interpretation. I have seen someone's translation of "why were you smiling?", too. If thinking the sentence separately, it is natural to think the grammatical subject of "why smiling?" is "you", but, if so, then, as you said, it sounds like she complains about her former boyfriend and it's unfit for this song.

      私の解釈に賛成していただいてありがとうございます。私も "Why were you smiling?" という誰かの訳を見ました。一文だけで考えれば、「どうして笑っていたの?」の主語は「あなた」と考えるほうが自然でしょうけど、そうすると、おっしゃるように、昔の恋人の不満を言うみたいになってこの歌に合わないと思います。

      Delete
  3. She is smiling because of a precious memory of something she misses today.

    I think.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comment.
      Do you mean she is smiling now? Someday she may be able to look back on those days with a gentle smile, but I think the time passed is not enough yet for that.

      Delete
    2. So yes, I think she is smiling now, a sad smile.

      But this I only gather from your translation and my interpretation of the performance of this song at Bodukan.
      When I first saw Su-Metal perform this song I got the impression of this song being performed very respectfully (the slow walk, no dancing).
      Its just my impression of course and I have no knowledge of the Japanese language.

      Delete
    3. I see. A sad smile is possible because it shows some very complicated feeling.

      Delete
    4. I'm considering the idea of someone she misses who has passed away which makes this a song about mourning someone.

      (I already made this comment but it was meant to be placed in this conversation ... sorry about the confusion)

      Delete
    5. Alright. I removed another one.
      Yes. "Nidoto ae-nai" (= can?/shall? never meet again) may imply the someone has passed away.

      Delete
    6. Thank you for confirming, its nice to know my interpretation isn't a complete miss.
      Also thank you for this translation and replying to my comments.

      Delete
  4. Hello, a comment about your lines... [quote]"No Rain, No Rainbow" is taken as "If there is no rain, there is no rainbow, too". It seems to be a Hawaiian proverb and seems to mean "there is a good time after a hard time", "there is a hard time before a good time" or "you must try hard to get a good result".[/quote]

    There's a 1928 (or earlier) jazz-pop standard called "If you want the rainbow (you must have the rain)", I know it through the versions Annette Hanshaw (released under the alias Gay Ellis) and Lee Morse recorded in that year. I guess the theme of that song must have the inspiration in the same Hawaiian proverb you mention. Funnily, looking for more info a couple of minutes ago I found through Google that a very similar phrase is attributed to Dolly Parton! I guess she must have another song with a variation of the proverb.

    Saludos,

    Fernando :)



    ReplyDelete
  5. Being a huge X Japan fan, I get the chills every time I listen to this song. Not only the song pacing, but the piano/guitar/bass arrangements are basically Endless Rain 2.0.

    I remember that Yoshiki have met with Babymetal a few times so I see this song as a tribute to X Japan, just like the "WE ARE... BABYMETAL" from the lives, clearly mimicking the "WE ARE... X" from the X Japan lives.

    I love the fact that different bands can tribute each other like that without the clash of egos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for comment.
      I hear the producer is a huge X Japan fan, too.

      Delete
  6. This is one of the most emotional songs I've ever heard. Having heard it for the first time right after a sad break up it touched me deeply. I only speak English but there was no translation needed for this one, you know the emotion she is showing threw the song. But wow the words are very deep and just what I was thinking but better. Thanks as always.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for comment.
      I like her singing ballads.

      Delete
  7. do you have the guitar chord? :D sorry bad english

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a copy of TAB & sheet music posted on the BABYMETAL thread of 2ch.
      The chords were verified by some 2ch users and then someone arranged & posted this.
      This is Legend 1999 (2013 June) version and may be different from the album version.
      http://imgbox.com/qwlPRTTu (missing)
      https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwyYxJXMwmWKRUNaN2h2N1FzekU

      There are some sites that present the chords of several BABYMETAL's songs.
      http://gakufu.gakki.me/m/data/RQ04350.html
      http://gakufu.me/song/520433/
      https://chordsketch.com/BABYMETAL/No%20Rain,%20No%20Rainbow/

      Delete
  8. Hi. I'm interested in converting rather than directly translating this to English so that the words still scan with the music. I'm wondering if you think my version of the "chorus" is close enough to the original to make sense?

    Even my dark despair can return to the light,
    Zetsuboo sae mo hikari ni naru
    Even if an endless rain falls, through the stormy night.
    Yama-nai ame ga furi-tsuzuite mo
    Even my dark despair can return to the light,
    Zetsuboo sae mo hikari ni naru
    when a sad rain throws a rainbow, across a stormy sky -
    Kanashii ame ga niji o kakeru yo
    to eternity!
    doko made mo!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for new translation.
      Your interpretation & mine seem somewhat different, but I don't know which is better because the song writer has told nothing about this lyric as far as I know.

      In the original lines appear the simple forms of the verbs "naru" (= become) & "kakeru" (= throw), and, as a matter of Japanese grammar, it is unclear whether they mean they can happen or they actually happen now.

      I guess she sees (or she recalls that she saw) a rain & a rainbow at the same time (or a rainbow just after a rain) and she associates the rain with her (endless) sadness and the rainbow with something precious. I guess she sees something like a rainbow in her mind now, but I'm not sure. She may be just hoping it to come.

      Anyway, I have an impression that you suppose some essential change from darkness to light, but, according to my personal feeling, a sad memory (of this kind) remains sad as long as I remember it though I may feel it precious at the same time.

      I think it is no longer precious if it is no longer sad, but the song writer may think the memory changes from sad one to beautiful one.

      Delete
  9. No discussion of the lyrics of this song should be considered complete without hearing Sumetal's view of them.... from a Spanish Site email interview with Su.

    ""Sure! “No Rain, No Rainbow” might be the least metal song of our repertoire and it’s been with us for three or four years now. This song is a total fan favourite though. You can interpret it in a romantic way but we like to think about it in a more open way. It is about simple human feelings of love and loss and how the value of certain things we have in life is only perceived in dark moments. At the beginning, we admit we couldn’t completely understand the deep meaning of this song. But this song has helped us develop not Su-metal vocal techniques, but also our way to express our emotions through this song the more we performed it."

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for telling SU-METAL's interview.

      Delete
    2. Thank you for the invaluable service you provide to the English speaking Babymetal community. Sites like yours help Babymetal gain fans in the English speaking world. Directly as a result of your Romaj and English translations I am starting to pick up some of the Japanese language and intend to take those studies further.

      Delete
    3. I'm glad the fans all over the world kindly support BABYMETAL members.

      Delete
  10. I read today that after Su sang this at the second night of the Hiroshima concert, she started to struggle to avoid crying, and had to be consoled by Moa for a couple of minutes before she could continue. The reason, of course, was that they were performing for the first time ever without Yui, who was to ill to perform. While it is probably only a cold or flu, Su's emotions seem to show how much they love each other, which is one of the reasons their fans love Babymetal so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for comment.
      I feel sorry if Miss Suzuka & Miss Moa were not given the chance to say something about the suffering Yui.

      Delete
    2. And we all hope Miss Yui's recovery is smooth.

      Delete
    3. I really liked this song and Su's performance in Hiroshima.And by now we know it was true that Yui left BM, not to mention Mikio's death after that.Did Su sense something?

      Delete
    4. Thanks for your work. Wondering if you keep going with new songs from the Metal Galaxy album? Especially Trinity of Light?

      Delete
    5. To nghai79 san.
      I am very sorry for very late reply.
      Some fans think Miss Yui had made up her mind to leave BABYMETAL rather earlier. So there is some possibility that Miss Suzuka had been told something about Miss Yui's leaving until the Hiroshima concerts, and more possibility that she had felt something about her leaving, but I'm not sure.

      Delete
    6. To nghai79 san.
      I am very sorry for very late reply.
      As said in [To the Readers of my Blog] , I will not translate them for now. For translating those three songs, it seems necessary to understand why they are called "Trinity of Light", but it seems very difficult for me to understand it.

      Delete
    7. To Mr Enki Du

      Thank you. Hope you will take the time to translate BM's lyrics to English (although this is not my native language). When I just started listening to BM's music I felt the lyrics seem simple but after watching your translation and annotations, I realized there were many more sense - and because Japanese is also a difficult language. Wish you a lot of health and continue love for BM even if they have new music experiences

      Delete
  11. Have you thought that the the one refered on the song " [...] the future without YOU" isn't necessarily a person? The "you" may have been (inttencionaly) putted on this way on the song to please the teenage public, as they like romantic musics, but it may represent something deeper than it actually seems to. I may be wrong, but it's something to think about...

    -Eduardo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for comment.
      The original Japanese word for this "you" in the original lyrics is "kimi" (other "you"s are my supplements and have no corresponding words in the original lyrics). There are several Japanese words such as "anata", "omae", "kimi", etc. that are translated to English "you". "Kimi" is used in higher-to-subordinate or even relations (e.g. teachers to students, students to students) and rarely used in close relations such as within a family.
      "Kimi" of this song may refer to a non-human being such as her dear old dog or the spring wind of her hometown, but I don't think it refers to a greater being such as a holy mountain or a holy spirit (politer "anata" is used instead).

      Delete