* Sakura-iro no Avenue

This is not BABYMETAL's song but SUZUKA's solo, as a member of Sakura Gakuin. At the beginning of August, I made a wish upon a star: if I got the rehearsal video of Akatsuki in London, I would translate this song. Soon I got it, and now I have finished the translation.

Released on 2013 Mar. 13th, included in "Sakura Gakuin school year 2012 -My Generation-".
Lyric: HISASHI KONDO / Music: HISASHI KONDO / Arr.: HISASHI KONDO

Sakra-iro no Avenue (Avenue in Cherry Blossom Color)

That's why I dislike it.
This would happen
I already knew, too.
I look up the spring sky.

A girl in love.
It's a whim.
Don't say like that!
It's my truth.

In the sunshine,
at a bus stop, alone now
I feel a premonition of a beginning.
I can't stop it, but... ah.

Cherry blossom color,
the tree-lined avenue.
I look ahead.
I will fulfill my wish.
I've made up my mind. Yeah.

I'm acting tough.
But I'm serious.
Such days
I'm repeating and I'm walking
still halfway, though.

Listen to me,
hey, my friend!
I always look down.
Actually
I'm no good person.

A smiling face
has an invisible power.
You told me that,
so I smile, but... ah.

I'm shouting.
I am here.
Find me!
I run up
to the place of promise. Yeah.

I don't weep.
But tears roll down.
These tears
are not of sadness, you know.
I love you. Forgive me!

Surely it is so.
Surely it is so.
Though the wind is still cold,
the flowers in full bloom
fill the avenue.

I'm acting tough.
But I'm serious.
Such days
I'm repeating and I'm walking.

Cherry blossom color,
the tree-lined avenue.
I look ahead.
I will fulfill my wish.
I've made up my mind. Yeah.

I'm acting tough.
But I'm serious.
These days
will someday surely
shine.
I know that.

---

  ROMAJI LYRIC AND NOTES ARE BELOW.

[i] About Cherry Blossom and the Japanese School Year

Sakura (= cherry blossom) is the special flower for Japanese people. Somei-Yoshino is the most popular species of cherry in Japan. It blooms all at once before leaves come out and fall in a week or so. This short blooming period is often associated with the transience of life.

In most areas of Japan (except the North), it blooms around the last week of March to the first week of April. It is the time when the Japanese school year ends and begins. Sakura blooms as if it congratulated students' graduation and their entrance. But it is also the season of parting.

(The name of Sakura Gakuin comes from the place name "Sakuraoka" (= cherry hill) where Amuse's head office locates.)

[ii] About the Situation of This Song

It is early in April, soon after she has graduated from school. She is missing "you" whom she can no longer meet easily. "You" may be her best friend or her boyfriend, or possibly her teacher. She seems to have promised something to "you".

Sakra-iro no Avenue (Avenue in Cherry Blossom Color)

Romaji Lyric	English Translation	Notes
Dakara kirai sa.	That's why I dislike it.	1
Koo naru koto datte	This would happen	2
wakatteta.	I already knew, too.
Haru no sora.	I look up the spring sky.	3
Koi suru otome.	A girl in love.	4
Kimagure nante	It's a whim.
iwa-naide!	Don't say like that!
Shinjitsu da wa.	It's my truth.
Hidamari no	In the sunshine,	5
basutei de hitori ima	at a bus stop, alone now
hajimari no yokan o	I feel a premonition of a beginning.
tomerare-nai noni. AH.	I can't stop it, but... ah.	6
Sakura-iro	Cherry blossom color,	7
namiki michi.	the tree-lined avenue.
Mae o mite.	I look ahead.
Kanaeru kara.	I will fulfill my wish.	8
Kimeta-nda kara. YEAH.	I've made up my mind. Yeah.
Tsuyogari desu.	I'm acting tough.
Demo honki desu.	But I'm serious.
Sonna hibi o	Such days	9
kurikaeshite aruite iru	I'm repeating and I'm walking
mada tochuu da kedo.	still halfway, though.	10
Kiite yo,	Listen to me,
nee MY FRIEND.	hey, my friend!
Utsumuite bakari nano.	I always look down.
Hontoo wa	Actually
dame na hito.	I'm no good person.
Egao ni wa	A smiling face
mie-nai chikara ga aru	has an invisible power.
tte anata ga yuu kara	You told me that,
waratte iru noni. AH.	so I smile, but... ah.	6
Sakenderu.	I'm shouting.
Koko ni iru.	I am here.
Mitsukete yo!	Find me!
Kake-agaru wa,	I run up
yakusoku no basho. YEAH.	to the place of promise. Yeah.	11
Naki masen.	I don't weep.
Demo kobore masu.	But tears roll down.
Kono namida wa	These tears
kanashimi to wa chigau kara ne.	are not of sadness, you know.
Daisuki yo. Gomen ne.	I love you. Forgive me!	12
Kitto soo da.	Surely it is so.
Kitto soo da.	Surely it is so.
Mada kaze wa tsumetai keredo,	Though the wind is still cold,
saki midarete	the flowers in full bloom
abenyuu.	fill the avenue.
Tsuyogari desu.	I'm acting tough.
Demo honki desu.	But I'm serious.
Sonna hibi o	Such days
kurikaeshite aruite iru.	I'm repeating and I'm walking.
Sakura-iro	Cherry blossom color,
namiki michi.	the tree-lined avenue.
Mae o mite.	I look ahead.
Kanaeru kara.	I will fulfill my wish.
Kimeta-nda kara. YEAH.	I've made up my mind. Yeah.
Tsuyogari desu.	I'm acting tough.
Demo honki desu.	But I'm serious.
Konna hibi ga	These days
itsuka kitto	will sometime surely
kagayaku koto	shine.
shitte iru no yo.	I know that.

Notes

1. As well as "that's why", "dakara" refers to the previous sentences. In this song, we have to imagine the situation. "It" refers to the spring as the fourth line suggests.
2. The second line is the grammatical object of "I already knew". "This" refers to the current situation.
3. There is none for "I look up" in the original line, but I complement the sentence so that the fourth line is not taken as the grammatical object of "I already knew".
4. It is ambiguous whether "I" or "you" say "koi suru otome", that is, whether it says "I am a girl in love. Don't say it's a whim. It's my truth." or "Don't say it's a whim of a romancing girl. It's my truth".
5. Combining these four lines and ignoring the word order, it says "I can't stop a premonition of a beginning now, [standing] alone at a bus stop in the sunshine, but...".
6. "Noni" is a contrary-conjunctional particle. It shows speaker's surprise or disappointment about the following statement (e.g. Anna ni doryoku shita noni, maketa; Though I had tried so hard, (unfortunately) I lost). The following sentence is sometimes omitted because it is already said, obvious, or too hard to say.
       For both "noni" in the lyric, the next lines don't seem to be the following statement. I guess the first "noni" might link to "Don't say like that!" on five lines above (= I feel ---, but you say ...) and the second "noni" to "Tears roll down" on seven lines below, but I'm not sure at all.
7. The grammatical structure is ambiguous because there are no particles. It may be "Cherry blossom color [is on / fills] the tree-lined avenue" or "The tree-lined avenue [is in] cherry blossom color". Anyway the scene she sees is like the picture below.
8. It may be not "my wish" but "my promise" because there's no grammatical object in the original line.
9. "Such days" is the grammatical object of "I'm repeating".
10. The scope of "kedo" (= though) is ambiguous. It may be "I'm walking though still halfway" or "I will fulfill my wish though I'm walking still halfway [toward it], repeating such days as [I feel] I'm acting tough but I'm serious".
11. I guess "the place of promise" may be a small park or playground on the upper part of a (residential) hill where people can look over the town. It's a place suitable for teenagers to talk about their futures.
12. Literally "I like [you] very much", but I translate this way thinking "you" to be her boyfriend.

  A cherry blossom avenue in Tomioka town, Fukushima pref.