K English Lyrics Translation

ENGLISH

K

A black cat walks down main street on the weekend

Holding his crooked tail, his pride, out magestically

People hated the cat because of his appearance

When people saw him melting into the darkness, they threw rocks

He was used to loneliness, in fact he preferred it

It would be annoying if someone showed him sympathy

But then the arm of a young artist lifts the cat up

"Good evening. You and I are alike, little guy"

He desperately scratched and clawed at the arm

He ran and ran

Down the road called lonliness

Unable to believe in the first kindness, the first warmth his life had experienced

But no matter how far he ran, the eccentric man chased him

And so the cat spent the next two winters with the artist

The artist named the cat "Kurokisachi" Holy Night

The artist's sketchbook was almost completely black

The cat stuck close to his first ever friend, but one day...

Their life was poor, and the name-giver collapsed

He wrote his final letter, and then said

"Run, run, please deliver this to her

To my love who waited for me while I chased my dreams"

You can't sell drawings of an ominous black cat, but still you drew only me

And so you died and grew cold. Of course he took up the letter!

A black cat runs down a snowy mountain road

Carrying the promise he made with his dear friend in his mouth

Children throw rocks at him, crying, "Look, it's a messenger of the devil!"

I don't care what they say, because I have an invincible name

"Holy Night," he called me "Sacred Night"

He called me a name that held all of his kindness and warmth

If there's a reason for me, who was so hated, to live

I'm sure that I was born just for this day, so I'll run anywhere

He finally arrived at his best friend's home town

He ran the distance to the lover's house

He ran, he fell, with wounds all over his body

But before he could even stand he was attacked with jeers and violence

I can't lose, I'm Holy Night! So he dragged his feet, about to tear off

And ran once again. I've found it! It's this house!

The lover read the letter, but the cat no longer moved

She selected one letter from the alphabet and buried him in the garden

She buried the holy knight

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JAPANESE

K

週末の大通りを　黒猫が歩く
御自慢の鍵尻尾を水平に　威風堂々と
その姿から猫は　忌み嫌われていた
闇に溶ける　その体目掛けて　石を投げられた

孤独には慣れていた　寧ろ望んでいた
誰かを思いやる事なんて　煩わしくて
そんな猫を抱き上げる　若い絵描きの腕
「今晩は　素敵なおチビさん　僕らよく似てる」

腕の中もがいて　必死で引っ掻いて

孤独という名の逃げ道を

走った　走った　生まれて初めての
優しさが　温もりが　まだ信じられなくて

どれだけ逃げたって 変わり者は付いて来た

それから猫は絵描きと　二度目の冬を過ごす
絵描きは　友達に名前をやった　「黒き幸」ホーリーナイト
彼のスケッチブックは　ほとんど黒尽くめ
黒猫も　初めての友達に　くっついて甘えたが　ある日

貧しい生活に　倒れる名付け親

最後の手紙を書くと　彼はこう言った

「走って　走って　こいつを届けてくれ
夢を見て　飛び出した僕の　帰りを待つ恋人へ」

不吉な黒猫の絵など売れないが　それでもアンタは俺だけ描いた
それ故　アンタは冷たくなった　手紙は確かに受け取った

雪の降る山道を　黒猫が走る
今は故き親友との約束を　その口に銜えて
「見ろよ、悪魔の使者だ!」　石を投げる子供
何とでも呼ぶがいいさ　俺には　消えない名前があるから

「ホーリーナイト」「聖なる夜」と　呼んでくれた
優しさも温もりも　全て詰め込んで　呼んでくれた
忌み嫌われた俺にも　意味があるとするならば
この日のタメに生まれて来たんだろう　どこまでも走るよ

彼は辿り着いた　親友の故郷に

恋人の家まで　あと数キロだ

走った　転んだ　すでに満身創痍だ
立ち上がる間もなく　襲い来る　罵声と暴力
負けるか俺はホーリーナイト　千切れそうな手足を
引き摺り　なお走った　見つけた!　この家だ!

手紙を読んだ恋人は　もう動かない猫の名に
アルファベット1つ　加えて庭に埋めてやった
聖なる騎士を埋めてやった 

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OPINION

I've got a lot to say about K, one of BUMP OF CHICKEN's most loved songs. It's also one of their best but saddest stories. I just love these characters and the way they interact. Their friendship is so strong and they are willing to do anything for each other. Fujiwara is such a good writer, I really think he's a genius… The setting, the pacing, the imagery, it's all fantastic. About the cat's name though… "Kurokisachi" is made with the kanji for "black" and "happiness" which I think is really neat. Fujiwara also has a bit of fun with English with the "night" and "knight" wordplay. In fact, until the point that the cat clarified that his name means "Sacred Night" it is unclear whether his name is "Holy Night" or "Holy Knight" since the romanization of both of those words is identical. In the end though, I think his name IS both, since both are fitting for a brave black cat. Speaking of black cats, this story is actually somewhat close to reality. Black cats are MUCH less likely than other cats in animal shelters to be adopted. A lot more black cats get put to sleep than other cats. As a person who lives with black cats that are wonderful, I ask you to please not let the superstition about them spread!