Toguro

Romaji and English translation of the song 蜷局 (Toguro) from the single Cassis by the GazettE.

Lyrics originally sung in English are in italics , and words or phrases I felt were implied are in [brackets] in the translation.

I also (usually) put repeats of chorus/verses/stanzas in [brackets] if they’re not written that way in the original lyrics for ease of singing along.

If he writes a word in the lyrics but doesn’t sing it, I put it in light grey to make it easier to skip when singing along.

I usually romajize katakana characters in CAPITALS, and keep punctuation and line spacing as close to the original booklet as possible. If you see me putting spaces before punctuation at the end of a sentence or writing things in mixed-case capitals, that’s because it’s how it was in the booklet.

Any comments I had during the romajization/translation process will be included as footnotes so as not to disturb the flow of the song. They’re not required reading, but Ruki does some pretty nifty things with his lyrics/kanji choices, or sometimes there’s further explanations about words or phrases in there.

Toguro: Romaji

Gururi gururi¹ uzumaki kumo no shita
Gururi gururi rasen wo odoru
Kara katakata kara katakata katari
Kara katakata kara katakata katari
Nejireru oto ga koyoi mo hibiku

Gururi gururi     watashi wo kakomu
Gururi gururi     nanishite asobu
Kara katakata kara katakata katari
Kara katakata kara katakata katari
Nejireru oto     midare midare     rara

Te to te wo tori karamasete egaku
“Midara madara” nando me ga “anata”?
Se sera sera sera naze yue warau
Kazoe uta wa nari yamanu

Odorasareteru no wa watashi no hou ne
Kaki midasareru bakari     itai
Ikiga tsumaru you ni fukaku kurushii
Kurikaesu “ayatori” nanimo nokorazu
Kasaneta kuchibiru kara kobore dasu
Kamiawanu toiki ni kidzuite…
Iku yo no kara kuri     na mo shiranu hito
Sarasareta kizu     shitataru hi aijou

[Gururi gururi     watashi wo kakomu
Gururi gururi     nanishite asobu
Kara katakata kara katakata katari
Kara katakata kara katakata katari
Nejireru oto     midare midare     rara]

[Te to te wo tori karamasete egaku
“Midara madara” nando me ga “anata”?
Se sera sera sera naze yue warau
Kazoe uta wa nari yamanu]

[“Midara madara” nando me ga “anata”?
“Midara madara” nando me ga “anata”?
“Midara madara” nando me ga “anata”?
“Midara madara” nando me ga “anata”?
“Midara madara” nando me ga…?]

Motomeru nanika no tameni mata nanika wo ushinau no wa
Kowaku taegatai

[Odorasareteru no wa watashi no hou ne
Kaki midasareru bakari     itai
Ikiga tsumaru you ni fukaku kurushii
Kurikaesu “ayatori” nanimo nokorazu
Kasaneta kuchibiru kara kobore dasu
Kamiawanu toiki ni kidzuite…
Iku yo no kara kuri     na mo shiranu hito
Sarasareta kizu     shitataru hi aijou]

Itai itai… sou “anata” janai
Itai itai… mada “anata” janai

Coil: Translation

Spinning, spinning under the swirling clouds
Spinning, spinning I dance in a spiral
Causing such a commotion, it clatters, clatters
Causing such a commotion, it clatters, clatters
That spiraling sound echoes tonight

Spinning, spinning It surrounds me
Spinning, spinning So, why don’t we play?
Causing such a commotion, it clatters, clatters
Causing such a commotion, it clatters, clatters
These spiraling sounds are caused by our obscene disturbance

Taking my hand in yours, entwined together, we paint [this picture]
How many of these “dirty² stains” are [caused by] “you?”
What’s the reason you’re always ridiculing me?
The sound of your sing-song counting never ends

I’m the one you’re forcing to dance³
Experiencing nothing but a loss of control     is painful
I’m finding it hard to breathe; I’m being choked
It repeats over and over until nothing is left but this “cat’s cradle⁴“
It continues spilling from your parted lips, more and more
I recognize that sigh…
Tonight, death plays a trick     on someone whose name he doesn’t even know
This exposed wound     drips with misplaced affection

[Spinning, spinning It surrounds me
Spinning, spinning So, why don’t we play?
Causing such a commotion, it clatters, clatters
Causing such a commotion, it clatters, clatters
These spiraling sounds are caused by our obscene disturbance]

[Taking my hand in yours, entwined together, we paint [this picture]
How many of these “dirty stains” are [caused by] “you?”
What’s the reason you’re always ridiculing me?
The sound of your sing-song counting never ends]

[How many of these “dirty stains” are [caused by] “you?”
How many of these “dirty stains” are [caused by] “you?”
How many of these “dirty stains” are [caused by] “you?”
How many of these “dirty stains” are [caused by] “you?”
How many of these “dirty stains” are…?]

To lose something for the sake of something else you want
How scary It’s unbearable

[I’m the one you’re forcing to dance
Experiencing nothing but a loss of control     is painful
I’m finding it hard to breathe; I’m being choked
It repeats over and over, until nothing is left but this “cat’s cradle”
It continues spilling from your parted lips, more and more
I recognize that sigh…
Tonight, death plays a trick     on someone whose name he doesn’t even know
This exposed wound     drips with misplaced affection]

It hurts, it hurts… It seems it’s not “you”
It hurts, it hurts… But it’s still not “you”

This onomatopoeic word meaning “spinning” is usually written out in hiragana as ぐるり. In true Ruki fashion, he’s using obscure kanji. The first character he uses 愚 gu typically means “foolishness/folly” when used alone; the second kanji 流 ru means “exile” when used alone. So the mental picture I get from his kanji use (which seems to go with the kind of wild-eyed facial expression and hand motions he likes to use during this song for lives) is kind of “my empty head is spinning / I’m chasing something all over that only I can see; I’m crazy / confused / mentally unstable and people keep their distance because they think maybe I’m a little nuts” rather than just a literal “turning in circles.” (I love him and hate him so much for this kind of stuff. Really.)
This is “dirty” as in “lewd” or “inappropriate”, not “unwashed.”
Or “manipulating” – I get a visual of someone “pulling the strings” of the singer like a marionette.
I believe using “cat’s cradle” (a game played by twining string around your fingers and making intricate patterns with it) is metaphorical for being entangled in the strings that are being used to manipulate the person from whose point of view the song is sung, becoming so trapped in them that they cannot escape and are being choked by the strings.