Kugutsu e

Romaji and English translation of the song 傀儡絵 (Kugutsu e) from the single Guren 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.

Kugutsu e: Romaji

Mazariau iro ni mita kodoku no e ga
Me no mae de toketeyuku kiyou ni kara wo nuide

Tarenagashi no risoukyou ni odorasareru
Zugai no naka BARANSU mo torezu
“Nanika ga waratte”
Yugande yuku nakushi nagara
Karamaru ito ni kubi wo adzukeru

Affection on the surface.
Peel off pretence !

Hagashita shuuchishin ni yotte
Monzetsu suru sono kao¹ wa shinsou ni yugamu
“Nanika ga waratte”
Kazari ageru sono hi aijou
Hakike wo sasou fukai na sonzai

Affection on the surface.
Peel off pretence !

Nobasu te wo tsukami kirezu omoi ga chiri mazariau no
Aseta hi wa sono e no nagame karete yuku
Kakageta yume sae nugi saru kimi yo

You are in a part of the gear.

Yagate nodo ni tsumaru nanika ni furuedasu
Ataerareta hikari wo kage da to shiru
Kudake chitta aoki ano hibi fukaku seoi nemuri
Nanimo sukuenu to shiri midareru

[Kugutsu e]
[Affection on the surface.
Peel off pretence !]

Fuini nagasarete yuku yume wo mite
Osae tsudzuketeta no ni
An error is deep…
Imasara afureru namida de wa

Nobasu te wo tsukami kirezu omoi ga chiri mazariau no
Aseta hi wa sono e wo nagame karete yuku
Hagareru koe sae “mou” kikoenai

Sono itami shiru kimi wa yagate mata koko ni tane wo uete
Irodzuita hana ga saku itsuka wo negau
Sono itami shiru kimi ga furuezu ni mizu wo sosogeta koro ni
Mita koto no nai iro no hana ga mata kimi wo sasou

You are in a part of the gear.

Portrait of a Marionette: Translation

I examined your portrait of loneliness but the colors start to blend together
The [paint] continues to melt away right before my eyes as if you’re deliberately shedding your shell

You’re being manipulated in a liquefying dream world²
Until you can’t find your balance in your head
“Something is laughing”
You’re starting to become twisted　as you lose yourself
You bow your head [willingly] to their entangling desires¹

Affection on the surface.
Peel off pretence !

Because you’ve been stripped of your shame
The reality [of your situation] contorts your naked face¹ as you faint in agony
“Something is laughing”
As you are painted with your feelings of anguish
Your distasteful existence makes me feel sick to my stomach

Affection on the surface.
Peel off pretence !

You can’t quite reach to grasp my outstretched hand　as your emotions smear and blend together
As the day lost its color, under my gaze the painting began to dissolve
You’re the one [at fault] for those dreams you once held dear being completely stripped away

You are in a part of the gear.

But soon you begin to tremble as something sticks in your throat
And you realized the light being offered to you is really shadow
Those days of your youth smashed to pieces you fall into a deeply burdened sleep
Distressed because you know you can’t save anything

[Portrait of a marionette]
[Affection on the surface.
Peel off pretence !]

Suddenly your dreams are all washed away
Even as they continued to pin you down
An error is deep…
But it’s too late, and your tears start to overflow

You can’t quite reach to grasp my outstretched hand　as your emotions smear and blend together
As the day lost its color, under my gaze the painting began to dissolve
Until even your disembodied voice can’t be heard “anymore”

You recognize that pain, that the seeds of it still grow here
And pray that someday they will bloom into colorful flowers
You recognize that pain, and when you’re able to water [those seeds] without trembling
Someday flowers with colors unlike any you’ve ever seen will draw you in

You are in a part of the gear.

Ruki uses a different ending kanji for the compound risoukyou (normally written 理想郷 and meaning “utopia, earthly paradise”). He has written 理想 risou (“ideal, dream”) together with 狂 kyou (“insane, crazy, lunatic”). So while it’s pronounced the same, you get an image of kind of a warped view of “utopia” or an “ideal world.”
This whole line reinforces the idea of a puppet or marionette. Also worth noting is instead of using one of a myriad of other kanji for “intention/aim/desire,” Ruki chose to use 意図 ito – which coincidentally is pronounced the same as 糸 ito which means “string/thread” – like the strings used to manipulate a marionette.
素顔 sugao “honesty, unpainted face” is written, while 顔 kao “face” is sung.