Butterfly
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Lyrics


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尖ったナイフみたいな心で
細長く意味もない日々を削る
積もった過去とか退屈とか
燃えないゴミの日に出して
そのまま

宛先のない手紙みたいな
行き場も居場所もない僕らの
摺り込まれた夢や希望は
燃えないゴミの日に出して
そのまま

半透明で不確かな膜が
僕らの世界を包んでは
5メートルの現実感を
いつかなくして
見失っていって

暗闇の先の霞むような光
負から正の走光性
荒んだ僕は蝶になれるかな

折れる

消えかけた鈍い痛みまで
出来るなら捨てないでおいて
そのまま

半透明で不確かな膜が
僕らの世界を包んでも
5メートルの現実感を
忘れないでいて
ずっと繋いでいって

諦めの悪い世界が呼ぶ僕らを
ガラス製の欲望で
覗いた先に何がある

暗闇の先の霞むような光
負から正の走光性
荒んだ僕は蝶になれるかな





折れる

Overall Meaning

The song "Butterfly" by ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION is a reflection on the monotony and meaninglessness of life, represented by the metaphor of a sharp knife that whittles away at elongated, purposeless days. The past, boredom, and other accumulating detritus are discarded like unburnable waste on designated days. The singer likens themselves to a letter without an address, wandering without direction or a sense of belonging. Dreams and aspirations have been ingrained and their existence obscured by the passage of time, making them also disposable like the trash. The world the singer inhabits is described as being encapsulated by a semi-transparent and uncertain film that obscures the reality that is beyond its five-meter diameter. The singer contemplates becoming a butterfly, a creature that is associated with beauty, fragility, and transformation, but is also aware of their own fragility, comparing themselves to broken but unforgotten things.


The lyrics are a bittersweet reflection on the difficulties and disillusionments of modern life, and the singer's longing for change and transformation. The metaphor of the knife and the trash provides a powerful image of the fleetingness and disposability of everyday experiences, while the butterfly represents a hope for growth and metamorphosis. The theme of uncertainty and lack of direction is emphasized by the recurring image of the semi-transparent film that obscures the world. Overall, the song is an insightful commentary on the human desire for purpose and meaning.


Line by Line Meaning

尖ったナイフみたいな心で
With a sharp and knife-like heart


細長く意味もない日々を削る
We shave away long and meaningless days


積もった過去とか退屈とか
We toss accumulated past and boredom


燃えないゴミの日に出して
Putting them out on non-burnable garbage day


そのまま
As they are


宛先のない手紙みたいな
Like a letter with no recipient


行き場も居場所もない僕らの
For us who have no destination or place


摺り込まれた夢や希望は
Our dreams and hopes, which have been rubbed off


燃えないゴミの日に出して
Putting them out on non-burnable garbage day


そのまま
As they are


半透明で不確かな膜が
A semi-transparent and uncertain membrane


僕らの世界を包んでは
Envelops our world


5メートルの現実感を
A five meter sense of reality


いつかなくして
We'll lose it someday


見失っていって
And lose sight of it


暗闇の先の霞むような光
A hazy light beyond the darkness


負から正の走光性
A cathode-to-anode light emission


荒んだ僕は蝶になれるかな
I wonder if my rough self can become a butterfly


折れる
It breaks


消えかけた鈍い痛みまで
Even the dull pain that's fading away


出来るなら捨てないでおいて
If possible, don't throw it away


そのまま
As it is


半透明で不確かな膜が
A semi-transparent and uncertain membrane


僕らの世界を包んでも
Even though it envelops our world


5メートルの現実感を
A five meter sense of reality


忘れないでいて
Don't forget


ずっと繋いでいって
Keep it connected forever


諦めの悪い世界が呼ぶ僕らを
The world that doesn't give up calls us


ガラス製の欲望で
With a glass-made desire


覗いた先に何がある
What lies ahead if we peek inside?


暗闇の先の霞むような光
A hazy light beyond the darkness


負から正の走光性
A cathode-to-anode light emission


荒んだ僕は蝶になれるかな
I wonder if my rough self can become a butterfly


折れる
It breaks




Contributed by Layla A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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