Dragon Ash started out from humble punk beginnings to become one of the bri… Read Full Bio ↴Dragon Ash started out from humble punk beginnings to become one of the brightest groups in the growing New Japanese Rock movement in the late '90s, blending pop sensibilities with a hard-edged sound, producing albums and singles that play like a tour of Western rock of the '90s. Lead singer and guitarist Kenji Furuya, son of actor Ikko Furuya, met drummer Makoto Sakurai when they were junior high students in a Tokyo suburb, and the two started playing together. Though temporarily sidetracked into following in his father's footsteps, Furuya gave up the few acting gigs that he was getting on TV dramas to concentrate on music in high school. In 1996, knowing what they wanted but needing some sort of mentor, they took on bass player Ikuzo Baba, ten years their senior. Furuya and Sakurai had the talent and drive — Baba brought experience and a wealth of musical knowledge. Dragon Ash was born. The group debuted in 1997 with two EPs at the beginning of the year, The Day Dragged On and Public Garden, which showed their raw, punk hardcore style, influenced by another rock trio, Nirvana. By the end of the year and time of their release, Mustang!, the group had progressed from their simple punk roots to a blend of pop, funk, hardcore, rap, and metal. Through 1998 their popularity increased, and by the time of Buzz Songs, their sound had solidified to rock/rap, helped with the mixing skills of DJ Bots, who occasionally appeared on some songs. Two singles — "Let Yourself Go, Let Myself Go" and "Grateful Days," the latter featuring hardcore rapper Zeebra and soulstress ACO — sold so well that they cracked the Japanese Oricon charts, usually reserved for pop music, and went to number one. Now Dragon Ash had become a four-piece, with DJ Bots essential to the mix. Their third album, 1999's Viva la Revolution, not only signified the arrival of the band as a major group in Japan, but was one of the first volleys in the New Japanese Rock movement. In 2000, Dragon Ash undertook the Total Music Communication Tour, touring Japan with a lineup that included other rising rock acts, such as Missile Girl Scout, Penpals, and Skebou Kings. Meanwhile, Furuya and DJ Bots formed a duo of sorts, writing and producing songs for acts such as Sugar Soul under the name Steady & Co. Likewise, Baba and Sakurai sidelined as a remixing unit called Motor Headphone, popping up on various compilations. If anyone had any doubts that the group was softening around the edges, 2001's Lily of da Valley was as hard, funky, and uncompromising as their earliest work.

River
Dragon Ash Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

風の強い朝に僕は草をちぎって
キミの待つ家まで歩いて行く
髪を切りすぎて泣いてるキミヘ
Give me some more time

光る石を拾って家にもちかえろう
それはまるで川沿いの道を
キレイに照らしてる気がしてた

Give me some more dream

秘密の場所まであと何マイル
僕達は裸足ではしゃぎずぎていた
Here we go way to the river rest under a tree
Here we go way to the river
I think you feel relax!!

キミの待つ家まで歩いて行く
髪を切りすぎて泣いてるキミヘ
Give me some more time

秘密の場所まであと何マイル
僕達は裸足ではしゃぎずぎていた
Here we go way to the river rest under a tree

Here we go way to the river
I think you feel relax!!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dragon Ash's song "River" express a sense of journey and the need for escape and relaxation in the context of a relationship. The first verse depicts the singer picking grass on a windy morning and walking to his lover's home where she is crying over her haircut. He asks for more time to comfort her. The second verse talks about picking up a shiny rock and bringing it home, feeling like it illuminates the path along the river beautifully. The chorus repeats with the couple walking to a secret place where they run and play around barefoot, finally resting under a tree by the river. The singer imagines his lover could feel relaxed and comforted.

The song's general theme seems to be about the need for a break to stop and find some peace and relaxation amid life's daily stress. The songwriter employs nature and the river as a motif and a metaphor for that kind of restful escape. Through verses and chorus, the song describes the experience to walk closer to nature being barefoot, immerse himself in the joy, and forget any worries. The song also hints at the idea of being present with a loved one and the importance of creating memories and time together.

Line by Line Meaning

風の強い朝に僕は草をちぎって
On a windy morning, I pick grass and walk to your house.

キミの待つ家まで歩いて行く
I walk to the house where you wait.

髪を切りすぎて泣いてるキミヘ
You cry because you cut your hair too short.

Give me some more time
Please give me more time.

光る石を拾って家にもちかえろう
Let's pick up shiny stones and take them to the house.

それはまるで川沿いの道を
It feels like the stones light up the path along the river.

キレイに照らしてる気がしてた
I felt like they were illuminating it beautifully.

Give me some more dream
Please give me more dreams.

秘密の場所まであと何マイル
How many more miles until we reach our secret spot?

僕達は裸足ではしゃぎずぎていた
We frolicked around barefoot.

Here we go way to the river rest under a tree
We're making our way to the river where we'll rest under a tree.

Here we go way to the river
Here we go to the river.

I think you feel relax!!
I think you'll feel relaxed!!

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Kenji Furuya

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

Ghent

9y↑3

i love this song so much. i've listened to it a hundred times over the years. the guitar toward the end is so strange and cathartic.

Lovell Stroud

9y↑2

Hey sorry for the super late reply this is my old account I posted these Dragon ash Videos onto and yeah the Guitar solo at the end is the icing on the cake to this whole song :).

just now