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.

Siva
Dragon Ash Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

この目には主の訪れが見える
誰かそいつを確かめよう
存在するのに苦を感じても
アレ以外逃げるすべはない

トカゲの王はこう叫ぶ
体の中の偽善を除去しよう
宇宙は今も機能しているのに

オノレの中に生はない

この目には主の訪れが見える
誰かそいつを確かめよう
存在するのに苦を感じても
アレ以外逃げるすべはない

トカゲの王はこう叫ぶ
体の中の偽善を除去しよう
宇宙は今も機能しているのに
オノレの中に生はない

(GO, go, go, go, go, go, go, go)
Swag!

カイロが狂いだした脳はやがて
天の前にひざまづく
なすがままになされるがままに
青ざめた顔で祈り出す

(GO, go, go, go, go, go, go, go)

(GO, go, go, go, go, go, go, go)

そよいだ風には目を背けないで
信仰への手がかり
この響きを聞け
空気の中にあざやかな光

そして時代は今
僕を拒み毒づいていく

Overall Meaning

Dragon Ash's "Siva" is a song that is open to interpretation but at its core is about searching for meaning and purpose in life. The lyrics suggest the idea that there is a higher power or meaning that can be seen by those who are looking for it. The lines "この目には主の訪れが見える誰かそいつを確かめよう" (Kono me ni wa shu no otozure ga mieru, Dareka soitsu wo tashikameyou) mean "This eye can see the coming of the Lord, someone should verify it." The song discusses the feeling of suffering even when there is an existence, and the search that the singer is on to find the answers to the questions that he has.

The song makes several references to the Lizard King, a nickname for Jim Morrison of The Doors, who was known for his poetry and philosophy. The lines "トカゲの王はこう叫ぶ体の中の偽善を除去しよう" (Tokage no ou ha kou sakebu, Karada no naka no gizen wo jo kyoshouyou) mean "The Lizard King screams, let's remove the hypocrisy from our bodies." The song suggests that by removing the hypocrisy from our lives, we can find a deeper meaning and purpose.

The song also makes reference to faith and the idea of searching for something beyond ourselves. The line "そよいだ風には目を背けないで信仰への手がかり" (Soyoida kaze ni wa me wo soke nai de, shinkou e no tegakari) means "Don't turn your eyes from the breeze, it's a clue to faith." The singer encourages the listener to keep looking and searching for answers, even if they seem elusive.

Overall, "Siva" is a contemplative and philosophical song that encourages the listener to search for meaning and purpose in life.

Line by Line Meaning

この目には主の訪れが見える
I can see the coming of a god with these eyes.

誰かそいつを確かめよう
Someone, please, confirm my vision.

存在するのに苦を感じても
I may suffer despite existing,

アレ以外逃げるすべはない
so there's no way to run from that pain.

トカゲの王はこう叫ぶ
The Lizard King shouts thus,

体の中の偽善を除去しよう
Let's eradicate the hypocrisy within ourselves.

宇宙は今も機能しているのに
Despite how the universe operates still,

オノレの中に生はない
it is devoid of life within me.

GO, go, go, go, go, go, go, go
GO, go, go, go, go, go, go, go

Swag!
Swag!