One of the biggest and most influential bands of the Japanese indie rock sc… Read Full Bio ↴One of the biggest and most influential bands of the Japanese indie rock scene, Number Girl are a quartet hailing from Fukuoka, Japan. Formed in 1995, they gradually gained a following in their hometown, and soon released their first album, School Girl Bye Bye in 1997. The band was later picked up by Toshiba EMI and released their major label debut, School Girl Distortional Addict. Initially somewhat evocative of the Pixies and Sonic Youth, the band evolved and found themselves creating their own unique mixture of indie rock and traditional Japanese sounds in their subsequent albums, Sappukei and Num-Heavymetallic (both produced by Dave Fridmann.

They disbanded in 2002 when it was announced that bassist Nakao was leaving the band, and the former members moved on to other projects - Mukai and Inazawa formed Zazen Boys. Tabuchi formed Toddle shortly after Number Girl's breakup and joined bloodthirsty butchers as an official member after being a guest guitarist for a number of shows throughout their Kouya Ni Okeru tour in early 2003. Nakao joined Spiral Chord after their original bassist left, and shortly after formed Sloth Love Chunks.

The band got back together in 2019 and release their first new song since their disbandment, "排水管" ("Drainpipe"). During this reunion period, Number Girl played a number of shows from 2019 to until their eventual second disbandment on December 11, 2022.

SAMURAI
NUMBER GIRL Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

鋭く研ぎすまされた
カタナのようなあの娘の言葉
狂ったあの娘はうそだらけ
居合いで俺を斬りつけける
ジャスタライクサムライスォード
斬りまくりのカタナのような
真っ赤に染まる俺のギター
狂いまくりのハガネの衝動

居合いでキサマをぶった斬る

S.A.M.U.R.A.I

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of NUMBER GIRL's song "SAMURAI" are about a girl whose words are as sharp and precise as a well-honed sword. However, the same girl is also described as being crazy and full of lies. In the chorus, the singer compares himself and his guitar to a samurai sword, relentlessly cutting through everything in their path. The guitar is described as turning red from all the cutting, while the singer is consumed by a wild and intense desire for destruction, like that of a samurai in battle. The lyrics end with the singer declaring himself a samurai.

The song seems to be exploring the idea of the samurai code of honor, or bushido, which stresses self-discipline, loyalty, and a willingness to face death with honor. However, the lyrics suggest that this code can also lead to a kind of madness. The girl's lies and the singer's destructive impulses are both portrayed as stemming from a kind of obsession with perfection, with living up to a strict set of standards that can never truly be achieved.

Line by Line Meaning

鋭く研ぎすまされた
Her words are sharp and polished like a perfectly honed sword.

カタナのようなあの娘の言葉
Her words are as lethal and precise as a katana sword.

狂ったあの娘はうそだらけ
That crazy girl is full of lies.

居合いで俺を斬りつけける
She strikes me down with a swift and deadly blow, like a samurai using the iai technique.

ジャスタライクサムライスォード
Just like a samurai sword, my guitar is ready to cut down anything in its path.

斬りまくりのカタナのような
My guitar cuts through everything like a relentless katana sword.

真っ赤に染まる俺のギター
My guitar is stained deep red from all the blood shed in battle.

狂いまくりのハガネの衝動
My uncontrollable urge to create something powerful, like the force of steel.

居合いでキサマをぶった斬る
I strike you down with a swift and deadly blow, using the iai technique.

S.A.M.U.R.A.I
SAMURAI - the embodiment of power, skill, and honor that I strive to achieve.

Contributed by Mackenzie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.