Happy Slave
The Pillows Lyrics

The Pillows's song Happy Slave seems to be about someone who wants to be a happy slave, through a series of contradictory and paradoxical lyrics. The song opens with the line "happy slave 跪きたい", or "I want to kneel as a happy slave". This sets up the tone for the rest of the lyrics, which are filled with different desires for enslavement. The next line, "手持ち無沙汰の言い訳に" or "an excuse for being idle" suggests that the singer of the song might be feeling aimless, and that becoming a happy slave might give them direction.

The chorus of the song repeats "happy slave" multiple times, emphasizing the desire to become one. The lines "そんな頭は床に こすりつけていなよ お似合いだ" or "Your head is suited to be rubbed against the floor" and "happy slave 待っているのさ 手頃な思想唱えるブラックリーダー" or "A black leader who speaks easy-to-understand ideologies is waiting for you, happy slave" suggest that the singer wants to be submissive and to follow someone else's lead.

The bridge of the song provides further clues to the singer's desire to be controlled. The lines "役立たずの分厚い本を 大事そうに抱えたまま 恥知らずの知ったかぶりで 愉快そうに笑ってる AHAHA" or "Clutching a thick book they have no use for, shamelessly pretending to know all about it, laughing happily AHAHA" suggest that the singer revels in their own ignorance and that they want someone else to tell them what to think, feel, and believe. The song ends with repeating "happy? happy? happy slave!" to emphasize the singer's strong desire for enslavement.