1. An alternative rock band from Japan… Read Full Bio ↴There are 2 bands with this name:
1. An alternative rock band from Japan
2. An alternative rock band from Slovakia
for the female duo from the United States, please see Pillows
1. the pillows (ザ・ピロウズ) are an alternative rock band from Hokkaidō, Japan, best known outside Japan for their contributions to the soundtrack of the anime series FLCL (Fooly Cooly).
They consist of 山中さわお (Sawao Yamanaka) -vocals & guitar-, 真鍋吉明 (Yoshiaki Manabe) -guitar-, 佐藤シンイチロウ (Shinichiro Sato) -drums-.
The band officially formed on September 16, 1989 as a four-man group. The fourth man and original bassist, 上田ケンジ (Kenji Ueda), left the band in 1992 to become a music producer and do solo work. Since then, 鹿島達也 (Tatsuya Kashima) and later 鈴木淳 (Jun Suzuki) have taken his place as supporting bassists. Neither Kashima nor Suzuki have been named official members out of respect for Ueda.
The band name is intentionally left without any capitalization.
Official website: http://www.pillows.jp/
2. An alternative rock band The Pillows from High Tatras, Slovakia.
Skeleton Liar
The Pillows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
少しだけ優しくされるのかい
醒めない夢を窓辺に飾れば
今夜だけ誰かそばにいてくれるかい
Skeleton liar
悲しみのplayer
風は何も言わず体を
知らないキミといつか出会えたら
一度だけキスしてくれるのかい
かさばる骨を小さくたためば
好きなだけハーネスを振りはらえるかい
Skeleton liar
目を伏せたplayer
どこにいてもただ
蒼白い夜に浮かんでる
Skeleton liar
悲しみのplayer
Skeleton liar
目を伏せたplayer
Skeleton liar
The lyrics of The Pillows’ Skeleton Liar carry a poignant message about the struggles of finding love and acceptance in a world that often values superficial appearances over genuine connection. The lines “If I flaunt my indelible wounds, will I be treated a little more kindly? / If I decorate the windowsill with a dream that won't fade, will someone be with me for just tonight?” speak to the desperation felt by those who yearn for human companionship, but feel unable to find it due to personal flaws or a lack of meaningful relationships.
The titular “skeleton liar” seems to represent the singer’s false exterior, the façade they put up to the world around them to prevent others from seeing their vulnerabilities. Despite this, the singer remains acutely aware of their own loneliness, fantasizing about meeting “someone” who will kiss them and allow them to discard the “harness” they feel weighed down by. The repetition of “Skeleton liar” throughout the song seems to emphasize the idea that the singer’s true self is being kept hidden, causing them to feel alienated and alone.
Line by Line Meaning
消えない傷を見せびらかせば
If I flaunt my indelible wounds
少しだけ優しくされるのかい
Will someone show me a little kindness?
醒めない夢を窓辺に飾れば
If I decorate my never-ending dreams by the window
今夜だけ誰かそばにいてくれるかい
Will someone be with me just for tonight?
Skeleton liar
Deceptive bones
悲しみのplayer
Player of sadness
風は何も言わず体を
The wind passes through my body without a word
突き抜けてく
And keeps going
知らないキミといつか出会えたら
If someday I meet you, whom I don't know
一度だけキスしてくれるのかい
Will you give me just one kiss?
かさばる骨を小さくたためば
If I fold these bulky bones
好きなだけハーネスを振りはらえるかい
Can I throw off my harness as much as I want?
目を伏せたplayer
Player who averted their eyes
どこにいてもただ
Wherever I am
蒼白い夜に浮かんでる
I'm floating in the pale night
Contributed by Charlie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nigel Weetom
When I show off these wounds that won’t heal
If only for a little, will I be treated kindly?
When the unawakened dreams adorn the window sill
If only for tonight, will someone stay with me?
Skeleton liar
The grieving player
Without a sound
The wind pierces my body
When someday I meet you
If only once, would you kiss me?
When I fold up my bulky bones
Will I be able to freely shake off this harness?
Skeleton liar
The player with eyes downcast
No matter where I am
I just float in the pale night
Skeleton liar
The grieving player
Skeleton liar
The player with eyes downcast
Skeleton liar
ジェシー2号
消えない傷を見せびらかせば
少しだけ優しくされるのかい
醒めない夢を窓辺に飾れば
今夜だけ誰かそばにいてくれるかい
skeleton liar
悲しみのplayer
風は何も言わず体を
突き抜けてく
知らないキミといつか出会えたら
一度だけキスしてくれるのかい
かさばる骨を小さくたためば
好きなだけハーネスを 振りはらえるかい
skeleton liar
目をふせたplayer
どこにいてもただ
蒼白い夜に浮かんでる
skeleton liar
悲しみのplayer
skeleton liar
目を伏せたplayer
skeleton liar
Nigel Weetom
When I show off these wounds that won’t heal
If only for a little, will I be treated kindly?
When the unawakened dreams adorn the window sill
If only for tonight, will someone stay with me?
Skeleton liar
The grieving player
Without a sound
The wind pierces my body
When someday I meet you
If only once, would you kiss me?
When I fold up my bulky bones
Will I be able to freely shake off this harness?
Skeleton liar
The player with eyes downcast
No matter where I am
I just float in the pale night
Skeleton liar
The grieving player
Skeleton liar
The player with eyes downcast
Skeleton liar
numburger
Listening to these songs back to back, it's pretty obvious to some extent Yamanaka was inspired by Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta" when writing that opening guitar with some alterations so they didn't sound the same
Flagpole Sitta came out in 98 and this song was released on the Ride On Shooting Star single in 2000 so there's definitely some wiggle room. Also, The Pillows themselves have said they were greatly inspired by western bands of the time like The Pixies and Nirvana so it wouldn't be out of place for a 30 something Sawao Yamanaka to stubble upon an already popular song and take inspo from it
Vinemaple
Yeah, and this is a B side, they goofed around and experimented a lot with those
catsopi
I love this song. I wish I knew about the pillows in the 90s
ジェシー2号
消えない傷を見せびらかせば
少しだけ優しくされるのかい
醒めない夢を窓辺に飾れば
今夜だけ誰かそばにいてくれるかい
skeleton liar
悲しみのplayer
風は何も言わず体を
突き抜けてく
知らないキミといつか出会えたら
一度だけキスしてくれるのかい
かさばる骨を小さくたためば
好きなだけハーネスを 振りはらえるかい
skeleton liar
目をふせたplayer
どこにいてもただ
蒼白い夜に浮かんでる
skeleton liar
悲しみのplayer
skeleton liar
目を伏せたplayer
skeleton liar
Destr360
Fantastic track
☆ダィャ☆
ひっさしぶりに聴いた！大好きです！！！
MarckooA17
una muy MUY BUENA banda japonesa y genial u
Kurayukiske Jamón
ahuevo
Smelly Friend
Man I wish this song was double its length