Members include Aoki Robin [青木ロビン] (vocals, guitar), Aoki Yutaka [青木裕] (guitar), Nakamata Kazuhiro [仲俣和宏] (bass), Akiyama Takahiko [秋山隆彦] (drums) and Zakuro [柘榴] (live effects).
On 22 October 2004, the group announced they would temporarily cease activity. In the meantime, all members are currently engaged in one or more musical projects.
On 1st October 2013, downy announced their reunion after a 9 year hiatus and a special concert to mark the reunion on the 1st of November in Okinawa. Their reunion was also marked by their first studio album release in 9 years with all-new material on the 20th on November.
In 2018, Hiroshi Aoki, guitarist, died. In February 2020, SUNNOVA joined as an official member, playing sampler and synth.
葵
downy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
夕暮れに行き先など無く
まだ育つ
一つ言えるのは
あまりに 永く 唯永く
悲しみに暮れるくらいならば
九十九の粒の涙を流し
月へと昇る
錆びついた窓隅に
煙草の沁みわたる
時雨の空しさ
黒猫は髪を刻む
錆びついた窓隅に
煙草の沁みわたる
時雨の空しさ
黒猫は髪を刻む
錆びついた窓隅に
煙草の沁みわたる
時雨の空しさ
黒猫は髪を刻む
The lyrics to "葵" by downy seem to reflect a sense of aimlessness and despair in life. The singer of the song is wandering through the evening with no particular destination in mind, feeling lost and directionless. The recurring line "あまりに 永く 唯永く" (amari ni nagaku tada nagaku) seems to express a feeling of being stuck in a perpetual state of sadness, endlessly dwelling on one's grief with no end in sight.
The second stanza paints a bleak picture of a rusted window corner, stained with the smell of cigarettes, and the emptiness of a drizzly sky. The black cat is described as "刻む" (kizamu), which can mean to carve or engrave, but also has more metaphorical meanings like to mark or wound someone. This could be interpreted as the cat being a symbol of the singer's own struggles and demons that he carries with him.
Line by Line Meaning
夕暮れに行き先など無く
With the evening setting in, there is nowhere in particular to go
まだ育つ
Still growing
一つ言えるのは
One thing that can be said
あまりに 永く 唯永く
Only forever, too long
悲しみに暮れるくらいならば
If it means living in sadness
九十九の粒の涙を流し
Shedding 99 tears
月へと昇る
Ascending to the moon
錆びついた窓隅に
In the rusted corner of a window
煙草の沁みわたる
The scent of cigarettes permeating
時雨の空しさ
The emptiness of the drizzling rain
黒猫は髪を刻む
A black cat is grooming its hair
Contributed by Adalyn P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.