Hotarubi (English)

I think I know what this is about! :o Pair the lyrics and the verse from the booklet, which reads "You, now where are you My shadow is burned into the wall In this time traces of the battlefield will be left behind, perhaps You, now will become dust I, now will become ashes With a splinter of glass this child's figure A firefly lives short lily excited This evening black rain and red sky" A shadow burned into a wall? In Hiroshima isn't where a stair case with a "shadow" of a person who was caught in the blast of the bomb? Black rain? Didn't it rain black, radioactive rain after the bomb hit? Maybe the explosion is being compared to a firefly’s light. I think there is a woman in this song, too, and it talks of her reunion and a “you” who was on a battlefield and whatnot. Was the woman’s lover a pilot in the war? I don’t know, maybe I just completely misinterpreted this but after reading the verse the idea popped into my head.

I had a similar thought in mind when I read the lyrics, but then I started thinking. And this is what I came up with:

firefly's light

I was thinking that that could refer to the afterglow of the bomb after it goes off.

only old faded photographs the days piling up on one another fire lights up with a pinwheel calmed the tears

Maybe that refers to the fact that everything they new was now gone due to the blast and the person could now live a full life. Although, I can also think that it means that the people no longer have anything to fear because the worst has happened. Days piling up on one another could refer to the tension that the people felt waiting for the worst to happen. Calmed the tears could refer to the person, in an odd way, feeling relieved that what happened happened. Although the first line makes me think that the person lost something there, whether it be memories or the people contained within the memories.

in a basket, shivered, swayed the baby laughs

That sounds like a Moses reference to me, in that the Pharaoh (bomb) went and killed all of the babies (Japanese people) but he was lucky to survive. He laughs because he is unaware of the true severity of what happened, just as many were unaware of the results that the radioactivity would have on them and the wildlife.

la la goodbye la la the evening grows late

Goodbye could refer to the past as he knows it, because he is uncertain of anything anymore. The evening grows late could mean that he is dying due to the effects of the blast, or that he cannot see his future due to the clouds caused by the suddenness of the attack.

this child you loved you build up

Flashback maybe? He's thinking about his family that he raised due to the old ideals of Japan.

now, by your side, go with this child, the two of you

Telling his family in his mind to flee, but he hasn't realized that he has lost them. So "go, the two of you" could also mean that they went off into the afterlife.

la la goodbye la la the evening opens

The other evening could mean how the situation seems to pass and things start to have a chance of returning to normal.

on the water's surface, only you float, reflecting the middle of a battlefield

He sees his family everywhere, including the water, and he is always reminded of the day he lost them.

become the wind, the divine wind

I know kamikaze means divine wind. Could he be referring to the bomb and how it swept everything away?

and into the darkness disappear bloom in the evening of our reunion the glow of the firefly

His family is dead but he'll meet up with them once he dies.

become the wind, the divine wind and into the darkness disappear bloom in the evening of our reunion the shape of the lilies

Same thought here, but i don't really know if lilies have anything associated with death and loved ones.

become the wind, the divine wind bloom in the evening of our reunion firefly's light and the flower of the lily

I'm guessing he wants to die to be alongside his family once again, or that he is dying and the "firefly's light" is the last thing he sees before he kicks the bucket.

Well, that's my two cents :P

I'm not going to say that I know what this beautiful song means because I'm not positive.

However, I believe an 1988 anime called 'The Grave of the Fireflies' backs up GotForGimmick's translation of the song. It's an immensely depressing movie based in wartime Japan (actually world war II) but I believe it takes place in Kobe. It's about two young children who are trying to survive on the side of a hill after their house (and family) are destroyed by bombs.

I had to watch this over a period of a week because the anime made me sick to my stomach with depression.

Here is a link to the shadow that Kyo is refering to in this song:

http://www.gensuikin.org/english/photo.html

These articles are very interesting and should be read...

damn no....this song kickass! I love it

I love this song, it got me into J-Rock. :]

Wow, this song is so beautiful, definately the best song Shinya has written. It's just so...peaceful. It makes me sad and sleepy though lol.

I love this song so much. It's so beautiful. Kyo is an absolutely amazing writer.

If I remember correctly, the song was about Japan's defeat at the end World War II. A person was taking care of someones child at the same time the A-Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. I think.

this song is one of the more....."gental?" songs it needs a bit more beat and screaming =3