Lyric discussion by Nepenthes 

Cover art for Rusty Nail lyrics by X Japan

To me, "Rusty Nail" has such an 80s-rock feel to it, and for that alone it brings up memories of a happier, more innocent life filled with big hair and great guitars. But considering the fact that "Rusty Nail" just happens to be an X JAPAN song, well--let's just say things invariably pool a bit deeper than that.

I looked up the translated lyrics a long time ago, and I'm sorry to say that I have forgotten the gist of them between then and now. Yet while X Japan's music almost always has that hidden edge, that sorrow and pain, I can't help but think that "Rusty Nail" really IS a happy song. There's just something so free about it, there are no constraints... You can hear the longing in Toshi's voice when he sings that last "wasurenarenakute" (don't yell at me for my questionable transliteration), but even so, that final plea/hope/desire is not without its silver lining. Maybe I'm rambling uneducated nonsense at this point, but I really don't care. I love this song. It's one of the X Japan greats that keeps me such a loyal fan.